The red-hot Anett Kontaveit was up against the ropes in the Moscow final down big to home hope Ekaterina Alexandrova. But Kontaveit’s winning ways came through and the Estonian came from a set and 4-0 down to win it 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.

“To go 4-0 down, she was really hitting the balls down the line, she was playing amazing tennis,” Kontaveit said. “I was just trying to stay in it as long as I could, and I never really gave up. I was just trying to fight for every point as much as I could. If I would have lost 6-4, 6-2 or whatever, I knew I tried everything.

“When these moments happen, which they do happen, I’m just trying to think about the process and not too much of the score, which can be difficult, of course, sometimes. I think that the main thing is to try and think about the process and what I have to do, and not focus on other things that you cannot control.”

The 25-year-old Kontaveit has now won 21 of her last 23 matches, and has won three of her four career titles during this recent run.

Alexandrova not only blew the lead in the second, she served for the title at 5-4 in the third but couldn’t finish Kontaveit off.

The Russian falls to 1-2 in WTA Finals. Kontaveit is now battling Ons Jabeur for a final spot in the WTA finals next month in Mexico.

2021 WTA Title Leaders
Ash Barty 5
Anett Kontaveit 3
Barbora Krejcikova 3