WTA Qatar Open Day Four | Teenage rematch goes Mboko’s way as Rybakina outlasts returning Zheng

With Wednesday’s action completed at the WTA 1000 Qatar Open, the eight players who advanced to the quarterfinals of the first WTA 1000 of the season were confirmed. Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina continue to move forward at a steady pace, both surviving scares against the strong level shown by Daria Kasatkina and Zheng Qinwen, who came close to pulling off an upset against the favourites.

Meanwhile, Victoria Mboko advanced from the battle of teenagers, taking revenge for the final played one month ago against Mirra Andreeva. At the same time, Maria Sakkari and Anna Kalinskaya are among the names joining the final eight and will look for a chance to take a step forward, despite arriving at the tournament without a strong recent form.

The first major result of the day came in the teenagers’ clash between 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva (No. 7) and 19-year-old Victoria Mboko (No. 13), in which the Canadian took revenge for her recent defeat in the Adelaide final and claimed victory 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5). It was a match in which she even saved a match point on return before sealing the win.

Mboko found solutions against Andreeva’s level — who had conceded her just four games when they met in the Adelaide final in mid-January — and secures her debut appearance in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 Qatar Open. She is now just one win away from guaranteeing her entry into the top 10, although she faces the difficult task of stopping Elena Rybakina’s nine-match winning streak — the reigning Australian Open champion.

Iga Swiatek (No. 2) faced difficulties for the first time in the tournament, conceding a set in a battle against Australian Open quarterfinalist Daria Kasatkina (No. 61). “Dasha” — who has been searching for her best tennis for months — surprised Swiatek in the first set, coming back from 3-5 down to win four games in a row and take the set 7-5, after escaping from 0-40 at 6-5.

However, the following sets belonged entirely to Swiatek. The Pole saved three break points at 1-1 and then went on an absolute run, winning 11 of the next 12 games played. The six-time major champion looked far more confident, growing into the match and punishing Kasatkina’s serve, converting six breaks in ten opportunities across the final two sets. A 6-1, 6-1 victory for the top seed, who will now face a familiar opponent in Maria Sakkari.

Without making much noise, former world No. 3 Maria Sakkari (No. 52) returned to the quarterfinals of a WTA 1000 for the first time since the Miami Open 2024 — almost two years ago. The Greek continues her run in Qatar and this time defeated Varvara Gracheva 7-6(4), 6-0, adding to previous straight-sets wins over Sonmez and sixth seed Jasmine Paolini in earlier rounds. Sakkari secures her return to the top 50 (currently No. 44 in the live rankings) and is beginning to look like herself again. Can the Greek continue advancing?

Meanwhile, Czech player Karolina Muchova (No. 19) once again showed her consistency and booked her place in the quarterfinals in Qatar. She benefited from the retirement of her compatriot Karolina Pliskova due to injury while leading 5-2. Muchova arrives in good form and will look to reach the semifinals of a WTA 1000 for the fourth time in her career.

2025 runner-up Jelena Ostapenko (No. 24) delivered another dominant performance, needing less than an hour to eliminate Colombian Camila Osorio (No. 80). The Latvian took full advantage of the Doha conditions to secure a comfortable win, marked by a peculiar moment early in the match following a disputed double bounce by Osorio. The situation did not distract “Penko,” who stayed composed and sealed the victory 6-3, 6-1. She guarantees her place in the Doha quarterfinals for the third time, after finishing runner-up in 2016 and 2025.

Her next opponent will be none other than Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto (No. 57) — a lucky loser and one of the great surprises of the tournament. The Italian is enjoying an impeccable start to the season, having already eliminated Coco Gauff, and this time came through a three-set battle against American Ann Li (No. 41) 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-4. The 25-year-old — who won the Hobart title just weeks ago — had never before passed the second round of a WTA 1000, and now stands just one win away from the semifinals. She has already guaranteed her return to the top 40 and looks to continue delivering surprises.

Elena Rybakina starred in what was perhaps the most anticipated match of the day, facing former world No. 4 Zheng Qinwen (No. 26), who arrived full of confidence in her first tournament back after a long break. The Chinese player had gone four months without competing but was ready to produce a great battle, taking the lead after an excellent opening set in which she won 100% of points behind her first serve, and a late break gave her the advantage 6-4.

Rybakina (No. 3) responded and took control of the second set, securing breaks at key moments and sending the match into a deciding third set with a commanding 6-2. The two-time Grand Slam champion gained an early break and moved ahead 5-2, holding the chance to close out the match on serve. That’s when Zheng reacted, even saving a match point and restoring parity at 5-5 after winning three games in a row. Everything seemed set for a tie-break, but Rybakina handled the tension of the final moments and, from the baseline, sealed the victory by winning the last five points consecutively. Rybakina extends her winning streak to nine in a row and will face Mboko for a place in the semifinals.

Russian Anna Kalinskaya (No. 28) has started the season showing improvements in her game and greater consistency in search of strong results. After reaching the third round of the Australian Open, she now returns to the quarterfinals of a WTA 1000 and records her first top-10 victory of the season — the 14th of her career. Kalinskaya showed conviction against a tricky Elina Svitolina (No. 9).

Kalinskaya landed 70% of first serves and won 68% of those points, proving particularly sharp at key moments: four breaks from five chances, while Svitolina converted just one break from four opportunities. After a first set decided by fine margins, Svitolina started the second set in front, but was unable to sustain her level, and Kalinskaya closed out the victory with a run of four consecutive games. She advances to the quarterfinals, where she will face 14th seed Karolina Muchova.