Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula team for biggest doubles title in Doha

"We're super excited," Pegula said after the match. "I don't think we were expecting to win the tournament, let alone a 1000. We said before, seriously, last week was the first match we won together. We have teamed up before but we've had some first-round exits.

"It's good to kind of find our chemistry a little bit on court and get that going. That obviously paid off a lot this week."

Gauff added: "I always knew that we had the ability to be a good team. We both do well in singles, and both of us do well in doubles with other partners, so it was like, we have the tools. We just need to figure out how to use them.

"Finally this week, even last week, we kind of got the machine starting, and this week it just kind of ran through."

Despite losing the first three games against Kudermetova and Mertens and falling a set behind in 37 minutes, Gauff felt the pair were closer to turning the match around than the scoreline indicated. 

"Every game was deuce. I'm like, 'We're there. We just need to convert,' and we finally did convert," she said. "Then eventually the momentum started to go our way and we started to play more aggressive and started to put pressure on them and that's kind of what got us through it today."

"We are going to talk about it and look at the schedule and figure out when to play," Gauff added. "I think that after this week it definitely kind of put in perspective that we are a good team"

It is a second career WTA doubles title for Pegula, who won her first earlier this year alongside Asia Muhammad at WTA 250 Melbourne Summer Set 1.

"I think it just proves we are good doubles players," Pegula said.

"It's kind of like the same thing in singles, when you start winning and get a couple of big wins, and you're like, 'Oh, wow, I can actually play at this level, I can win this tournament.' It's just like that next step of belief, I guess. With doubles, it's the same thing. You're still out there competing and you want to win.

"We were joking too, I mean, they're a good team. They play amazing with other, they have won [Grand] Slams, won medals, so I think it just proves we can play at that level. I think we were really aggressive today, and I think it just proved that it paid off and won us the match where maybe we're a little bit more hesitant than some other doubles teams, but I think we proved that we can play like that."