WTA Doha: Lebaswa suffers a shocking defeat, all top eight seeds eliminated!

On February 12 local time, the WTA 1000 Doha tournament held its women's singles quarterfinals, where the top two seeds, Swiatek and Lebakina, both failed to advance past the last eight. Continuing her strong form after winning the Australian Open, Lebakina overcame Chinese players Wang Xinyu and Zheng Qinwen in this tournament, but was defeated in the quarters by 10th seed, 19-year-old Canadian prodigy Mboko, who will meet former French Open champion Ostapenko in the semifinals. The top seed Swiatek was upset in three sets by Greek star Sakari, who will compete against 14th seed Muchova for a spot in the final.

Mboko

Currently ranked No.13 worldwide, Mboko rallied from 2-4 down in the deciding set to win four consecutive games, ultimately defeating the new Australian Open champion Lebakina 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 after a grueling 2-hour 23-minute battle. Notably, Mboko had already beaten Lebakina in the semifinals of last August’s Montreal tournament, evening their head-to-head record at 2-2 with this latest encounter.

"I knew it would be a tough battle before the match," Mboko said in a post-match interview, "She just won the Australian Open and we had faced each other three times before, so I was fully aware of what to expect and knew it wouldn’t be easy. Both of us had ups and downs during the match, and maybe the start wasn’t ideal. When you’re not at your best but still manage to hang in there and come through, that feeling is especially rewarding."

Lebakina

The Canadian rising star admitted she was surprised to break Lebakina’s serve at crucial moments, describing the world No.3’s serve as the strongest on the women’s tour. "I think she’s the best server on the circuit," Mboko remarked. "Holding serve is much easier for her than for me. Because of that, I didn’t put pressure on myself to hold serve continuously, which allowed me to relax and play more freely. Sometimes even I didn’t expect to break her serve successfully."

Ostapenko

Mboko has already knocked out two top-10 players, Andreyeva and Lebakina, at this Doha event. In the semifinals, she will face unseeded Ostapenko, who defeated Italian lucky loser Cocciaretto 7-5, 6-4. Ostapenko has a strong history in Doha, reaching the semifinals for the fourth time this year (including runner-up finishes in 2016 and 2025). The Latvian has collected 24 tour-level wins here, the most in the tournament’s history. This will be the first meeting between Mboko and Ostapenko; if Mboko wins, she will become the fourth Canadian ever to break into the WTA top ten rankings.

Former world No.3 Sakari triumphed over Swiatek in a 2-hour 23-minute marathon, coming back from a set down to win 2-6, 6-4, 7-5. This marks Sakari’s first victory against Swiatek in five years, ending a four-match losing streak and leveling their head-to-head at 4-4. It is Sakari’s third career semifinal appearance at a WTA 1000 event, following Indian Wells 2024.

Sakari

"I’m so thrilled I don’t know what to say, since it’s been a long time since such a big win," Sakari said in a post-match interview on court. "When your ranking drops and form dips, you start doubting yourself, even thinking you might never beat these top players again. You have to go through a tough mental rebuild and regain confidence in your level. Last year here in the second round against Swiatek, I lacked confidence, but this year is completely different—I feel much better. I really missed going deep in tournaments. My coach and team worked hard for this, and this is our reward."

Sakari has regained her peak form over the past week, winning straight sets against Semez, 6th seed Paolini, and Gracheva, and causing a major upset by defeating Swiatek in the quarterfinals, ending Swiatek’s undefeated 109-0 record after winning the first set in a 1000-level event.

Muchova

Sakari’s semifinal opponent is 14th seed Muchova, battling for a place in the final. The two have met four times previously on the professional tour, with Sakari losing all four matches. Muchova overcame a 1-4 deficit in the second set to defeat Kalinskaya 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals, reaching her fourth career WTA 1000 semifinal.

(Written and edited by Wang Fei; photos by Visual China)