Italian dynamo Sara Errani stopped Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-4 yesterday to win a gruelling match and reach her second career final at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Errani played the 2013 final at the Aviation Club, losing to Czech Petra Kvitova, but now has the chance to go one better.
She will face off in today’s final against Barbora Strycova, who stopped Caroline Garcia of France 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.
The 29-year-old Czech who will improve her ranking to 38th as a result of this week, finished with an ace after two and a quarter hours. She has lost five of their six matches against Errani.
The tournament has had an unprecedented run at this edition, setting a record with all eight seeds losing by the end of the second round; that statistical blip had never previously occurred on the women’s Tour.
Strycova completed a streak of seven winning games to lead a set and 2-0 before Garcia woke up to challenge. The Frenchwoman ran off four games of her own and claimed the second set. She started the third with a break but lost traction at that point. Strycova took her chances in the closing stages as she moved into her sixth career final. The winner of one trophy at Quebec in 2011 broke for 5-3 and closed out victory a game later.
Both players committed 43 unforced errors.
“I don’t know how, but I made three good serves in the final game,” Strycova said. “I’m so happy, it was not an easy match for me but to be in the final is great.
“When I was down in the third set I told myself to play my game and go for it. I just had nothing to lose.”
Errani needed nearly two hours to beat Svitolina, one of a crop of up-and-coming hopes on the WTA.
The Italian won despite 31 unforced errors and just 12 winners in steamy desert conditions. She kept Svitolina on the defensive throughout, forcing the Ukrainian to save nine break points. “I just tried to play focussed on every one. I’m really excited to play another final - it’s amazing,” Errani said. “It was really tough today, it was hot. Most of the games were very long with a lot of points. It was a big battle.”
The Italian will be looking for a ninth career trophy as she competes in her 19th final.