There’s more top-shelf ladies tennis coming your way from the Qatar Ladies Open. Damien Kayat previews selected quarter-finals as Iga Swiatek takes on Victoria Azarenka and Naomi Osaka faces Karolina Pliskova.
2024 WTA Tour – WTA 1000
Qatar Ladies Open
Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, Doha, Qatar Selected Quarterfinals- 15 February
Iga Swiatek 1/10 | Victoria Azarenka 56/10
I feel like there’s this simmering desire- held by a surprisingly large segment of tennis fans- to see Iga Swiatek fail. Perhaps they are turned off by her gamesmanship, etc. But there always seems to be a need to lament her downfall after a disappointing result.
Sure, losing to Noskova in the third round of the Aussie Open was a bit of a shock. But it’s pretty well established that the Melbourne courts are a tad on the quick side for Swiatek. These courts just fit the Pole like a glove.
The slow, windy conditions are actually reminiscent of Roland Garros. Swiatek is able to use her brilliant athleticism to run down anything and her fierce topspin to bully opponents from the baseline. She trounced both Cirstea and Alexandrova this week, extending her amazing Qatar winning streak to 10 matches (she won the title here in 2022 and 2023).
She lost just seven games in her opening two matches and it’s hard to look past her at this moment in time.
What is it about Victoria Azarenka that has Jelena Ostapenko so flummoxed? The Latvian is 14-0 this year against every other player on tour. She is 0-3 against Azarenka. Azarenka brushed aside the Latvian with ease to reach yet another Doha quarter-final.
The Belarusian won back-to-back titles here in 2012/2013 and she also finished runner-up in 2015. She just seems to have a way of making Ostapenko go into her shell.
I guess Azarenka is one of the few players on tour who has what it takes to go toe-to-toe with the Latvian from the baseline. Whatever the case, Azarenka will be thrilled with this result. The victory takes her 2024 record to 9-2 and a win over Swiatek- unlikely as it may seem- will take her to her second semi-final of the campaign (Brisbane being the other).
Verdict: Swiatek to win in straight sets 1/3
Swiatek holds a narrow 2-1 head-to-head advantage over Azarenka. This is going to be tough for the Belarussian. As I have said all week, the courts are just getting slower and that mitigates Azarenka’s flatter hitting. Swiatek looks like a woman possessed this week and I can’t see anyone stopping her.
Naomi Osaka 7/10 | Karolina Pliskova 11/10
This promises to be a mouthwatering clash of former World No.1 players. Could we be witnessing the rebirth of Naomi Osaka? Osaka has struggled over the past few years, battling depression and championing mental health advocacy.
She also went on maternity leave and there was a part of me that felt she may never pick up a tennis racquet again. But Osaka returned to action at the beginning of the season and she struggled to find any real rhythm. But she has found something on these slow Doha courts, winning back-to-back matches for the first time since the Miami Open final.
She vanquished some demons in her opener against Caroline Garcia. The Frenchwoman had dominated the Japanese star in their recent clashes, even beating Osaka at this year’s Aussie Open.
She then took care of Petra Martic in her next match (though a few serving gremlins started to creep into the second set). Lesia Tsurenko withdrew from their round of 16 match due to an elbow injury and now she finds herself in a WTA 1000 quarterfinal.
The four-time Grand Slam champion is obviously a class act but could this prove a step too far for her?
Karolina Pliskova must be feeling a little fragile. The Czech arrived in Doha hot off the heels of a first title in four years at the Transylvania Open. Her husband actually took to social media to complain about the insane scheduling that forced her to play within hours of arriving in Doha.
And she has been in grinding mode ever since, overcoming all three of her opponents in tough, three-set affairs. How will her body hold up after playing non-stop tennis since Sunday? Mobility has always been her weakest attribute and this will prove a massive test.
Still, she should be delighted with her recent uptick in form. Pliskova has plummeted down the rankings in the last two seasons and a nice eight-match winning streak was exactly what the doctor ordered.
She won the title here back in 2017 and she would be a very popular champion this week.
Verdict: Osaka to win in three at 34/10
Pliskova leads the head-to-head 4-2. In fact, Pliskova beat Osaka in a seesaw three-setter in Brisbane earlier this season. Osaka had just returned to action and Pliskova has barely any form under her belt.
Osaka looks to have found a semblance of the form that made her the best hardcourt player in the world a few years ago. Pliskova has had her physical struggles of late and this could be a bridge too far for her. Having said that, the Czech has a reliable serve and this match could go all the way.
