Alexandrova Beats Raducanu To Set Up Sabalenka Meeting Fernandez, Sakkari Advance In Doha

Doha: Ekaterina Alexandrova yesterday avenged her Australian Open loss to Emma Raducanu when the World No.25 claimed a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Briton at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open.

The 2021 US Open champion Raducanu had previously eliminated Alexandrova at the Melbourne Park, earlier this year. However, yesterday, Alexandrova showed her prowess in an hour and 42-minute battle on Center Court at the Khalifa International tennis and Squash Complex, advancing to book a meeting against top seed Aryana Sabalenka next.

Alexandrova is enjoying a five-match winning streak, having triumphed at the Linz Open title for the first time.

Raducanu was off to a strong start yesterday, gaining a 3-1 lead in the first set. However, Alexandrova responded with aggressive shots, winning four straight games to take a 5-3 lead. While Raducanu saved two set points, she ultimately failed on the third to hand Alexandrova the set.

The second set followed a similar pattern, with Raducanu securing an early lead before Alexandrova fought back. At 5-5, Alexandrova earned a break point after striking a crucial backhand winner before successfully converting the same. She then served out the match confidently to seal the victory.

Maria Sakkari celebrates after defeating Elena-Gabriela Ruse.

Alexandrova's next opponent, world No.1 Sabalenka has a slight edge in their head-to-head record of 4-3.

A former champion in Doha (2020), Sabalenka yesterday said she will use the Middle East stretch of the WTA Tour to warm-up for next month's 'Sunshine Doubles', which consists of 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami in the United States.

"The schedule is actually pretty tough, especially if you make it to the last stage of the Australian Open, then you don't have much time to recover and prepare yourself for these big events," Sabalenka said.

"I believe I'll just take these two tournaments as a preparation for the Sunshine one, and I'll try to build my tennis, and probably take my tennis to the next level in these two events."

Earlier, in another gripping encounter, No. 12 seed Mirra Andreeva battled past American Katie Volynets 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 in a marathon 2-hour and 33-minute battle.

Among other notable winners yesterday were Caroline Garcia of France, who defeated Yuan Yue of China 6-1, 7-6 (5) and Elise Mertens of Belgium, who advanced after Clara Tauson of Denmark retired following a 6-0 first set.

Leylah Fernandez of Canada also impressed with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Greet Minnen of Belgium, while Cristina Bucsa of Spain battled past No. 14 seed Anna Kalinskaya of Russia in a three-set thriller, 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-4.

Maria Sakkari of Greece overcame a slow start to defeat Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania, who retired at 4-6, 6-3, 4-0.

Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine and Liudmila Samsonova of Russia also secured straight-set victories, while Mirra Andreeva continued her strong run by defeating Katie Volynets of the United States in three sets.

Meanwhile, Arab sensation Ons Jabeur expressed her excitement ahead of her opening clash against USA's McCartney Kessler.

The 2025 Qatar Open marks the Tunisian star's return to Doha.

Speaking to the media, Jabeur acknowledged the Qatar Open has played a pivotal role in shaping her career, having received wild cards early on when she was still making a name for herself on the professional circuit.

“This tournament was one of the only ones that supported me since I was young,” she recalled.

“They didn't care if I had no ranking or if I was in the top 10. I feel very grateful for that.”

Jabeur also acknowledged the support of locals.

“The people are unbelievable, the hospitality is always great, and I do feel like they love me first before the player that I am,” she said.

“It is very important to me to play well here, to win, and to inspire the younger generation from my country and the Arab world.”

MENAFN10022025000063011010ID1109190191