WTA Major Upset! No. 5 Seed Eliminated, Six Players Advance to Quarterfinals, Zheng Qinwen vs. Rybakina Match Postponed

On February 12th Beijing time, the WTA1000 Doha tournament women’s singles round of 16 is ongoing. A recent match ended with No. 5 seed Andreyeva competing against No. 10 seed Mboko. These two post-2000 players delivered a fierce youthful clash. Andreyeva fought hard but fell 1-2 in three sets to Mboko, causing a surprising upset. Consequently, six quarterfinalists have emerged in this tournament, and the matches between China’s sole remaining player Zheng Qinwen and the newly crowned Australian Open champion Rybakina have been repeatedly postponed!

Andreyeva and Mboko are both rising stars in the tennis world, rapidly improving their games. Andreyeva holds a stable top-8 world ranking but is known to struggle with emotional fluctuations during matches. She entered this event as the No. 5 seed. Mboko’s progress is also evident, steadily climbing the rankings nearing the top ten, competing here as the No. 10 seed. The two clashed for a spot in the quarterfinals. In the first set, Mboko started aggressively, breaking early and leading 3-0. However, Andreyeva fought back, breaking serve to level at 3-3. Then Mboko dominated again with a 3-0 run, taking the set 6-3. The second set saw multiple breaks from both players, but Andreyeva steadied and pulled ahead to win 6-3, leveling the match at one set each. The final set was a thrilling back-and-forth battle, evenly matched, leading to a tiebreak. Mboko edged out 7-5 in the tiebreak, winning the set 7-6 and securing a 2-1 victory to reach the quarterfinals!

With this upset, Andreyeva is sent home early, becoming the fifth top-eight seed eliminated. This tournament has become quite chaotic. Mboko has secured her place in the quarterfinals, joining Sakari, Kucareto, Ostapenko, Mboko, Mchova, and Swiatek — six players in total advancing to the last eight!

Meanwhile, the match between Zheng Qinwen and Rybakina has been repeatedly delayed, initially scheduled for 11 PM on the 12th but postponed to after 1 AM on the 13th. Fans have grown somewhat impatient waiting nearly two and a half hours. Fortunately, the match has now started, so everyone can watch with peace of mind. Let’s cheer them on!

Wen / Sports Novel