Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe staved off a match point at the WTA Finals Riyadh on Tuesday, rallying for a dramatic 1-6, 7-6(1), 11-9 win over Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani.
The No. 2 seeds hit 23 winners and broke serve three times in the one-hour, 31-minute victory, improving to 2-0 in the group stage.
It was the first career meeting between the squads, and the Italian team of Paolini and Errani largely commanded play in the opening set. The No. 4 seeds reeled off the first 13 points of the match to seize a 3-0 lead, before Dabrowski and Routliffe were finally able to hold serve. It did little to slow down the Italians, who remained in full control.
This year’s Olympic gold medallists in Paris captured the following three games, converting their third set point to win the first 6-1 in just 22 minutes.
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In the second set, the 2023 US Open winners were able to regroup, as Routliffe opened with a comfortable service hold to get the pair on the scoreboard quickly.
In the fourth game, the pair finally secured their first break of the match, punishing Errani’s serve with a series of strong returns. Dabrowski and Routliffe led 5-3 at one point, but the Italians replied with three consecutive games of their own.
Read more: Monday Digest – Dabrowski off and running at WTA Finals
Trailing 5-6, the Canadian-Kiwi pair broke the 37-year-old Errani for a third time in the set to send it to a tiebreak.
The No. 2 seeds played ruthless attacking tennis from there, capturing the second set 7-6(1) and setting the scene for a dramatic match tiebreak.
After trading off the first 14 points of the breaker, the Canadian-Kiwi team won a remarkable rally. The No. 2 seeds produced a series of impressive reflex volleys before Dabrowski struck a winner into the open court for an 8-7 lead. However, the Italians didn’t waver, winning their next two service points.
Serving from match point down at 8-9, Routliffe delivered two unreturnable first serves to bring up an opportunity of their own. Dabrowski fired a backhand return at the feet of Errani to clinch the victory.
With the win, Dabrowski and Routliffe sit atop the WTA Finals Riyadh White Group at 2-0. They’ll finish round robin play against Americans Desirae Krawczyk and Caroline Dolehide on Thursday.