The Albany Gazette - Resurgent Muchova beats Mboko in Qatar final to end title drought

After battling back from a set and a break down in the semi-finals against Maria Sakkari the previous night, Muchova, 29, was in fierce form against Mboko to clinch the biggest title of her career.

"It's been a while since I won a tournament, so it's nice to get that feeling again, to be reminded of that victory feeling again," said Muchova during the trophy ceremony.

"I'd like to congratulate Victoria, you're still a teenager but you play with so much maturity. I'm sure you have many titles ahead of you."

A former French Open finalist, Muchova's career has been hampered by injuries but she has started 2026 in fine fashion, amassing a 12-2 win-loss record over the past six weeks.

Her title run in Doha will lift her from 19 to 11 in the world rankings, while Mboko guaranteed herself a top-10 debut on Monday by making the final.

Muchova put together a clean opening set, landing an impressive 75 percent of her first serves, and dropping just three points behind that first delivery.

The Czech faced zero break points across the 43-minute set and showcased her prowess at the net to take a solid step towards the title.

Mboko made adjustments on return in the second set, and managed to decode her opponent's serve to carve a 4-2 gap but her advantage was short-lived as Muchova broke twice and wrapped up the contest in 94 minutes.

The 19-year-old Mboko has the most match wins on the women's tour this season with 13 to just three defeats. She will rise to number 10 in the world on Monday.

"It's not the outcome I wanted but I think there's many positives to take away," said Mboko, who was competing in her fourth WTA final, and second at the 1000 level.

(W.Walker--TAG)