Unfortunately, Naomi Osaka’s journey at the Qatar Open came to a close in the quarter-finals after a close loss to Karolina Pliskova.
The previous top-ranked player advanced to the quarterfinals of a tournament for the first time in almost two years after taking a break for maternity leave. However, she was unable to take advantage of strong beginnings in both sets. It was Pliskova, who had won the Transylvania Open the previous week, who maintained her winning streak and came out on top in two tie-breaks for a 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5) win.
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The Czech player advances to the next round to compete against the number one seeded and two-time defending champion, Iga Swiatek. Swiatek continued her winning streak in Doha, defeating Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 6-0. Despite being behind 4-3 in the first set, the top-ranked player swiftly won nine consecutive games, maintaining a strong chance for a third consecutive title.
The second semi-final will feature the current third-ranked player, Elena Rybakina, facing off against unseeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Pavlyuchenkova achieved her best performance at a WTA 1000 tournament with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Danielle Collins. Meanwhile, Rybakina overcame a 4-1 deficit in the first set to beat Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-2.
Source: theguardian.com
