Errani crushes Strycova for Dubai title

Sara Errani raced away at the start but needed five match points to claim a 6-0 6-2 victory over Barbora Strycova in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Saturday.

The Italian reached the summit at the Aviation Club in 66 minutes after finishing runner-up in 2013 against Petra Kvitova.

Errani will move back to a top 20 ranking as a result of her success in earning the ninth title of her career and first of 2016.

“I have now words,” the winner said. “I’m sorry for Barbora, it was not her day. It was a really tough match.

“I’m really happy to win this event, it was a difficult week for me. I don’t know how I got this far. But I’m very happy for myself and my team.”

Errani swept the first nine games in a contest which quickly got away from Strycova. The Czech earned crowd support as she won her first game to trail 6-0 3-1.

Errani got back to business by running her lead out to 5-1.

But Strycova momentarily found some form, saving a match point in the seventh game to hold for 2-5.

The 29-year-old Czech salvaged three more Errani match-winners before putting a forehand out to end the match.

“I was not so calm at the end, I was trying not to think of all the match points,” Errani, the first Italian woman to win the Dubai title, said.

“I was still nervous inside.”

Strycova admitted “I tried everything, but it was so hard. I’m very happy to have played the final.”