Iga Swiatek races past Elena Rybakina to enter Qatar Open semi-finals

Iga Swiatek has a task cut out for her as she extends her stay in Doha to complete a fourth straight title win at the Qatar Open. The sole representative left from the top WTA seeds, Swiatek next faces Jelena Ostapenko in Doha. The second seed defied the head-to-head record to beat Elena Rybakina in the Qatar Open quarter-final. With this victory, her second over the Kazakh seed this season, she brought their record to a 4-4 level. However, her next match-up presents an even deeper puddle, with the Latvian unseeded ace boasting a clean 4-0 domination over the Polish seed. Interestingly, barring Swiatek, the Qatar Open semi-finals feature three unseeded players in the draw, with the other face-off between Ekaterina Alexandrova and Amanda Anisimova.

Swiatek overcomes Rybakina to set up Qatar Open semi-final against Ostapenko

In a tournament that witnessed the top draw, Aryna Sabalenka, being eliminated in the second round, Iga Swiatek now cruises as the only seeded player left in the draw at the Qatar Open. Sabalenka couldn't overcome Ekaterina Alexandrova, who now has an eight-match winning streak this season. Moreover, the third-seeded Coco Gauff lost her Round of 32 clash against Marta Kostyuk. Other upsets scripted in Doha included Ostapenko kicking out Ons Jabeur and Alexandrova continuing her red-hot form against Jessica Pegula in the quarter-finals.

Swiatek, meanwhile, faced a tough draw as Elena Rybakina overcame Rebecca Sramkova to set up the quarter-final against the World No. 2. Battling past a murky muddle within her team, Rybakina came riding on a favorable head-to-head record against Swiatek. However, the three-time winner in Doha, Swiatek, held firm in a tough second-set battle to record a 6-2, 7-5 victory over the Kazakh. Rybakina, embroiled in a tussle with the WTA after the association imposed a one-year ban on her coach of five years, Stefano Vukov, faced added distractions. Following the issue that emerged in 2024, things cleared up a bit recently when the association deemed Vukov's behavior towards Rybakina objectionable. While Rybakina stands firm on her stance, repeatedly dismissing claims of any ill-treatment at the hands of her coach, the WTA has ensured limitations on Vukov’s involvement in her game.

The quarter-final match against Swiatek was her second after the WTA's decision against Vukov. The top-10 seed, however, looked focused on the game as she pushed Swiatek to her limits in the second set in Doha. At the start of the season, Rybakina held a 4-2 record against the top seed. However, matches at the United Cup and now the Qatar Open provide a semblance of Swiatek finally getting on par with the Kazakh. In the semi-final match-up, Swiatek came from being 4-2 down in the second set as she made it to the final one. Now, the top seed faces Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko, who, interestingly, has an unmatched 4-0 edge over the second-seeded Pole.

"Because of the head-to-head, I can kind of play without expectations," Swiatek said before she takes the court against Ostapenko in Doha. "And just focus on work, and maybe trying to change something so I can finally win against Jelena. She's a tough opponent, and she also played amazing always when she played against me. I'll just have another chance, and I'll try to use it."