Naomi Osaka and Iga Swiatek have had successful starts to the Qatar Open in Doha, while Emma Raducanu experienced a disappointing loss in the first round.
Osaka, a former top-ranked player, put an end to her three-match losing streak in an impressive manner by defeating Caroline Garcia, the 2022 WTA Finals champion, with a score of 7-5 6-4 in her opening match in Doha.
Osaka initially struggled in the match, getting broken in the fifth game and finding herself trailing 5-3 after eight games. However, she made a remarkable comeback, securing back-to-back breaks in the 10th and 12th games to win four consecutive games and turn the tide in her favor, ultimately winning the first set.
In the second set, Osaka broke Garcia’s serve in the 10th game, while Garcia was serving to stay in the match.
In the next round of the Doha tournament, Osaka will face Petra Martic.
Swiatek, the top-seeded player in Doha, also had a strong start as she dominated world No. 22 Cirstea with a score of 6-1 6-1.
Right from the beginning, Swiatek applied pressure on Cirstea, who managed to save two break points in the second game and equalize the score to one game apiece in the first set. However, Swiatek persisted and secured back-to-back breaks in the fourth and sixth games, winning the next five games and taking the first set in impressive fashion.
After losing the last five games of the first set, Cirstea managed to win the opening game of the second set. However, Swiatek quickly turned the tables by claiming three consecutive breaks and winning the next six games, securing a dominant two-set victory over the Romanian.
In the round-of-16 in Doha, Swiatek awaits the winner of the match between Ekaterina Alexandrova and Erika Andreeva.
Raducanu, aged 21, had a disappointing debut in Doha as she suffered a 0-6 6-7 (6) loss to Kalinina.
In the first set, Raducanu only won a total of 10 points and failed to earn a game point or a break point, allowing Kalinina to easily win the set in just 22 minutes.
In the second set, Raducanu managed to recover from an early break and saved five break points in the seventh game. However, Cirstea broke her serve again in the 11th game and had an opportunity to serve for the match. Raducanu, however, saved two consecutive match points and forced the set into a tie-break. Unfortunately, she missed a set point in the tie-break, and Kalinina capitalized on her third match point to secure a straight-set victory.
According to the Source tennisworldusa.org