Jessica Pegula battles past Maria Sakkari into Doha final

Jessica Pegula took on Maria Sakkari for the Qatar Open final and she ultimately proved better beating her in three sets 6-2 4-6 6-1 to secure the final.

Pegula played a really strong match and if she had been a bit more precise she could have ended it in two sets. Sakkari was looking very strong all week long but once again, when the stakes became higher her game suffered. It was still a decent outing but she was clearly outplayed by a better player.

The first set went 6-2 to Pegula who dominated Sakkari from the baseline. We saw chances on both sides with both players losing their serve but Pegula just outplayed Sakkari in crucial rallies. She gave her a lot of trouble when returning particularly which was a problem she was able to somewhat mitigate in the second set.

The second set went 6-4 to Sakkari after Pegula struggled with her serve and ball control. She misfired far too often in this set but it wasn't a huge deal because she would find a really strong rhythm in the final set. It was a decent one by both but Pegula was just a lot better ultimately winning 6-1.