
It did not take long for the 2020 Qatar Total Open to record it's first seeded casualty, as fifth seed Elina Svitolina was eliminated in the first round on Monday.
The World No.5 was outplayed by American teenager Amanda Anisimova, who hit 27 winners to triumph 6-3 6-3 in just over an hour.
After defeating Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round, Anisimova continued to display the aggression that is synonymous with her game. The 18-year old broke Svitolina on three occasions, while saving all three break points faced. Svitolina's passive play and inconsistency was enough to gift the American the match.
Elena Rybakina continues to have an impressive season, as the St. Petersburg finalist rallied from a set down to defeat Romanian Sorana Cirstea 3-6 6-3 6-1. After reaching her second consecutive final in Dubai last week, Rybakina obtained her Tour-leading 20th win of the season. The 20-year old next faces Belgium's Alison Van Uytvanck.
American Jennifer Brady also fought from behind to defeat compatriot Alison Riske 7-6(10) 1-6 7-6(3). The Dubai semifinalist will be looking to build off her strong performance last week, where she overpowered Australian Open finalist Garbine Muguruza.
Seventh-seeded Kiki Bertens had a much easier route, defeating Karolina Muchova 6-2 6-4. The same could not be said for tenth-seeded Petra Martic, who fell 6-4 1-6 2-6 to Barbora Strycova.
Polish teenager Iga Swiatek defeated Donna Vekic 6-4 7-5, while former World No.9 Vera Zvonareva fought past Hsieh Su-Wei 6-4 6-4.
Maria Sakkari notched her eighth win of the season in her 6-4 6-3 victory over Julia Goerges, while Saisai Zheng upset twelfth-seeded Marketa Vondrousova 1-6 6-3 6-2.
Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska defeated Belgian journeywoman Kirsten Flipkens 6-2 6-4, joining Yulia Putintseva in the second round. Putintseva beat Timea Babos 6-3 6-4 in her first round match.
Anett Kontaveit defeated Anastasija Sevastova 6-4 7-6(3), while Czech Tereza Martincova overcame Japan's Misaki Doi 6-2 3-6 6-2 in just under two hours.
Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro dispatched of China's Shuai Zang 7-5 6-0, keeping her goal of a successful final season alive.
[embed]https://twitter.com/WTA/status/1232034745539858432[/embed]
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
claps 0visitors 0
Just In
Popular News
Latest Comments
- I, like writer of this wonderful article, also picked Noskova to win this entire thing. I would love it if she and Andreeva are in the final.Rapunzel12-11-2026
- "Priorities", Saba... spend less time in front of cameras, anti-Social Media, selfies and back to Tennis.
mandoist12-11-2026 - Tell this to Andreeva!
mandoist12-11-2026 - Andreeva with 11 games in a row to add to Saba's downward spiral issue !!! Personal feelings aside... Jess Pegula may want to reassess her evaluation of Mirra's abilities.
mandoist12-11-2026 - I predicted whenthe list was finalised that Linda Noskova would win the WTA Finals and her matches against Gauff and Kostyuk prove that. She is the best (underrated) player in the world!Rapunzel11-11-2026
- Either Lena has a chronic internal ailment (i.e., colitis, enteritis, Crohn's, or some type of lower abdomen issue) -- or she is once again dealing with 'Vukovitis'. Mental stress can indeed cause lower body pains. No matter... whatever is truly going on sucks. "Virus" excuse is getting a bit old -- and often -- at this point.
mandoist09-11-2026 - Ironically, Martina became a U.S. Citizen about the same time as the Orange Convicted Felon & Abuser was just beginning on his road to losing all Daddy's Millions!!
mandoist09-11-2026 - "Another fresh start is in the cards." Thanks for the Humor!! I'm guessing this is the minimum one can do to keep all your sponsors hanging-on in perpetuity?
mandoist09-11-2026 - Vukov is doing this to Lena... AGAIN!!!!! WTA's autonomous collective should be dismantled for allowing Vukov to re-emerge from his hand-slapping suspension. Just ask WTA employees how that's been going lately as they witness his continued verbal abuses. Women's Pro Tennis should start over.
mandoist08-11-2026 - Can't help but suspect Vukov is back to his old self again. Thank you, WTA. Perhaps you can give them a "Battling Couple of the Year Award 2026" ??
mandoist08-11-2026







