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Petra Kvitova and Garbine Muguruza advanced to the final of the Qatar Open, one winning in straight sets and the other without even playing a point.
Spaniard Muguruza stepped forward when semi-final opponent Victoria Azarenka was forced to retire due to a back injury.
Kvitova beat Jessica Pegula 6-4 6-4, winning the last four games after trailing 4-2 in the second set, to set up a rematch of the 2018 final in Doha, when the Czech beat Muguruza in three sets.
“I was just trying to get back to the rhythm I lost after the first set and I’m really happy I found a way,” said Kvitova.
Pegula, who reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open last month, was playing her seventh game in as many days after qualifying in Doha.
“She’s a very solid player from the baseline, and as we’ve seen she can also play volleys, so it was very difficult,” said Kvitova.
Kvitova will play in her first final since last year’s Qatar event, when she lost to Aryna Sabalenka.
Azarenka suffered a lower back injury as she warmed up for her quarter-final match against seed Elina Svitolina on Thursday and was unable to take her place in the bottom four.
This helped Muguruza advance to his second final of the season after losing to Australia’s Ash Barty in the Yarra Valley Classic final last month.
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