Mboko shines in Doha, O'Neal seeks doubles glory, Tiger Girl withdraws from singles, Zhang Shuai exits in first round

Three minutes daily to catch up on global tennis news. Hello tennis fans, today is Saturday, February 14, 2026. Welcome to the news midday report brought to you by "Tennis Home."

Early this morning Beijing time, the WTA1000 Doha singles semifinals wrapped up. The Canadian rising star Mboko, who shocked the new Australian Open champion Lebakina in the previous round, continued her hot streak by defeating Latvian star Ostapenko 6-3, 6-2, advancing to her second career 1000-level final.

In another highlight match, Czech player Muchova came back from behind to beat Greek No.1 Sakari 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, securing her fifth consecutive win over Sakari and reaching her third 1000-level final. At 11 PM Beijing time tonight, Mboko will face Muchova for the title. One is a dazzling young black pearl, the other a seasoned veteran. Which side are you on?

Ostapenko, who was swept in the singles semifinals, teamed up with Taiwanese star Hsieh Su-wei in the doubles semifinals and defeated defending champions and top seeds Errani/Barty 7-5, 3-6, 10-6 to reach the final. Next, they will compete against the 4th seeds Danilina/Krunic for the championship trophy.

Let's turn to player updates. Early this morning Beijing time, World No.1 Sabalenka and No.2 Swiatek both officially announced their withdrawal from the upcoming WTA1000 Dubai tournament. Sabalenka tweeted, "I'm sorry to withdraw from Dubai. I have a special bond with this event, the fans here, and the city. Unfortunately, I am not feeling 100% right now. I look forward to returning next year and wish this event great success."

Swiatek stated, "Regrettably, due to schedule adjustments, I will not participate in Dubai this year. I hope to come back next year to experience this wonderful tournament. See you at Indian Wells."

In the latest doubles draw for Dubai, four Chinese players will compete: Zhang Shuai/Mertens, Xu Yifan/Yang Zhaoxuan, and Jiang Xinyu/Eikeri. In the singles qualifying first round, Zhang Shuai lost 4-6, 4-6 to American Baptiste and failed to advance.

Now, let's look at the men's events. Last night Beijing time, the ATP500 Rotterdam quarterfinals concluded with the semifinalists decided. Top seed and young Australian Deminal overcame home favorite Van der Schanshoop 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-5, maintaining a perfect 4-0 record against him, advancing to the semifinals. He will face French star Humber, who cruised past qualifier O'Connell 6-4, 6-1.

Third seed, Kazakh player Bublik battled through three sets to narrowly defeat Spaniard Munar 6-4, 6-7(4), 7-6(3), setting up a semifinal clash with second seed Canadian Aliassime, who beat Dutch top player Griekspoor 7-6(2), 6-2.

ATP500 Dallas: In the singles quarterfinals, top seed and local favorite Fritz edged compatriot Korda 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 to reach the semifinals. Next, he will face Croatian veteran Cilic, who is in great form after a 6-1, 6-4 win over British dark horse Jones.

ATP250 Argentina Open: In the completed singles quarterfinals, Argentinians Echeverry, F. Cerundolo, Baez, and Italian Darderi each defeated their opponents to secure spots in the semifinals.

Lastly, let's play a guessing game. The picture below shows a player during a break. Without hints, can you identify who he is?

In the last episode's guessing game, fans gave the correct answer. Yes, the people in the picture are Nadal and Federer. Here's the full image!

(Source: Tennis Home Author: Independent Thinker)