Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova celebrates after defeating Belarusia’s Aryna Sabalenka. AFP
Doha, Qatar: Ekaterina Alexandrova yesterday pulled off a stunning upset at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, staging a thrilling comeback to beat World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5).
The second-round thriller lasted two hours and 36 minutes as the 26th-ranked Russian handed the pre-tournament favourite a bitter loss in her first match since last month's Australian Open final.
"I’m feeling really tired right now because the match took so much energy, but I’m extremely happy to have won. It was a tough match with no easy points; every rally felt intense. It was hard to keep up with the pace, but she’s a great player, so it’s an amazing feeling to beat the world number one," Alexandrova said after the marathon clash.
The former Qatar TotalEnergies Open champion Sabalenka looked like she was on right track after taking the first set, but Alexandrova, who is on a roll following her WTA 500 triumph in Linz last week, maintained her momentum to force a decisive tie-break.
Asked how she turned the momentum of the match from a set down against in-form Sabalenka, Alexandrova said: "Honestly, I’m not entirely sure. In the first set, I just couldn’t find my rhythm—I was often arriving too late or too early to the ball. In the second set, I found my timing. The longer we played, the more comfortable I got, which helped me extend the rallies. I focused on taking it one point at a time, regardless of the score. That mindset really helped today."
"Winning in Linz definitely boosted my confidence. I didn’t start the season the way I wanted, so being able to play a lot of matches now feels great. It’s nice to be on court feeling the ball. I’ve just been trying to replicate what I did in Linz—going out there, doing my best, and not worrying too much about the outcome. So far, it’s working. I’m just really happy to be back on court playing competitive matches," Alexandrova said.
Blocking her path to the quarter-finals will be Elise Mertens of Belgium who defeated Spain's Cristina Bucsa 6-2, 6-3 in another Round of 32 clash yesterday.
Sabalenka's exit was not the only upset of the day.
Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk, the World No.21 stunned the No.3-seeded Coco Gauff with a 6-2, 7-5 win.
"Coco is an incredible fighter,” Kostyuk said in her on-court interview.
“We always have incredible matches. I tried to stick to what I had to do. I’m very happy it worked out in two sets,” the 22-year-old said.
The victory set up Kostyuk a third-round meeting against Magda Linette who overcame Magdalena Frech with a 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 in an all-Polish clash.
Meanwhile, Tunisian sensation Ons Jabeur continued her Doha homecoming with a straight-set (6-4, 6-2) win over the reigning Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.
"Definitely a great win today. I'm pretty happy with my level. It was very tough playing against her like always, but I'm glad that I got my first win (against Zheng)," the crowd favourite said after the win over the Chinese seventh seed.
Among other winners of the day were last year's Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini and American sixth seed Jessica Pegula. Paolini secured a 6-3, 6-4 win against Caroline Garcia in the second round, while Pegula battled past Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) to reach the third round. However, ninth seed Badosa suffered a straight-set loss to Amanda Anisimova (6-4, 6-3).
Qatar TotalEnergies Open results - 2nd Round
Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS) bt Aryna Sabalenka (BLR x1) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5)
Elise Mertens (BEL) bt Cristina Bucsa (ESP) 6-2, 6-3
Daria Kasatkina (RUS x10) bt Elina Avanesyan (ARM) 6-2, 6-3
Jessica Pegula (USA x6) bt Elina Svitolina (UKR) 6-3, 7-6 (7/3)
Marta Kostyuk (UKR) bt Coco Gauff (USA x3) 6-2, 7-5
Magda Linette (POL) bt Magdalena Frech (POL) 7-5, 5-7, 6-4
Amanda Anisimova (USA) bt Paula Badosa (ESP x9) 6-4, 6-3
Ons Jabeur (TUN) bt Zheng Qinwen (CHN x7) 6-4, 6-2
Sofia Kenin (USA) bt Alycia Parks (USA) 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-2
Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) bt Liudmila Samsonova (RUS x16) 7-6 (7/5), 7-5
Jasmine Paolini (ITA x4) bt Caroline Garcia (FRA) 6-3, 6-4
Elena Rybakina (KAZ x5) bt Peyton Stearns (USA) 6-2, 6-4
Rebecca Sramkova (SVK) bt Mirra Andreeva (RUS x12) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
Linda Noskova (CZE) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 6-2, 6-3
