Maria Sakkari stuns Swiatek to reach Doha semis

DOHA: Maria Sakkari put in a superb performance in Qatar Open, stunning three-time champion and top seed Iga Swiatek 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 to reach the semi-finals at the first WTA 1000 event of 2026 on Thursday. Sakkari, who had lost her last four matches against Swiatek without winning a set, turned the tables on the erratic Pole in a thrilling clash, achieving what is her joint best-ever result by ranking. It also ends a mindboggling streak from Swiatek, who had previously never lost a completed match at a 1000 event after winning the first set (109-0). She will now face the winner of the quarter-final between Karolina Muchova and Anna Kalinskaya, as she eyes her first WTA 1000 title after reaching the finals of Indian Wells and Guadalajara in 2022.

Earlier today, 2025 runner-up Jelena Ostapenko claimed a hard-fought 7-5, 6-4 victory over lucky loser Elisabetta Cocciaretto. The former French Open champion defeated Swiatek in the semi-final last year, ending her 15-match winning run in Doha, before losing to Amanda Anisimova in the final. Agencies

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