Tennis Feb 15, 2026

Qatar Open: No 1 seed Iga Swiatek loses to unseeded Maria Sakkari as Victoria Mboko shocks Elena Rybakina

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Qatar Open: No 1 seed Iga Swiatek loses to unseeded Maria Sakkari as Victoria Mboko shocks Elena Rybakina

World No 2 Iga Swiatek has been dumped out of the Qatar Open after losing 2-6 6-4 7-5 to Maria Sakkari in a shock quarter-final upset.

Swiatek - the top seed in the competition - got off to a routine start in a dominant 33-minute first set, but the world No 52 Sakkari battled back, forcing a decider as she claimed her first set in five matches against the Pole.

Sakkari was made to pay for a missed match point at 5-2 in the deciding set when Swiatek won three straight games to bring the match back to level.

Her opponent, though, held her own serve and then claimed the crucial break in the final game to book her place in the semi-finals, breaking Swiatek's staggering 109-0 record in WTA matches where she had won the first set.

The Greek will next face the winner of the quarter-final between Karolina Muchova and Anna Kalinskaya as she looks to win a third WTA singles title and first since 2023.

Victoria Mboko sent Elena Rybakina packing and ended her winning streak at nine straight matches in a 7-5 4-6 6-4 victory over the Australian Open champion.

The Canadian, underdog to the in-form Rybakina, shocked her by winning four straight games to snatch the opening set after trailing 3-5.

A more routine 6-4 second set seemed to settle the Kazakh's nerves, and Rybakina looked very much the favourite when leading 4-2 in the deciding set.

But Mboko, miraculously, repeated her first-set heroics and won four straight games once more to see out the match.

The Canadian will face Jelena Ostapenko in the semi-final tomorrow, live on Your Site.

At the Rotterdam Open, Alex de Minaur is on course for a third successive final at the tournament, after beating Stan Wawrinka 6-4 6-2 in the round of 16.

The Australian No 1 looked confident throughout a straightforward encounter, only being broken once in both sets on his way to a dominant victory.

De Minaur will face Botic van de Zandschulp on his opponents' home soil in the quarter-finals after the Dutchman notched his own impressive win against Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4 7-6 (7-4).

Tags:

tennis news

Share this article

Related Posts

Dubai Tennis Championships: Emma Raducanu on course for last 16 meeting with Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina

Dubai Tennis Championships: Emma Raducanu on course for last 16 meeting with Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina

The draw for the Dubai Tennis Championships has been confirmed, with Emma Raducanu on a path towards a potential last 16 meeting with top seed Elena R...

Qatar Open: No 1 seed Iga Swiatek loses to unseeded Maria Sakkari as Victoria Mboko shocks Elena Rybakina

Qatar Open: No 1 seed Iga Swiatek loses to unseeded Maria Sakkari as Victoria Mboko shocks Elena Rybakina

World No 2 Iga Swiatek has been dumped out of the Qatar Open after losing 2-6 6-4 7-5 to Maria Sakkari in a shock quarter-final upset.Swiatek - the to...

Qatar Open: Victoria Mboko beats Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets after dazzling semi-final win

Qatar Open: Victoria Mboko beats Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets after dazzling semi-final win

Teenager sensation Victoria Mboko continued her stunning form as she stormed to a 6-3 6-2 win over Jelena Ostapenko to reach the Qatar Open final and...

Coco Gauff suffers shock Qatar Open loss to world No 57 Elisabetta Cocciaretto in straight sets

Coco Gauff suffers shock Qatar Open loss to world No 57 Elisabetta Cocciaretto in straight sets

World No 5 Coco Gauff lost in straight sets to world No 57 Elisabetta Cocciaretto, suffering a shock 6-4 6-2 defeat in the second round of the Qatar O...

Cameron Norrie out of Rotterdam Open as Novak Djokovic withdraws from Doha and Victoria Mboko wins thriller in Qatar

Cameron Norrie out of Rotterdam Open as Novak Djokovic withdraws from Doha and Victoria Mboko wins thriller in Qatar

British No 2 Cameron Norrie bowed out in the second round of the Rotterdam Open after losing to Australian qualifier Christopher O'Connell on Wednesda...

Coco Gauff suffers shock Qatar Open loss to world No 57 Elisabetta Cocciaretto in straight sets

Coco Gauff suffers shock Qatar Open loss to world No 57 Elisabetta Cocciaretto in straight sets

World No 5 Coco Gauff lost in straight sets to world No 57 Elisabetta Cocciaretto, suffering a shock 6-4 6-2 defeat in the second round of the Qatar O...