SINGAPORE -- To open up the final day in Singapore, it was a doubles affair between year-end number ones Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza and the all-Spanish duo of Carla Suàrez Navarro and Garbiñe Muguruza. Muguruza was knocked out of the singles competition by Agnieszka Radwanska on Semifinal Saturday so a title in doubles would have been sweeter. It was not meant to be for her and Suarez Navarro as they were dominated by “SanTina” 6-0, 6-3 to be crowned WTA Finals champions.
Dominating Display From SanTina
A quick hold to love to start the match was followed by a break at 15 to put Hingis and Mirza up 2-0. Muguruza and Suarez Navarro had a chance to get the break right back in a long game where four deuces were needed. The Spanish duo earned a break point after the third deuce, but Muguruza’s backhand was hit right at the Indian who would easily put it away to save it and eventually held.
The Spaniards continued to struggle on their service game, getting broken at 30 this time to fall behind 0-4. Mirza continued to play phenomenally as her and Suarez Navarro traded groundstrokes on game point, and she perfectly placed a winner right in between the Spaniards to put them up 5-0. With Muguruza serving to get them on the board and to keep them in the set, Hingis and Suarez Navarro had a little fun of their own as they exchanged a multitude of volleys before the Swiss put it away to put them to points from the set. On their first set point, Mirza drilled a backhand return at Suarez Navarro and then hit a scorching swinging backhand volley winner into the doubles alley to close out the first set 6-0.
Another Dominant Display From Hingis And Mirza
The Swiss-Indian duo picked up right where they left off with a fourth break of the match on the Spaniards and then went up 15-0 in the third after a delightful lob from Hingis with both women camped on the net. After the Spaniards broke to get it back on serve, Hingis and Mirza struck right back. At 15-30, Hingis and Suarez Navarro were trading blows from the back of the court before the Swiss decided to go down the line for Muguruza to get a racket on the ball, but it floated up in the air for the Indian to hit another swinging backhand volley winner to give them two break points and would break for 3-1.
Mirza continued to fire away swinging volley winners with another one in the fourth game, this time a forehand, to put them up 30-0 as they consolidated the break. The Spaniards fell behind three championship points in the eighth game. Suarez Navarro hit a forehand winner on the third one to save it but still trailed 5-3.
The Indian served out the match as Muguruza’s backhand sailed wide. Joy and ecstasy filled the faces of Hingis and Mirza as they capped off a dominating year by lifting the Martina Navratilova Doubles Trophy. It was a tremendous year for the Swiss-Indian duo as they lifted nine titles in 10 finals this year, which includes Wimbledon and the US Open.