Rybakina Advances to Doha Quarterfinals After Defeating Olympic Champion

Kazakhstan's top player Elena Rybakina secured a spot in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Doha, Qatar, following a hard-fought victory over the reigning Paris 2024 Olympic champion, Zheng Qinwen. The intense encounter lasted 2 hours and 27 minutes, with the Kazakh star overcoming a first-set setback to win 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.

This triumph extends Rybakina’s winning streak to nine consecutive matches and improves her head-to-head record against Zheng to 3-1. Competing for the first time in Qatar as a two-time Grand Slam champion, Rybakina is now set to face 19-year-old Canadian rising star Victoria Mboko in the next round.

The success for Kazakhstan continued in the doubles draw, where Anna Danilina and her partner Aleksandra Krunic advanced to the quarterfinals. The duo defeated the pair of Leylah Fernandez and Kristina Mladenovic with a score of 6-2, 4-6, 10-4. This victory marks a significant milestone for Danilina, who officially returned to the Top 10 of the world doubles rankings this week. With a total tournament prize pool of over $4 million, the competition remains high as the athletes contend for the prestigious title and the $385,000 singles winner's prize.