Ottawa native Gabriela Dabrowski clinched her maiden WTA doubles championship since reuniting with Brazilian partner Luisa Stefani. The duo, seeded fifth, emerged victorious over the unseeded pair of Laura Siegemund from Germany and Vera Zvonareva from Russia with a score of 6-1, 6-3 in the final of the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Saturday.
The match lasted for one hour and thirteen minutes, during which Dabrowski and Stefani secured 59.3% of total points. They capitalized on their only break-point opportunity and successfully defended against two break points from their opponents.
This victory marks their second WTA 1000 title together and their first in four years. Prior to this, they claimed the National Bank Open in Montreal in 2021 and a WTA 250 event in Chennai, India in 2022.
Their partnership initially began in 2020 but was put on hold after Stefani suffered a severe knee injury at the 2021 U.S. Open. They rejoined forces this season following Dabrowski’s split from Erin Routliffe of New Zealand in November, after a successful 2 ½-year partnership that included multiple titles, including two U.S. Open women’s doubles triumphs.
Gabriela Dabrowski’s latest achievement in Dubai represents her sixth WTA 1000 doubles title and the fourth for Stefani. The win is expected to elevate the 33-year-old Dabrowski to a career-best world No. 2 ranking in the WTA Rankings, next to Elise Mertens of Belgium.
Reflecting on her success, Dabrowski emphasized the significance of strong partnerships and consistent tournament performances over rankings. The final in Dubai contrasted with the earlier rounds, where Dabrowski and Stefani faced challenging tiebreaks and saved match points.
Stefani expressed her delight at securing their first WTA 1000 title in Dubai, highlighting the rarity and significance of such a feat. Dabrowski, who bravely battled breast cancer in 2024, dedicated the victory to the father of a close friend currently fighting cancer.