Iga Swiatek reacts during the match against Linda Noskova. AFP
Doha, Qatar: Title-favourite Iga Swiatek continued her dominance at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open yesterday when she battled past Czech rising star Linda Noskova to book a quarter-final meeting with last year’s runner-up Elena Rybakina.
Noskova stunned the spectators by making the three-time defending champion drop a set at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex for the first time since 2022 before the Polish star recovered to secure a 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 6-4 win. The victory stretched her winning run to 14 matches in the prestigious tournament.
“She served incredibly well, which put a lot of pressure on me whenever I had opportunities,” Swiatek said after the match.
“I’m glad I managed to keep my intensity high in the second and third sets and took advantage when I could,” the former World No.1 said.
On how she turned things around after dropping the first set, Swiatek said: “Momentum can shift quickly, and you need to remember that opponents won’t necessarily keep that top level the entire match. I’ve had matches where I played nearly perfectly, but it’s tough to sustain. I was hoping I’d get more chances later, and I did - so I just stayed ready.”
The former World No.1 Swiatek is searching for her first title triumph since the French Open last June, and she will meet the former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina for a place in the semi-finals.
Swiatek said battles like the one against Noskova boost her confidence heading into the next round against Rybakina.
“They definitely help. It’s good to face tough situations and come out with a win. Even though it’s not a practice session, it’s another way to test myself. If I can handle these moments and find solutions on the court, it really builds my confidence going forward,” Swiatek said.
“She likes playing here, she’s been in a final here last year, and last year also was tough. So I’ll be ready for some intense rallies, and some low balls, and good serving.”
Earlier, Rybakina advanced with a 7-6 (7/1), 6-2 win over Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova.
The fifth seed from Kazakhstan struggled early in the first set after taking a 3-0 lead before finally taking charge in the tie-break.
Rybakina broke the World No. 46 Sramkova to start the second set and won the first four games as she wrapped up the victory in one hour and 24 minutes.
“I’m really happy I managed to win. It was tough, especially that first set with a lot of ups and downs. I started a bit slowly, then got ahead, but everything changed and I couldn’t close it out from 5–something. Still, I’m glad I took the set in the tiebreak. In the second set, I felt more solid on court,” Rybakina said.
“I think I’m still not at my very best, but I’m improving match by match. We’ll see how far I can go in this tournament. I’m just happy to be playing consistently, without skipping events. Hopefully, I can keep finding my form and play even better,” Rybakina said.
In other highlights of the day, sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula overcame Daria Kasatkina, while Ekaterina Alexandrova defeated Elise Mertens 6-4, 6-2. USA’s Amanda Anisimova eliminated Canadian Leylah Fernandez 6-3, 6-0.
Meanwhile, crowd favourite Ons Jabeur of Tunisia beat Sofia Kenin of the US 6-3, 6-4 to set up a meeting against Latvian World No.5 Jelena Ostapenko, who defeated Italy’s Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2 in another match.
WTA Qatar TotalEnergies Open results
Third Round
Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS) bt Elise Mertens (BEL) 6-4, 6-2
Jessica Pegula (USA x6) bt Daria Kasatkina (RUS x10) 6-3, 7-5
Marta Kostyuk (UKR) bt Magda Linette (POL) 6-4, 6-2
Amanda Anisimova (USA) bt Leylah Fernandez (CAN) 6-3, 6-0
Ons Jabeur (TUN) bt Sofia Kenin (USA) 6-3, 6-4
Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) bt Jasmine Paolini (ITA x4) 6-2, 6-2
Elena Rybakina (KAZ x5) bt Rebecca Sramkova (SVK) 7-6 (7/1), 6-2
Iga Swiatek (POL x2) bt Linda Noskova (CZE) 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 6-4
