Denmark's Clara Tauson in action against Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, yesterday.
Doha: Reigning Olympic champion Belinda Bencic’s run in the season’s inaugural WTA 1000 tournament did not last for long as the Swiss World No.24 suffered a shock defeat to Danish teen Clara Tauson in the opening round of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, yesterday.
Tauson displayed great fighting spirit against her experienced opponent to seal a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory in one hour and 57 minutes at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex.
The Dane, who played in her first-ever main-draw match at a WTA 1000 event yesterday, will now meet No.3 seed Paula Badosa in the second round.
“It was a very tough match. I know Belinda is playing very well so I had to play my best today, and I did sometimes,” Tauson said after the match.
“I have my confidence but every match is really tough at this level, so I’m doing my best,” the 19-year-old Tauson said.
Tauson rallied from 4-2 down in the first set by winning four straight games, and the last 10 points. Though she led by a set and a break at 6-4, 1-0, Tauson needed to win the match in a third set after the second set closed at 3-6 in favour of the Tokyo gold medallist.
The decisive break against Bencic’s serve came in the fourth game, and Tauson won 12 of the 13 points played in her last three service games to knock the Swiss out of Doha competition.
Meanwhile, Ann Li of the United States edged past compatriot Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3 to advance in the $2.3m event.
Li served for the match at 6-3, 5-4 but was unable to close, and the 2020 Australian Open champion Kenin stole the second set in the tiebreak. However, Li recovered in the decider to book her first meeting with No.6 seed Maria Sakkari of Greece in the second round.
Sakkari was a quarter-finalist in last year’s Qatar TotalEnergies Open.
“It’s great to be back. I really like this tournament. I think the conditions suit me well,” Sakkari said during an online interview yesterday ahead of her first match.
“Obviously last year was a tough loss against Muguruza, but, you know, I have great feelings from playing here. I’m excited to be back,” Sakkari said.
The Greek star lost to Estonian Anett Kontaveit in last week’s St. Petersburg Open final, but said she had a great week of tennis in Russia.
“I think it was a great week last week. I had a very tough loss against Anett in the final. I was nearly there, but, you know, some little mistakes caused me, well, actually didn’t give me that trophy, but I’m very, very confident that I started the season the way I did, and I’m very happy with the way I’m playing,” she said, adding she had a few days to recover and to get used to the different conditions in Doha.
“It’s a very tough tournament (in Doha), you know. I have seen my draw. I have very tough opponents on my part of the draw, but, you know, just as I said, I trust my game and I trust the way I’m playing right now,” Sakkari said.
Ann Li in action against compatriot Sofia Kenin.
“So I’m gonna face them no matter what throughout the season, but I’m ready to face them this week.”
Also yesterday, No.9 seed Jessica Pegula of the United States made it to the second round after beating Czech Katerina Siniakova, the current WTA Doubles World No.1. 6-3, 6-2.
The 14th-ranked Pegula converted four of her nine break points and won 70 percent of second-service return points against Siniakova.
A semi-finalist in last year’s tournament in Doha, Pegula, will face Slovenian qualifier Kaja Juvan in the next round. Juvan defeated another qualifier, Stefanie Voegele of Switzerland, 6-4, 6-2.
Qatar TotalEnergies Open Results
Women’s Singles: Round of 64
Sorana Cirstea, Romania, def. Mayar Sherif, Egypt, 6-2, 6-1.
Madison Brengle, United States, def. Ipek Oz, Turkey, 7-5, 6-3.
Alison van Uytvanck, Belgium, def. Vera Zvonareva, Russia, 6-4, 6-4.
Clara Tauson, Denmark, def. Belinda Bencic, Switzerland, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
Ana Konjuh, Croatia, def. Marta Kostyuk, Ukraine, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Kaja Juvan, Slovenia, def. Stefanie Voegele, Switzerland, 6-4, 6-2.
Jessica Pegula (9), United States, def. Katerina Siniakova, Czech Republic, 6-3, 6-2.
Ann Li, United States, def. Sofia Kenin, United States, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3.
Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Belarus, def. Zhang Shuai, China, 6-1, 6-1.
Amanda Anisimova, United States, def. Beatriz Haddad Maia, Brazil, 7-5, 6-4.
Victoria Azarenka (12), Belarus, def. Yulia Putintseva, Kazakhstan, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5.
Qatar TotalEnergies Open: ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court - Not before 3:30 PM
Simona Halep (ROU) vs [WC] Caroline Garcia (FRA)
Followed by
Petra Kvitova (CZE) vs Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU)
Not before 7:00 PM
Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP) [5] vs Sorana Cirstea (ROU)
Followed by
Ana Konjuh (CRO) vs Anett Kontaveit (EST) [4]
Grandstand 1 - Starting at: 2:00 PM
Tereza Martincova (CZE) vs Elina Svitolina (UKR) [10]
Followed by
Shelby Rogers (USA) vs Cori Gauff (USA) [14]
Followed by
Jil Teichmann (SUI) vs Angelique Kerber (GER) [13]
Followed by
[LL] Arantxa RUS (NED) vs Veronika Kudermetova (RUS)
Followed by
Monica Niculescu (ROU)/vera zvonareva (RUS) vs Lucie Hradecka (CZE)/Sania Mirza (IND)
Grandstand 2 - Starting at: 3:30 PM
Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) [15] vs [Q] Oceane Dodin (FRA)
Followed by
Daria Kasatkina (RUS) vs Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS)
Followed by
Elena Rybakina (KAZ) [11] vs [LL] Jaqueline Cristian (ROU)
Followed by
Mirjam Bjorklund (SWE)/[WC] Emily Webley-Smith (GBR) vs Kirsten Flipkens (BEL)/Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL)
Grandstand 3 - Starting at: 3:30 PM
Alison Riske (USA) vs Magda Linette (POL) [Q]
Followed by
Elise Mertens (BEL) [16] vs Jasmine Paolini (ITA)
After suitable rest
Lyudmyla Kichenok (UKR) [6]/Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) vs Cori Gauff (USA)/Jessica Pegula (USA)
Followed by
Irina Bara (ROU)/Kristina Kucova (SVK) vs Marta Kostyuk (UKR)/Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR)
Grandstand 4 - Starting at: 3:30 PM
Viktorija Golubic (SUI) vs [Q] Andrea Petkovic (GER)
Followed by
Desirae Krawczyk (USA) [7]/Ellen Perez (AUS) vs Oksana Kalashnikova (GEO)/[ALT] Maryna Zanevska (BEL)
Followed by
Kamilla Rakhimova (RUS)/Clara Tauson (DEN) vs Alicja Rosolska (POL)/[SR] Erin Routliffe (NZL)
Followed by
Samantha Murray Sharan (GBR)/[SR] Bibiane Schoofs (NED) vs Anna Danilina (KAZ) [8]/Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA)
