From the brink of defeat to lifting the trophy! A stunning comeback at the WTA Doha event, this duo created a miracle.

As is well known, both ATP and WTA doubles matches follow a best-of-three sets format. Because of this, it is generally very challenging to win if you lose the first set. Moreover, if you lose the first set and then face match point against you in the second set, securing a victory becomes even more difficult.

However, there are always exceptions. Just last week at the WTA1000 Doha tournament, two players turned the tables after facing match point in the final, ultimately staging a comeback to win the title and creating a miraculous “escape to victory.” So, who exactly are these two players? What are their past achievements? And which opponents did they overcome in Doha? Today, this article will take you through their story.

These two players are Serbia’s Krunić and Kazakhstan’s Danilina. Back in 2017, Krunić reached her first career tour final, battling through three sets before losing to Zhang Shuai, finishing as runner-up.

Danilina has mostly focused on doubles; in 2022, she qualified for the year-end finals. Last month, the pair teamed up to reach the Australian Open women’s doubles final. However, this time, Krunić and Danilina were defeated by the Chinese player Zhang Shuai and Belgium’s Mertens, sadly finishing as runners-up once again.

Last week, the duo entered the WTA1000 Doha tournament as the fourth seeds. After receiving a bye in the first round, their second-round opponents were wildcard entrants: Canadian Leylah Fernandez and French player Mladenovic. In a tough three-set battle, they managed to overcome their opponents and advance.

In the quarterfinals, Krunić and Danilina faced the Australian team of Hunter and Jointh. After winning the first set 6–2, they lost the second set 4–6, pushing the match into a decisive final set. Fortunately, Krunić and Danilina steadied themselves and secured the victory, advancing with great effort into the semifinals.

In the semifinals, Krunić and Danilina performed exceptionally well, sweeping the fifth seeds, Brazilian player Stefani and Canadian Dabrowski, 6–3, 6–4, to reach the final smoothly.

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In the final, their opponents were the third seeds, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Latvia’s Ostapenko. In the first set, Krunić and Danilina showed no resistance and were blanked; throughout much of the second set, they still struggled to regain form and even faced match point against them.

At the critical moment when defeat seemed imminent, Krunić and Danilina launched a comeback, gradually leveling the score and pushing the match into a tiebreak. Energized, they won the tiebreak, bringing themselves back to an equal footing with their opponents. In the final set, unstoppable, Krunić and Danilina triumphed, overturning the match to claim the championship.

From hanging by a thread at match point to a victorious comeback, this pair created their own miracle in Doha. We look forward to them maintaining their form and achieving more success on the doubles court. That’s today’s tennis story; more to come tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)