Former World No.1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus had to stage an incredible fightback in her opening match at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open on Sunday, outlasting Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 5-7, 6-2, 7-5.

No.12 seed Azarenka, who won back-to-back Doha titles in 2012 and 2013, was down 0-4 in the third set and saved a match point at 5-4 in the decider before prevailing after 2 hours and 48 minutes of gripping tennis.

Read more: Doha 2022: Draws, prize money and everything you need to know

The thinnest of margins: In the only prior encounter between the pair, Azarenka had to save two match points before ousting Putintseva at the Grampians Trophy in Melbourne last season.

Azarenka somehow repeated the feat as she squeaked past 42nd-ranked Putintseva once again. Azarenka has now improved her stellar career win-loss record in Doha to 18-2, as she aims to become the first three-time Doha champion.

"Wins like this are sometimes more important than a clean match, because you find a way when you’re not playing well," Azarenka said on court, after the match.

"You just try to find a window, try to find an opportunity. I feel like I didn’t play really well today, but I was fighting for everything. I didn’t really look that the score was down. I knew that I have to keep going, I will find my opportunity, and I’m really glad I stuck [with it] here."

Azarenka won 74 percent of her first-service points and fired 51 winners overall to eke out the win and move to 6-3 for the 2022 season thus far.

Putintseva is still seeking her first main-draw win of the season after a first-round defeat at the Australian Open and a loss to Marketa Vondrousova in Dubai qualifying.

Photos: Great Escapes 2022: Winning from match point down

Match breakdown: Azarenka had numerous chances to take command of the first set but was often stymied on break points, going 1-for-13 in the opener. Putintseva used pinpoint passing and sturdy footspeed to keep pace and was rewarded with a break in the last game, following a deep return with a successful drop shot.

Azarenka regrouped in the second set, charging to a 4-0 lead then holding firm to level the match at one set apiece. But dogged defense by Putintseva forced errors from Azarenka in the early stages of the third set, and it was Putintseva who moved ahead 4-0 in the decider.

Azarenka chipped away at the double-break lead and pulled back on serve, but at 5-4, Putintseva held a match point after a long backhand miscue by Azarenka. But Putintseva missed her chance after a long service return and Azarenka stayed alive for 5-5.

After overcoming the peril, Azarenka took charge from there, breaking Putintseva for a sixth and final time to lead 6-5, then serving out the match to once again hold off Putintseva in a whisker-thin victory.

Next up: Two-time Australian Open champion Azarenka will have her first meeting with Madison Brengle of the United States in the second round. Brengle defeated Turkish wildcard Ipek Oz on Sunday, 7-5, 6-3.

Anisimova, Cornet prevail in night matches

Two players who had impressive Australian swings won evening affairs on Sunday night in Doha.

Amanda Anisimova of the United States notched a first-round win, defeating Brazilian qualifier Beatriz Haddad Maia 7-5, 6-4 in an hour and 27 minutes.

Anisimova is now 9-1 in WTA main-draw matches thus far in 2022. She won eight matches in a row to start the year, capturing her second career title at Melbourne Summer Set 2 before upsetting defending champion Naomi Osaka to reach the round of 16 at the Australian Open.

Alizé Cornet of France won the nightcap, outdoing Liudmila Samsonova of Russia 3-6, 6-4, 7-5. The 2-hour and 25-minute clash ended just before 1:00 a.m. local time.

Cornet reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the age of 31 last month at the Australian Open. It was her 63rd major main draw, which set a new record of most Grand Slams contested before reaching a quarterfinal.

Cornet will now face No.1 seed Aryna Sabalenka in the second round. They have split their two previous meetings.