Sabalenka battles back to defeat Zheng, Kuznetsova continues brilliant form in win over Bencic

Thursday, 27 February 2020 at 20:15

The semi-finalists are starting to be confirmed at the Qatar Total Open with Aryna Sabalenka, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Petra Kvitova through in Doha.

Sabalenka came from a set down and a break down in the third set to defeat unseeded Chinese player Zheng Saisai in a 3-6, 7-6, 6-3 which showed the battling qualities of the No.9 seed.

She had to also overcome swirling winds to win through. The Belarusian lost to Zheng in their first meeting last August in the final at San Jose but is now 2-1 up in their head to head.

The first set saw Zheng take control staving off three break points in her first service game and then after the duo exchanged breaks, she claimed one off the Sabalenka serve which proved pivotal from 40-0 down and saving six game points herself.

The momentum like the wind went her direction as she held for 5-3 and then as a result, the Chinese ace broke for the third time to claim the set.

For Sabalenka though, she started to fight going 2-1 up with a break but Zheng kept on her coattails gaining the immediate break back. They went through eight straight holds from there to take it to a tiebreak and it was former who gained the momentum to claim it.

The third set saw Sabalenka continue in a similar vein and it worked despite Zheng claiming an early break and she claimed 15 out of the final 16 points and she set up the semi-final with Kuznetsova expertly.

Super Svetlana reaches Quarter-Finals with sublime display against Bencic

Speaking of Kuznetsova, she is into the semi-finals after once again not losing a set defeating Belinda Bencic in a brilliant 6-4, 6-4 win in Doha.

As a result of this win, she has reached her first semi-finals in Doha since 2007 and is back towards the top 30 in the world if results go her way. She could very much likely be seeded for Roland Garros which would be a story and a half.

It was a match that included 39 winners to Bencic's 19, 3/12 break points won with Bencic only putting away one of her four attempts in a polished performance from the 35 year old.

Petra Kvitova completed the lineup with an excellent victory also outlasting tricky conditions against Ons Jabeur.

It was a 7-6, 7-6 win for the Czech ace. She twice trailed Jabeur by a break in the second set and saved two set points before securing her ninth victory in a row in Doha.

Jabeur battled throughout including at the start when a tweaked hamstring against Pliskova would have potentially have done her damage going 2-0 down but she regained composure to push her throughout.

https://twitter.com/WTA/status/1233074527908831234?s=20

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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