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Sabalenka, Gauff Knocked Out in Qatar Open Upsets; Rybakina, Kostyuk Advance

Posted : 12 February 2025

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was eliminated in a surprising second-round defeat at the Qatar Open on Tuesday, falling 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) to Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova in a match lasting over two and a half hours. Sabalenka, returning to action after her loss to Madison Keys in the Australian Open final, struggled to regain her composure after losing the first set. Despite the setback, the match was memorable for an unexpected interruption by a cat, which caused a brief pause in the action.

 

Alexandrova, who had claimed her fifth WTA title in Linz the previous week, showed resilience by bouncing back in the second set to level the match. After the cat moment, she continued her strong performance, ultimately forcing a deciding tie-break, which she clinched 7-5. Sabalenka, who won the Qatar Open in 2020, could not maintain her form, and Alexandrova progressed to the last-16, where she will meet Belgian Elise Mertens.

 

In another upset, Coco Gauff was defeated in straight sets by Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk, with the final score being 6-2, 7-5. Gauff, who had a strong lead in the second set, faltered as she made 39 unforced errors and seven double faults, contributing to her downfall. Kostyuk capitalized on Gauff’s mistakes and earned her place in the third round, where she will face Poland's Magda Linette. Gauff had not competed since the Australian Open, where she lost in the quarterfinals.

 

On a more positive note, former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina advanced to the last 16 with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Peyton Stearns. Rybakina, despite some late wobbling, secured the win in her opening match, setting up a clash with Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova in the next round. Other notable results saw Ons Jabeur defeat Chinese seventh seed Zheng Qinwen, while Jessica Pegula overcame Elina Svitolina in a tough second-round match.

 

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