Maria Sakkari isn’t just surviving in Doha-she’s thriving. The former world No. 3 delivered a gutsy, come-from-behind performance to knock out top seed Iga Swiatek 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 and punch her ticket to the Qatar TotalEnergies Open semifinals for the third time in her career-and the first time in three years.
This wasn’t just a win. It was a statement.
Sakkari came into this match on a four-match losing streak against Swiatek, a player who’s been the gold standard on the WTA Tour in recent seasons. And after a rough opening set, it looked like that trend might continue.
Swiatek broke twice, reeled off five straight games, and wrapped up the set in just 33 minutes. Business as usual for the world No.
But Sakkari flipped the script in the second. She came out swinging, racing to a 3-0 lead and putting Swiatek on the back foot.
Even when Swiatek clawed her way back to 4-all, Sakkari didn’t blink. She held firm, took the next two games, and leveled the match at a set apiece.
It was a reminder of the kind of fighter Sakkari is-when she finds her rhythm, she’s relentless.
The third set had the feel of a heavyweight bout. Every time Sakkari landed a punch, Swiatek countered.
Sakkari broke first. Swiatek broke back.
Sakkari broke again. Swiatek responded again.
At 5-5, it was anyone’s match. That’s when Sakkari dug deep.
She held at love-a perfect service game under pressure-then broke Swiatek one final time to seal the win on her second match point. Total time on court: about two and a half hours of high-quality, high-stakes tennis.
For Sakkari, this victory is more than just a semifinal berth. It’s her first win over Swiatek in five years and evens their head-to-head record at 4-4.
Considering Swiatek’s dominance over the past few seasons, that’s no small feat. It also injects a dose of confidence into Sakkari’s 2026 campaign-she’s proven she can go toe-to-toe with the very best and come out on top.
Elsewhere in the quarterfinals, Jelena Ostapenko continued her strong run in Doha with a 7-5, 6-4 win over lucky loser Elisabetta Cocciaretto. That puts Ostapenko into her fourth career semifinal in the Qatari capital, and she’s showing the kind of form that could carry her even deeper.
Her next challenge? Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko, who pulled off a stunner of her own.
Down 4-2 in the final set against No. 2 seed and reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina, Mboko rallied to take it 7-5, 4-6, 6-4. That comeback snapped Rybakina’s nine-match win streak and earned Mboko her second WTA 1000 semifinal appearance-a remarkable achievement for a player still cutting her teeth on the tour.
So as the semifinals take shape, the storylines are rich: Sakkari’s resurgence, Ostapenko’s consistency, and Mboko’s fearless rise. And with the top two seeds now out, the door is wide open in Doha.