Three times defending champion Iga Swiatek in Poland rolled into the third round of Qatar-Totalenergies open with a 6-3, 6-2 victory Monday against Maria Sakkari from Greece.
The second-seeded Swiatek, which had a village in the first round of the WTA 1000 event in Doha, beat 3-2 in the first set before swept the next eight matches to take control.
Swiatek tries to become only the other woman in the 21st century to win a tournament four times in a row after Caroline Wozniacki, who did so on New Haven 2008-11.
“Every year it is different, every year there is another story, so it is difficult to compare and difficult to find one thing that worked exactly,” Swiatek said when she was asked to explain her success at the event.
“From what I remember, it’s not like I’ve played flawless just to keep focusing on my game. ”
Swiatek converted five out of nine break points in the 82-minute match waiting for the winner between Linda Noskova in the Czech Republic and Yulia Putintseva in Kazakhstan.
Canada’s Leylah Fernandez also moved into the third round with a fast 6-2, 6-2 upset by No. 8 seed Emma Navarro in 66 minutes. Fernandez broke the American serve five times and won 81 percent of the score (25 out of 31) on its first serving.
The rest of today’s action involved first round matches.
No. 10 Daria Kasatkina Blitzed colleague Russian Polina Kudetova 6-0, 6-0 in just 42 minutes. Kudetova saved only one of seven break points and won only 18 of the match’s 68 points.
Noskova hit No. 15 Donna Vekic from Croatia 6-2, 6-4 in a first round match on Monday. Noskova fired five aces and made four double errors through Vekic in the 74-minute victory.
Wed Jabeur from Tunisia defeated McCartney Kossler 6-2, 6-0 Peyton Stearns was a 7-5, 6-3 winner over Ukraine’s Daya Yastremska. Latvia’s Jelena Ostapok crossed 6-2, 6-1 over Japan’s Aoi Itto. Sofia Andin eliminated Ashlyn Krueger 6-4, 6-4 Rebecca Slovakia advanced 6-2, 6-3 over Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina.
Only two matches went three sets. Poland Magda Linette gathered for a 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 victory over Russia’s Veronika Kudetova. Putintseva held Japan’s Moyka Uchijima 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3 in two hours and 29 minutes.
-Field level media
