In just their third time playing as a team, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko claimed their first title as a team with a 7-6(4), 7-6(8) win over Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs in the doubles final of the Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open.
Raymond & Stubbs built the first advantage in the match, gaining a break to open up a 3-1 lead.
Azarenka & Kirilenko answered with a three-game winning streak of their own to take a 4-3, on serve lead.
The first set went to a tie-break, and Azarenka & Kirilenko raced to a 6-2 lead to claim the tie-break.
The second set followed a similar script, with Azarenka & Kirilenko taking the 3-1 lead, before Raymond & Stubbs battle back to take the 4-3 lead on serve.
Raymond & Stubbs surged ahead in the final tie-break and had two set points, but Azarenka & Kirilenko were able to close the match out.
While it was the first title for Azarenka & Kirilenko, Raymond & Stubbs were playing for their 34th team title.