Kvitova downs Errani in Dubai title match

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Sixth-seeded Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic beat Italian Sara Errani in three sets to claim the Dubai Tennis Championships crown Saturday.

Kvitova downed the fifth-seeded Errani 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 for her first championship of the season.

Errani made the match interesting with a dominant second set in which she relied on aggressive play around the net, but Kvitova took her game up a notch in the third set and came away with her 10th career victory and first title since last summer.

"I knew I had to keep fighting for every ball because she (Errani) was really on fire in the second set and continued that in the third," Kvitova said. "When it was 2-1 and she missed a volley, I think that was a turning point for me."