ARYNA Sabalenka has relegated Petra Kvitova to runner-up in the 2020 Qatar Total Open final after defeating the Czech left hander in 74 minutes. It was the second successive Qatar Open final Kvitova has lost, following her defeat to Belgian, Elise Mertens in 2019. This year, the Belarusian 21-year-old got up 6-3 6-3 in an impressive win to claim the title – the sixth of her career.

Sabalenka started strong in the opening set, serving at an elite 80.8 per cent compared to her opponents’ 54.2 per cent, and was near-unstoppable off her first serve points at 81 per cent success rate. Kvitova won just six points off her first serve, and 13 in total off her serve, but somehow held three of her four serve games. Unfortunately for the number eight seed, she was unable to even generate a break point opportunity against Sabalenka, but the one break point the Belarusian was able to capitalise on helped her win the set, 6-3.

Kvitova evened the stakes in the second set in terms of her serving percentage, bolstering her efficiency right up to 79.3 per cent, but again Sabalenka attacked her serve without any worries, forcing the Czech to win just 15 points off her serve. While Sabalenka won just four points off her second serve, she was much more dominant off her first, weathering Kvitova’s best efforts and five break point opportunities, to serve five aces and break her opponent twice in the set, to take the second set, and the match, 6-3 6-3.

The result has a big bearing on the rankings with Sabalenka leapfrogging Kvitova into eleventh spot on the rankings, while also having gone past American, Madison Keys initially starting the tournament in thirteenth.