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Unexpected collapse. Krejčíková and Siniaková lost, even though they led 7:2 in the super tiebreak

Tennis players Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková did not defend their triumph at the Tournament of Champions. The seeded No. 1s lost a dramatic final in American Fort Worth to the Russian-Belgian pair Veronika Kuděrmětová, Elise Mertensová 2:6, 6:4, 9:11 and did not win Martina Navrátilová’s winning trophy for the second time in a row.

The 26-year-old Czechs turned the unfavorable development from 0:1 to sets and 3:4 in the second set, but they did not use the 7:2 lead in the decisive super tie-break. They lost the duel after an hour and 44 minutes.

“It was balanced until the end and I believe that we offered the fans a nice show. This time we are the sad ones, but we will come back,” promised Krejčíková.

“Congratulations to our opponents, they had a great week. I look forward to another successful season next year and we will play against each other in the final more times,” she added in the post-match interview on the court.

The winners of this year’s three Grand Slam titles did not take advantage of the opportunity to become the seventh couple in history to defend their victory at the Tournament of Champions. Krejčíková and Siniaková were in the final of the prestigious competition for the third time, they did not succeed in the same way as in 2018.

“It was a tough match. The opponents played harder and they deserved it. I believe that we will come back even stronger next year. I am proud of Bára and me. We have come a long way, but we are doing well,” said Siniaková.

Kuděrmětová and Mertens, who played the role of seeded four, avenged the Czechs’ semi-final defeat from this year’s Australian Open and celebrated their biggest joint triumph. Both players won the prestigious WTA Finals for the first time, Mertens did not succeed in the final last year with Xie Shuwei from Taiwan.

“Last year you beat me, so this year it was a bit of revenge. But you are still the best team in the world and you can be proud of yourselves. You won three Grand Slams this year,” Mertens said to the Czech tennis players.

“I was very nervous at the end of the match and now I can’t even believe it,” added the 26-year-old Belgian.

Krejčíková and Siniaková did not enter the final duel in the best way. Both Czech tennis players lost their serve in the beginning and the Russian-Belgian couple took the lead 4:0. The tournament fours then added the set without any problems and took the lead in thirty-three minutes. The Czechs lost a set for the first time in the tournament.

Krejčíková, a native of Brno, left the court for a while before the start of the second set, and the defending champions improved after the break. Although the Czechs lost their serve in the seventh game, the unfavorable situation did not break them and they reversed the development with three games in a row.

In the decisive super tie-break, Krejčíková and Siniaková took the lead 7:2 and had the advantage of two minibreaks. After that, however, the Czechs lost six balls in a row and the opponents regained their mental well-being.

At 8:9, the Czech representatives still saved the first match point, but in the second, Krejčíková later played the ball into the car and the opponents could celebrate.

The 26-year-old Czechs will still end the season as the best couple of the year, and Siniaková will remain at the top of the doubles rankings. Before Krejčíková, Kuděrmětová will move to second place.

Both Czech representatives will now move to Glasgow, Scotland, where they will take part in the final tournament for the Billie Jean King Cup this week. Captain Petr Pála’s team will face Poland and the USA in the basic group.

Caroline Garcia of France won the Tournament of Champions in singles. In the final, she defeated Aryna Sabalenko from Belarus 7:6 and 6:4.

For Garcia, this is the biggest success in her career so far. Thanks to the fourth title of the season and the eleventh overall, he will also improve his maximum in the world ranking, in which he will move from sixth to fourth position.

The first set was balanced for a long time and the first break point was waited until the tie-break. Thanks to him, Sabalenkova took a 0-2 lead, but then she started to make errors on her serve, Garcia turned the score to 5-2 and won the opening set.

In the second set, Garcia grabbed Sabalenkova’s serve right from the start, built a 2-0 lead and kept the advantage until the end. “It was a really dramatic match,” Tennis Channel quoted the winner as saying.

“I’m proud that I was able to keep my nerves in check and go point by point, game by game,” added the 29-year-old Garcia, who also served 11 aces for the victory of her life.

The victory for Garcia also means an improvement of her personal best in the WTA rankings. In June, she was not even in the top 70 of the ranking, but after that four titles and an advance to the semi-finals of the US Open helped her move up.

“It’s so important to keep moving forward,” Garcia said. “If you don’t improve, it’s a step back. And that’s something that neither I nor anyone on my team wants,” said the French tennis player.

Fort Worth Tennis Tournament of Champions (hard court, $5 million endowment):

Doubles – Final: Kuděrmětová, Mertensová (4-Rus./Belg.) – Krejčíková, Siniakova (1-CR) 6:2, 4:6, 11:9.

Singles – Final: Garcia (6-Fr.) – Sabalenkova (7-Bel.) 7:6 (7:4), 6:4.

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