Naomi Osaka has advanced to her initial WTA quarterfinal since March 2022, while Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina have also secured spots in the last eight in Doha.
Osaka, a four-time winner of Grand Slam titles, was originally slated to compete against Lesia Tsurenko, the 37th-ranked player in the world, on Wednesday in the round-of-16 in Doha. However, Osaka and Tsurenko did not take to the court as the Ukrainian withdrew due to an elbow injury, granting Osaka a walkover victory.
Following Tsurenko’s withdrawal, Osaka has reached her first WTA quarterfinal since the Miami tournament in 2022, where she made it to the final but lost to Swiatek.
After a span of 23 months, Osaka is prepared to compete in a WTA quarterfinal once again, this time facing Karolina Pliskova in her upcoming match in Doha. This will be the seventh encounter between Osaka and Pliskova, with the Czech player holding a 4-2 advantage in their head-to-head record. Earlier this year, in Osaka’s first tournament after her pregnancy, she was leading against Pliskova before ultimately losing in three sets.
In Brisbane, Osaka had a strong start against Pliskova but couldn’t maintain her level of play and ultimately lost in three sets. When they meet again in Doha, Osaka will undoubtedly be determined to defeat Pliskova and achieve a significant result since her return to professional tennis after giving birth.
Swiatek, the top-seeded player in Doha, secured her second consecutive straight-set victory in this year’s tournament by defeating the 14th-seeded Alexandrova 6-1 6-4.
Early in the match, Swiatek faced some pressure on her serve but managed to save two break points in the opening game. After avoiding an early break, Swiatek broke Alexandrova’s serve in the second and sixth games, winning the first set while only dropping one game.
In the second set, Swiatek once again faced some early pressure but saved four break points in the second game. After surviving those break points, Swiatek broke Alexandrova’s serve in the seventh game, taking a set and a break lead. In the 10th game, Swiatek faced some difficulties but eventually closed out the match, saving two break points before converting her fourth match point.
To secure a spot in the Doha semifinals, Swiatek will face the winner of the match between Victoria Azarenka and Jelena Ostapenko. If Swiatek meets Ostapenko, it could potentially be a challenging matchup for her, considering her previous record of zero wins and four losses against the Latvian player.
While Osaka advanced without any resistance and Swiatek comfortably won in straight sets, Rybakina faced a tough battle on Wednesday, needing three sets to defeat the 23rd-ranked Navarro 6-1 6-7 (6) 6-4.
Rybakina started the match strongly, securing three consecutive breaks to take a commanding 5-0 lead. Although she failed to serve out the first set in the sixth game, Rybakina broke Navarro’s serve again in the seventh game to seal the set.
After winning the first set, Rybakina lost her serve in the third game of the second set but managed to break back in the sixth game. With no further breaks, the second set went to a tie-break, where Rybakina saved a match point before converting her first set point to force a decisive third set.
Fortunately for Rybakina, she recovered after losing a closely contested second set. She secured a crucial break in the fifth game of the third set, taking a 3-2 lead. That single break of serve proved to be enough for Rybakina, who saved two break points when serving for the match in the 10th game before converting her second match point.
“We played a long time ago. We both were young. She improved a lot. It was such a difficult match. I had some opportunities in the second set, but she played really well. For me physically it was a bit more difficult. It’s been tough. I’m really happy I managed to win in the end,” Rybakina commented after her victory over Navarro.
In the Doha quarterfinal, Rybakina will face Leylah Fernandez, who defeated Zheng Qinwen. This will be the first meeting between 24-year-old Rybakina and 21-year-old Fernandez. Despite never playing against the 2021 US Open runner-up, Rybakina holds great respect for the Canadian player.
“I know how she plays. It’s gonna be a very difficult match. Lefty, a tricky opponent. For me, the most important thing is to try and recover and be as fresh as possible for tomorrow’s match,” Rybakina stated in anticipation of her match against Fernandez.
According to the Source tennisworldusa.org