Coco Gauff and Victoria Mboko doubles dreams come to an end after squandering three match points in third set drama at Qatar Open

It was a new doubles partnership on court in the Qatar Open with Coco Gauff and Victoria Mboko joining forces as they looked to partner each other on court. Their camaraderie lasted just one match, however, losing in a titanic clash against Cristina Bucsa and Nicole Melichar-Martinez 4-6, 6-4, 11-9. Hence the close scoreline, they did have chances for the match but were unable to take them.

This doubles partnership was not something planned to occur. Both players had ambitions to compete in the doubles, but their original partners were absent from the Middle East. So instead, they killed two birds with one stone and went with one another to make a youthful and exciting partnership.

Mboko's time in doubles has been limited compared to her more senior colleague. She did team up with Iva Jovic in the doubles at the Australian Open, failing to take three match points in a tough second round defeat. Similar events would play out today.

As for Gauff, she is a former doubles Grand Slam champion, taking home the 2024 French Open title with Katerina Siniakova. She also made the 2021 US Open final with Catherine McNally and the 2022 Roland Garros final with Jessica Pegula, but they ended in defeats. A former doubles number one, the 21-year-old has put her double expertise to one side as she focused solely on singles action over these past couple of years. However, the spark is still there to compete with a fellow tennis player on the same side of the court, and that was what happened in Doha.

The solidarity between the pair seemed good from the off. They went a break up before being pegged back. The first set stayed on serve until Gauff and Mboko went 5-4 up, with a second break enough for them to clinch the first set and fire them in front.

It was breaks galore at the start of the second set with Bucsa and Melichar-Martinez sneaking ahead. After another exchange of breaks late on in the set, the Spaniard and American were able to see it through with a final set tiebreak needed to split the two teams on court.

Gauff and Mboko were the faster out of the blocks, racing into a 5-2 lead. They were pipped back with the scores level at 6-6. The tension was very high, but it seemed that Gauff and Mboko had it under wraps as they won three points in a row to set them up with a trio of match points. These were all wasted by the pair, and they would not get another sniff. Bucsa and Melichar-Martinez fought their way back, winning five points on the bounce to see out a resilient comeback win and leave Gauff and Mboko to think what could have been.

While they would have liked to have gone deep in the doubles event, the singles tournament was always the main thing on both of their minds. Out of all the WTA 1000 tournaments, this is Gauff's worst performing one in recent times having failed to win in her hast two tournaments. A best result of a quarter-final on debut in 2022 has never been closed to being matched. She will take on Hobart International champion Elisabetta Cocciaretto in her opening round match, hoping to keep down her recent serving and forehand issues that could cost her.

For Mboko, this tournament is all new to her. She is already off the board with a triumph, taking down Marie Bouzkova in convincing fashion, coming through a tight first set before winning the final six games of the match to cement her spot in the second round. Up next for the 10th seed is Russian qualifier Vera Zvonareva. The former world number two and two-time Grand Slam finalist produced a seismic upset against Peyton Stearns in the opening round, and the Canadian will have to be at her best level to avoid any similar results going against the 41-year-old to reach a first third round in a WTA 1000 tournament since her Canadian Open title run. Both matches will begin at around 12pm GMT on February 10.