From finalists to first-round exits: Amanda Anisimova & Jelena Ostapenko join rare WTA 1000 statistic

Amanda Anisimova and Jelena Ostapenko were the standout players at last week’s Qatar Open, reaching a historic final that saw the American lift her first WTA 1000 title. However, they failed to replicate their form at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, both crashing out in the first round.

This marks just the fourth time in history that both finalists of a WTA 1000 event lost in their opening match at the next tournament in the same category. They now join players like Aryna Sabalenka and Serena Williams, who have also been part of this rare statistic in previous years.

Two days after Qatar final, Anisimova & Ostapenko bow out in Dubai

Inconsistency in the WTA has been a widely debated topic over the years, especially in cases like this. Back in 2014, Serena Williams defeated Ana Ivanovic in the Cincinnati Open final (6-4, 6-1), only for both players to lose in their debuts at Wuhan less than two months later.

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It took nine years for the situation to repeat. In 2023, Petra Kvitova defeated Elena Rybakina in the Miami Open final, and just a few weeks later, both suffered first-round exits at the Madrid Open—an event ultimately won by Sabalenka.

Coincidentally, Sabalenka was also the champion in Wuhan 2024, the last WTA 1000 event of the season, defeating China’s Zheng Qinwen in the final. However, in their next tournament in Doha, both Sabalenka and Zheng lost in the opening round—the world No. 1 falling to Ekaterina Alexandrova and Zheng losing to Ons Jabeur.

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Now, it was Anisimova and Ostapenko’s turn. Both unseeded finalists in Doha—where Anisimova claimed her first WTA 1000 title—were swiftly eliminated in Dubai just two days after their final. The American fell to compatriot Miranda Kessler, while the former French Open champion was ousted by Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima.

However, this is the first time among the four previous instances that both players were eliminated just a couple of days after their last WTA 1000 event. Perhaps the fatigue and physical toll from their Doha campaign ultimately impacted their level at the second WTA 1000 event of the Middle East swing.

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