The century’s biggest upset halts the battle for world No. 2! Swiatek’s shock defeat is most unexpected, while Sabalenka’s stumble had early warning signs.

People said the wind in Doha this year was chilly, but no one expected it to blow in a “once-in-a-century upset,” causing world No. 2 Swiatek and world No. 3 Sabalenka to both fall at the quarterfinal stage, shocking public opinion!

The outside world was deeply surprised that Swiatek and Sabalenka were eliminated in the same round, because the top seed and second seed were knocked out consecutively—an uncommon event in tennis.

According to AI data, including this Doha event, such a situation has only happened about three times.

At the 2023 Australian Open, top seed Nadal and second seed Ruud both exited in the second round; at the 2025 Guadalajara WTA500, top seed Mertens and second seed Kudermetova were both eliminated in the first round.

This time in Doha, Sabalenka and Swiatek exited together, but unlike previous cases, both are in their prime, members of the women’s tennis big three, and top favorites to win. This occurrence led some to claim that this year’s cold wind in Doha was unusually harsh, “almost like a malevolent force.”

After the match, many humorously commented that the cold wind in Doha this year turned into a sharp blade aimed directly at the top seeds. When Gauff was knocked out, people thought she just didn’t suit Doha’s conditions, but now with Swiatek and Sabalenka also joining the list of top seeds eliminated, it shows that this year’s cold wind in Doha specifically targets the top seeds, striking mercilessly and causing continuous upsets.

Before this “century upset” happened, the public speculated that the final championship battle would likely be between Swiatek and Sabalenka, raising high expectations for a rematch of the Australian Open semifinals in Doha. The Polish player had a clear advantage in the top half of the draw, and nobody expected such a severe collapse against the once-strong Sakari.

In fact, Swiatek’s shocking loss could have been completely avoided!

When the Polish player took the first set 6-2 against Sakari, even though the Greek star fought back to take the second set 6-4, bringing them back to an even footing, most still believed Sakari would struggle to complete a comeback.

The reason was that Sakari had previously lost a final after leading 5-2, being caught at 5-5 by Swiatek, showing that in both mindset and clutch ability, the Polish player held a clear advantage. It was considered very difficult for the Greek star to dominate Swiatek once the score was tied.

Yet, Sakari ultimately pulled off an incredible feat. After steadying her nerves, she won two consecutive sets, finishing the match 7-5 and stunningly knocking out the top seed near the end of the Doha 1000 tournament.

This victory over Swiatek brought Sakari immense joy. The Greek star admitted after the match that being pushed to the brink by such a strong opponent and still emerging victorious—not just winning due to opponent errors—greatly boosted her confidence and morale.

This unbelievable comeback made the public declare Sakari’s resurgence, though it remains to be seen if this dark horse of Doha can maintain her streak and ultimately claim the title, announcing her strong return.

Compared to the surprise of Swiatek’s loss, Sabalenka’s defeat to 19-year-old Mboko was seen as somewhat predictable and not a true upset.

After winning the Australian Open, Sabalenka showed signs of instability when she was caught from a 5-2 lead to 5-5 against Zheng Qinwen in the third round, though Zheng failed to capitalize on the opportunity, allowing Sabalenka to escape. Unfortunately, facing Mboko, Sabalenka’s luck ran out, and she fell as predicted.

Mboko emphasized two key reasons for her victory: first, she was familiar with Sabalenka and knew how to play the match well; second, she approached the match as a challenger with no pressure, unlike the newly crowned Australian Open champion.

Sabalenka’s loss ended Mboko’s recent nine-match winning streak while also securing Mboko’s entry into the world’s top ten next week.

Another disappointment for fans of the Kazakh beauty was that with Swiatek’s exit, Sabalenka only needed to reach the Doha final to surpass the Polish player as world No. 2 after this 1000-level event, bringing her closer to world No. 1. Now, with her elimination, the contest for the world No. 2 spot has been forced to pause.

Whether Sabalenka can overtake Swiatek in Dubai and make Sabanenka feel threatened in the race for No. 1 depends on her performance there.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moonlit River’s Starry Sky)