Top two seeds at WTA1000 Doha fail to reach semifinals

In the early hours today, two quarterfinal matches at the WTA1000 Doha event saw two underdogs overturn the odds by defeating the tournament's top two seeds, Swiatek and Rybakina, to advance powerfully into the semifinals.

The 19-year-old Canadian tennis prodigy Mboko faced the reigning Australian Open champion and undefeated Rybakina since the start of this season. Trailing 2-4 in the deciding set and just two games away from elimination, Mboko stayed calm and refused to give up, winning four consecutive games to eliminate the world No. 3, who had been on a nine-match winning streak since the Australian Open.

After the match, the young Canadian said, “This week has been absolutely crazy. I never imagined I could achieve something like this.”She never imagined it. Yet that didn’t stop her from accomplishing it.

Before this match, Sakkari had broken down in tears on the same court. Not due to defeat, but quite the opposite—she had just ended a seemingly terrifying statistic: Swiatek’s record after winning the first set in WTA1000 events was 109-0, meaning she had never lost once after taking the opening set. This figure was like a mountain weighing on the minds of anyone trying to challenge her.

Now, it stands at 109-1. Sakkari came back from 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 to defeat the three-time tournament champion and top seed Swiatek, ending a four-match losing streak against her.

After the match, Sakkari said, “I’m speechless with excitement because it’s been a long time since I experienced such an emotional day. When your ranking drops and your form is poor, you begin to doubt yourself. You start to feel like you can no longer beat those players.”

She voiced the fear that all challengers hesitate to admit—not a lack of skill, but a disbelief in their ability to win. That accumulated frustration is more damaging than any winner on court.

But on this night in Doha, two female players chose different paths to reach the same destination.

Mboko’s approach was pure. At 19, she hasn’t yet accumulated many memories of defeat. She said after the match that it was an honor to face Rybakina and hopes to meet her many more times in the future. This is a rookie’s awe—she shows respect to her opponent but keeps the match for herself. She plays both offensively and defensively with clarity and focus on the court rather than the opponent’s reputation. Her future looks bright, not because she won today, but because of how she won: calmly, cleanly, confidently.

Sakkari, however, took a longer journey.She had lost to Swiatek four times in a row, and each time she stepped on the court against her, the burden grew heavier. Last year in the second round against the Pole, she said she had “no confidence and didn’t believe in herself.” This wasn’t a skill issue; it was a matter of the soul.This year is different. She said, “I feel much better.”

This understated “feel much better” masks countless hours of self-persuasion on the practice court and many sleepless nights. When you stay in a slump too long, your biggest enemy isn’t your opponent but your own doubt. Overcoming that is harder than beating the world No. 1.

On this night in Doha, the order of women’s tennis was cracked open in two places.Swiatek’s 109-0 record was broken. Rybakina’s nine-match winning streak ended. The top-10 barrier remains intact but now shows clear fractures.

This is what makes competitive sports so moving: records will eventually fall, and winning streaks will come to an end. Not because these top players aren’t strong enough, but because there are always challengers quietly closing in, one day reaching a reachable distance.

The 19-year-old Mboko has reached her second career WTA1000 semifinal. Sakkari has made the semifinals of a 1000-level event again after Indian Wells 2024. They will continue in different halves of the draw but have already achieved a more important breakthrough together—the rightful respect for awe and the rebuilding of self.

Awe is never surrender. Mboko respects Rybakina’s achievements but believes she can compete on the same court. Sakkari respects Swiatek’s record but believes she can be the one to break the zero.True awe is placing your opponent on a pedestal and then climbing up to meet them step by step.

With the semifinal spots settled, a new battle is about to begin. Mboko will face Ostapenko, while Sakkari continues her journey of redemption.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Mei)