The Qatar TotalEnergies Open, also known as the Doha Open, has been filled with surprises from the get-go.
Victoria Mboko showed a champion’s mentality in her maiden Doho Open. The Canadian teenager showed emotion in the final set, ousting second seed and reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals. Mboko, who is currently ranked No. 13 on the WTA Tour, had already beaten Rybakina last August.
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Mboko fought back on the decider, and Rybakina broke once more in the fifth game of the decider to lead 4-2, but Mboko raised her level again.
Victoria stayed aggressive and broke back for 4-4. Forcing a Rybakina error into the net and sealing a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 victory in 2 hours and 23 minutes. This win secured Mboko a semi-final match-up against Jalena Ostapenko. It will be the first meeting between Mboko and Ostapenko. If Mboko wins, she’ll become the fourth Canadian ever to reach the Top 10 in the PIF WTA Rankings.
Another exciting quarterfinal match was between Maria Sakkari and Iga Swiatek. Sakkari turned back the clock to knock out Swiatek in the Doha quarterfinals.
She flipped the match on its head and was the better player in the second and third sets, rallying to post a stunning 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory over the current World No. 2 Iga in just about two and a half hours. This win sends Sakkari into the Doha semifinals for the third time in her career and the first time in three years.
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The win against Swiatek is Maria’s first in over five years, snapping a four-match losing streak in their WTA Tour head-to-head. Sakkari will now face No. 14 seed Karolina Muchova. Maria said in her post-match interview, “She’s back to believing in her tennis, and the win against Iga is a confidence boost for her”.
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Feature Image: Gettys
