WTA shock! Top player loses 0-2, Wang Xinyu eliminated, Zheng Qinwen wins 2-1 but receives bad news

On February 11th Beijing time, the WTA Doha 1000 tournament kicked off, with several second-round matches finished. The 4th seed and Grand Slam winner, American Gauff, caused a major upset by losing 0-2 to the relatively unknown Cocciaretto, resulting in an early exit. Meanwhile, Chinese players recorded one win and one loss; Wang Xinyu was defeated 0-2 by the new Australian Open champion and Asia's top player, Rybakina, while Zheng Qinwen fought hard to beat qualifier Parks 2-1, avoiding an upset and advancing to the last 16!

Holding three Grand Slam titles, Gauff entered this event as the 4th seed and had a bye in the first round. In the second round, she faced lucky loser Cocciaretto but suffered a massive upset. Gauff struggled to find her rhythm, her touch was cold as ice, her offense failed to score, and her defense was weak. She lost decisively 0-2, with set scores of 2-6 and 4-6. It seems Gauff's form has dropped significantly since winning the French Open; something must be wrong. On the other hand, Cocciaretto achieved a career milestone by reaching the 1000-level tournament last 16 for the first time!

Wang Xinyu faced the newly crowned Australian Open champion Rybakina, who was in strong form and expected to win easily. Moreover, Wang had played two matches in one day recently, testing her stamina. From the start, Rybakina quickly took control, using powerful serves to break through Wang’s defense, combining offense and defense to take the first set 6-2. In the second set, Wang tried to change tactics and actively moved Rybakina around, which worked well as she led 4-2 at one point. However, she pushed herself too hard and hit a physical limit. Rybakina then ramped up her firepower, delivering a lightning-fast 4-0 run to close the set 6-4, sweeping Wang 2-0 and advancing to the last 16!

Zheng Qinwen faced Parks; Zheng had just returned to competition and was still finding her form. In the first round, she came back from behind to defeat Grand Slam champion Kenin 2-1, marking a successful comeback. Parks, who advanced from qualifying, was in good shape. As expected, Zheng faced intense and powerful attacks from her opponent, battling all the way to a tiebreak, which Zheng won 7-6(4) to take the first set. In the second set, Zheng’s form dipped, and her serve lost its threat, while Parks broke through multiple times to win 6-3 and even the match. In the deciding set, Zheng displayed strong dominance, scoring points rapidly to win 6-2, clinching the match 2-1 and preventing an upset to reach the last 16. However, after advancing, Zheng received bad news: in the third round, she will face the new Australian Open women's singles champion Rybakina, making the battle for the quarterfinals extremely tough and risky!

Written by / Sports Novel