The Chan sisters claimed their second WTA Tour doubles title of the year at the Qatar Open in Doha on Saturday.
Fourth-seeded Taiwanese duo Chan Hao-ching and Chan Yung-jan defeated Sara Errani of Italy and Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-3, 6-3 in just 64 minutes in the final at the International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha.
The Taiwanese pairing saved one of three break points and converted five of nine, winning 60 of the 104 points contested to claim their second title of the year following their success at the inaugural Taiwan Open in Kaohsiung on Feb. 14.
Photo: Screen grab from Facebook
“Today’s match wasn’t easy, despite the score,” elder sister Yung-jan told the WTA Web site.
“They’re for sure very tough opponents, who’ve been playing really well. I was sick and having a fever, coughing, but we’re happy to make it until the last match,” said Yung-jan, who had been suffering with flu-like symptoms all week.
It was the sisters’ seventh title as a pairing after the victory in Kaohsiung earlier this month, in Pattaya, Cincinnati and Tokyo last year, in Eastbourne in 2014 and in Shenzhen in 2013.
“It’s the first time we’ve played together at the Qatar Open, but we’re the champions,” Hao-ching said.
“So we’re very happy and would like to come back next year,” she added.
The victory saw the Chan sisters rise to second in the annual WTA Road To Singapore rankings behind world No. 1 pairing Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza.
“Already No. 2? I think that’s a pretty good start to the year,” Yung-jan said.
“We’re very happy, but we didn’t check before the match, so it’s a surprise for us,” Hao-ching said.
Earlier in the singles final, Suarez Navarro won her second career WTA Tour singles title when she rallied past Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Suarez Navarro’s first win on the WTA Tour since Estoril in April 2014 ended a run of three losses in finals, all last year.
“My aim at the start of the year was to win one title and to get inside the top 10. I am happy I have done both this week,” said Suarez Navarro, who is set to rise from 11th to sixth in the WTA Tour singles rankings today. “The win gives me a lot of confidence going forward in the season. I’ve lost a lot of finals, so I’m really happy and excited about this tournament.”
Additional reporting by AP
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