Doha finalists defeated in Dubai
MAKING the final in the Qatar Open proved to be a poison chalice for the Dubai Tennis Championships as both Doha champion Amanda Anisimova and runner-up Jelena Ostapenko suffered shock losses in the first round overnight. Ansimova had just cracked the Top 20 for the first time but went down to compatriot McCartney Kessler 6-2 […]
Anisimova completes WTA Tour comeback
A FORMER world number 21 who faced her struggles over the last few years, Amanda Anisimova is a WTA Tour champion at the 1000 level. The American ended the run of Latvian Jelena Ostapenko at the Qatar Open overnight by winning 6-4 6-3 and securing her first Tour title in more than two years, and […]
Penko powers past Swiatek to deny four-peat
OF COURSE it just had to be ‘Penko’. The only player in four years that could stop Iga Swiatek in Doha, Latvian hard-hitter Jelena Ostapenko not only beat the world number two in the event where she has won the past three titles, but completely humbled her in a one-sided contest. Ostapenko ran out a […]
Iga advances to semis with 15th straight Doha win
WORLD number two Iga Swiatek is just two wins away from a fourth consecutive Qatar Open title after dismissing fellow Grand Slam winner and Top 5 player Elena Rybakina 6-2 7-5 in the quarter finals of the WTA1000 event overnight. The second seed looked to be doing it easy in the first set, but found […]
Penko powers past Paolini in Doha
‘PENKO’ is back and thriving on the WTA Tour with Latvian former Top 5 player and Grand Slam winner Jelena Ostapenko snapping her horror start to 2025 by reaching the quarter finals of the 2025 Qatar Open WTA1000 event in Doha. A mind-blowing demolition of Italian world number four Jasmine Paolini was on the menu […]
All Alexandr-ova for Sabalenka in Doha
IT WAS the result no one saw coming. Despite winning in Linz a fortnight ago, Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova was given little to no hope of beating the best hardcourt player in the world in Aryna Sabalenka in Doha, but then the world number 26 tore up the script. In a match that had to be […]
Swiatek swishes past Sakkari as Doha history beckons
SEARCHING to make WTA Tour history in Doha, world number two Iga Swiatek‘s 2025 Qatar Open got off to a flying start by casting aside former Top 10 player Maria Sakkari in straight sets to reach the Round of 16. In a one-sided affair, the Polish star – who despite having one of the most […]
Everybody (Bencic’s Back) in Abu Dhabi final
IT HAS been an incredible turnaround for former Top 5 player Belinda Bencic who in the space of a few months went from battling it out on the Challenger Tour to reaching a WTA 500 final, defeating a current Top 5 player en route to said final. The Swiss star stunned top seed Elena Rybakina […]
Ons-wards and upwards for Jabeur in Abu Dhabi
FORMER world number two Ons Jabeur kick-started her Abu Dhabi campaign with a hard-fought win over former Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko 7-6 7-5, to reach the second round of the WTA 500 event. Jabeur suffered knee and shoulder injuries last season that bookended her 2024 campaign and saw her freefall down the rankings. Much […]
Third time’s a charm for Alexandrova
IT TOOK three goes to finally lift the Upper Austria Ladies Linz trophy, but Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova finally got there overnight, with the fourth seed ousting Ukrainian fifth seed Dayana Yastremska in an epic three-set match. The contest went for two hours and 13 minutes, with each set getting gradually longer, before a crucial break […]
