WTA Qatar Open Round-up | Rybakina and Swiatek start strong, Gauff upset by lucky loser

This Tuesday the second round of the WTA 1000 Qatar Open was completed, and the 16 players who continue in the competition were finalized, highlighting the wins of first seed Iga Swiatek and the recent Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina, who fulfilled their responsibilities and are preparing for complicated third-round duels.

There were also several surprises during this day, after the defeat of world No. 4 Coco Gauff – at the hands of lucky loser Elisabetta Cocciaretto – as well as the eliminations of Ekaterina Alexandrova, Emma Navarro, and Jasmine Paolini.

The 3-time Doha Open champion showed why she is the favourite for the title in a tournament that always suits her game. Her forehand was sharp, and she swept away young Janice Tjen (No. 46) in straight sets. The Polish player delivered a bagel in the first set, conceding only two points on her serve and winning 76% of total points played. Swiatek secured three consecutive breaks in six opportunities and gave no break chances to her rival, who was overwhelmed from the start by Swiatek’s ball speed.

In the second set, Tjen managed to reduce the differences and started with a break in her favour to take the lead – but Swiatek quickly recovered in the next game to restore parity. For several minutes, Tjen managed to keep up with Swiatek, but finally a late break gave Swiatek the chance to close the triumph on her serve – and she reaches 31 consecutive WTA 1000 rounds in which she has overcome her debut. The last time she suffered a defeat in the opener was back in the 2021 Cincinnati Open. In the round of 16, she will face Australian Daria Kasatkina.

One of the day’s matches featured Jasmine Paolini (No. 8) and Maria Sakkari (No. 52), in a performance far from what was expected for the Italian. She faced a tough opponent in Sakkari, who when inspired seems to return to the level she showed for several years as a top-10 player. Sakkari was inspired, and a late break in the first set gave her the decisive advantage to take the lead 6-4.

In the second set, things quickly tilted in favour of the Greek, who after an early break held her lead decisively. Without many complications, she took six of the last seven games played – including two breaks – and closed the triumph 6-4, 6-2. The form No. 3 will face Varvara Gracheva, in what could be her first return to a WTA 1000 quarterfinal since the Miami Open 2024.

It was a generational duel between 41-year-old Zvonareva and 19-year-old Victoria Mboko, in which youth prevailed over experience. The Canadian is one of the players in the best form at the start of the year, showing consistency in different tournaments and increasingly demonstrating her rapid maturation to adapt to the top level. The Canadian did not hesitate against the favourite and was sharper in key moments.

In the first set, Mboko took an early break, but Zvonareva managed to challenge the Canadian. The former world No. 2 kept the pressure on her rival and wasted several break chances before Mboko secured the break in the 10th game to take the set 6-4.

In the second set, Zvonareva maintained her fighting spirit, and an early break gave her a 2-0 lead, though she could not sustain it for the rest of the match. Mboko came back decisively and eventually claimed victory 6-4, 6-4. She will advance to the next round, where she will face Maria Andreeva. The Russian comes from a straight-set win over Magda Linette a day earlier.

Coco Gauff was the disappointment of the day, losing in straight sets to lucky loser Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-4, 6-2. For the second consecutive year, Gauff exits in her debut at the Qatar Open and will have to travel quickly to Dubai in search of psychological recovery. At least the early elimination of Anisimova and Pegula’s absence allow Gauff to secure her position as American No. 1 at the end of the tournament.

Cocciaretto showed the high level she brings at this start of the year – having already won a title at the Hobart Open – and this time secured her first top-10 victory in two years. The Italian won 63% of points on her serve and recorded three breaks – against only one by her rival – to close the triumph 6-4, 6-2, securing a next clash against Ann Li.

Zheng Qinwen (No. 26) again starred with a high-level triumph over American Alycia Parks (No. 77) 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-2 after almost three hours of duel (2:49). The Chinese player showed good physical level to keep up with the inspired American, who started the season at a very high level. The first set lasted 80 minutes and was decided in a tiebreak in favour of the Chinese, giving her momentum to go on and secure the win.

After a second set in which Parks recovered – with two breaks and 76% of first-serve points won – the third set was absolute dominance by Zheng. The Olympic gold medallist gained an early break and maintained consistency on her serve – without facing break points against. Zheng remained determined until the end and secured victory, guaranteeing a clash against Elena Rybakina in pursuit of the quarterfinals.

The 2026 Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina made her return to the courts for the first time since the Melbourne title. The tournament’s second seed overcame Chinese Xinyu Wang (No. 33) without complications and extended her winning streak, appearing again at a high level and without needing much time to adapt to Doha conditions. The 2024 runner-up won 79% of points on her first serve, recorded four breaks, and only lost her serve once throughout the match.

Although Wang managed to keep pace for a few games at the start – staying level until 2-2 – one break in favour of Rybakina was enough for things to change, and control of the match remained in the Kazakh’s hands. The former Wimbledon runner-up closed the victory 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 21 minutes and will face a challenging return this Wednesday against former world No. 4 Zheng Qinwen.