Victoria Azarenka wins dramatic 1st round match against Putintseva in Doha

The WTA Qatar Open in Doha started today and the first day already delivered some superb tennis with Azarenka taking down Putintsev 5-7 6-2 7-5.

It was a very dramatic match as it featured a lot of twists and turns. Neither player played out of their mind and it was quite a sloppy match from both. In the mayhem of things, it was Azarenka who proved better edging out the Kazakhstani player with a superb comeback in the final set. She was down 0-4 but rallied to win the final set with 7-5.

The first set was a very interesting one as Putintseva proved better early. She was up 3-1 but lost the lead as Azarenka battled back. The Belarussian struggled with her serve all day long and it proved a problem late in the first set. She gave a chance to Putintseva and she took it winning the set with 7-5.

In the 2nd set, Azarenka completely outplayed her opponent. She was determined not to allow the match to slip away and she quickly took a 4-0 lead. After that, she finished off the set with 6-2. Disaster came for Azarenka in the 3rd set as she found herself down 0-4. Once again it was the serve that troubled her as she gave too many opportunities to Putintseva.

However, things took another dramatic turn when the Belarussian raised her level out of nowhere to win four games straight. It was 4-4 and Azarenka had momentum on her side. That momentum eventually worked in favour of Azarenka who was able to finish off the final set with 7-5. A hard-fought win for her in a match that lasted almost three hours.