When the WTA Premier Five draw in Doha first appeared, all eyes focused on the projected second-round meeting between world No. 6 Petra Kvitova and seven-time major titlist Venus Williams.  The clash between these two Wimbledon champions unfolded on Wednesday, and it lived up to expectations.  But that was more than could be said of several marquee names in action today.

A Tokyo clash between Kvitova and Venus last fall had seesawed back and forth for three sets until it ended in a decisive tiebreak.  Their Doha encounter followed that script almost to the letter in an eerie case of deja vu.  The two women traded 6-2 sets as Venus struggled to hold serve in the first and Kvitova in the second.  Both of them then battled all the way to the finish line in a third set that not only reached a tiebreak but extended past the length of a typical tiebreak.  The outcome thus remained in doubt until the last stroke, a forehand error by Venus on the 16th point of the tiebreak that allowed the world No. 6 to escape after two and a half hours. 

Kvitova was just one of four Czech women to prevail in three sets on a day filled with tense encounters.  Petra Cetkovska built on her upset over Sloane Stephens to reach the third round, gathering valuable ranking points as she rises back toward the top 100.  As solid as it was, her victory was less notable than those of compatriots Lucie Safarova and Klara Zakopalova, who deserved high praisefor mastering not only their opponents but challenging circumstances. 

Both Safarova and Zakopalova had participated in the Czech Republic's Fed Cup tie against Spain on clay last weekend, which extended after long rain delays into Monday.  Safarova, who was too ill to play just a few days ago, now has won three three-set matches in the last three days.  She recovered from a respiratory infection just in time to mount a three-set comeback on Monday that saved the tie in Spain.  Not exhausted by that feat, Safarova defeated two quality opponents in consecutive Doha three-setters on Tuesday and Wednesday. For her part, Zakopalova completed a three-set match on Monday, played another three-setter shortly afterward, and then flew immediately to Doha for a transition back to hard courts.  And yet she found the energy to not only win her first match there but to rally on Wednesday for another three-set victory. 

Zakopalova's latest comeback came at the expense of Australian Open quarterfinalist Ana Ivanovic, one of three former No. 1s to join former US Open champion Samantha Stosur on the sidelines.  Unable to extend her positive momentum from two Fed Cup victories, Stosur may have fallen victim as much to the long journey and time change as to qualifier Jana Cepelova.  No such alibi applied to Ivanovic or Caroline Wozniacki, defeated in her first match since parting with coach Thomas Hogstedt.  Working currently with fellow Dane Michael Mortensen, Wozniacki fell in straight sets to mercurial Belgian Yanina Wickmayer.  She did not lack chances to turn around the match after she trailed by a set and a break, but her fate was sealed when she failed to serve out the second set. 

Like Kvitova, Simona Halep escaped the fate of Ivanovic and Wozniacki by the narrowest of margins.  Halep trailed Kaia Kanepi by a break late in the third set but regrouped to win a decisive tiebreak.  After an opening-round loss in Paris two weeks ago, she must have felt relieved to avoid an 0-2 start to her career as a top-10 player.

Not every seed endured a nail-biting passage to the final 16 in Doha.  World No. 3 Li Na remained undefeated in 2014 as she seeks her third straight title to follow Shenzhen and the Australian Open. Despite a second-set wobble, Li started and finished her match in dominant form.   Her main rival for this title, world No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska, weathered a potentially tricky clash with Sorana Cirstea in straight sets.  Fellow high seeds Sara Errani, Jelena Jankovic, and Angelique Kerber all cruised into the third round, which will unfold on Thursday.