The Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia was runner-up in the WTA 1000 in Indian Wells, in the United States. This Saturday (18), the partnership of São Paulo, 26th of ranking women’s doubles of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), with the German Laura Siegemund (28th) lost to the Czechs Katerina Siniakova and Barbora Krejcíkova – world numbers one and two, respectively – by two sets to one, with partials of 1/6, 7/6 (7-3) and 7-10, in an hour and 57 minutes of departure.
The Czech partnership got a break of service in the first game and needed just 29 minutes to close the set at 6/1. In the following partial, Bia and Siegemund balanced the actions and were more efficient in the tie breakwinning by 7 to 3 and forcing the realization of the match tie break (set tiebreaker, in which whoever reaches 10 points first wins). The rivals, however, regained control at the crucial time and claimed the position of the best duo in the world. Still ahead on the scoreboard, Siniakova and Krejcíkova made it 10 to 7 and won the title.
In terms of importance, the WTA 1000 level tournaments are second only to the four Grand Slams – Australian Open, Roland Garros (France), Wimbledon (UK) and US Open. In competitions of this category, Bia had two other runners-up, both in 2022: one in singles, in Toronto (Canada), and one in doubles, in Guadalajara (Mexico).
It was the second time that Bia decided a professional title against Siniakova and Krejcíkova. Last year, she and Kazakh Ana Danilina faced the Czech duo in the final of the Australian Open, but they also lost.
The competition in Indian Wells was Bia’s first with Siegemund as a partner. In the next update of ranking of the WTA, both should appear close to the top-20 of women’s doubles. In singles, the Brazilian is in 13th place. Eliminated in the third round of the individual tournament, the São Paulo player must lose a position on the list.
Bia’s next appointment will be the WTA 1000 in Miami, also in the USA. The competition will start next Thursday (23).
