Iga Swiatek is the favourite to claim yet another Qatar Open title this weekend after seeing off Elena Rybakina 6-2, 7-5 to reach the semi-finals.
Always it was going to be the case that one of the top names was going to fall at this point with Rybakina also reaching the final last year and after failing to defend her title last week in Abu Dhabi also seems likely to fall further down the rankings.
It is 15 consecutive wins for Swiatek at the Qatar Open. Rybakina was on the front foot early with Swiatek surging into a 2-0 lead with a break of serve. She consolidated and broke again to claim the set 6-2.
The second was more on the racquet of Rybakina but she couldn't force the impetus as she went 3-1 and 4-2 up and was playing a lot better tennis than in the first as she finally found her footing. But she was broken to make it 4-4 which was the beginning of the end. Swiatek held to make it 5-4 spurning off break point chances.
Swiatek held again for 6-5 and then broke serve to claim the win. Her task is perhaps furthered depending on who she will face next. Jelena Ostapenko has a superb record against Swiatek, so Jabeur will be the most favoured out of the two.
In the top half, it will be Ekaterina Alexandrova taking on the winner of Anisimova v Kostyuk who will face off later. The Russian took down Jessica Pegula in a superb win earlier this afternoon and could face Swiatek in the final to attempt to stop her winning a fourth straight title in Doha.
Alexandrova has been in red hot form winning Linz and now reaching the semi-final in Doha and will have her sights on a final spot in a good section of the draw.
Brilliant, brilliant, BRILLIANT 🗣️
— wta (@WTA) February 13, 2025
@iga_swiatek extends her dominant Doha record with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Rybakina to reach the semifinals!
#QatarTotalEnergiesOpen pic.twitter.com/HZtazCB7AX
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.
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