From Asia to Europe, from last week until now, they have shown that qualifiers can also have their moment of glory!

It is well known that every tennis tournament includes qualifying rounds. Generally, players competing in qualifiers are much less strong compared to those who enter the main draw directly based on their world rankings, making it even harder for them to achieve good results.

However, since last week, three players have demonstrated through their performances—from WTA250 to WTA500, and then to WTA1000 events—that qualifiers can indeed have their breakthrough moments. So, who are these three players? What results have they achieved from last week to this week? Today, this article will take you through their journeys.

As early as 2019, Ukrainian player Snigur won the junior title at Wimbledon. This year, she battled through three sets in the final round of the Australian Open qualifiers but lost to Belarusian Sasnovich, falling short of advancing further. Last week, Snigur entered the WTA250 Cluj-Napoca qualifying as the second seed, decisively defeating compatriot Kalinina and Spain’s Bolsova to reach the main draw.

In the main draw’s first round, she won comfortably with two 6-3 sets over French player Rakhimova, advancing smoothly; in the second round, Snigur dominated the tournament’s second seed, Romanian player Cristian, who managed to win only one game; in the quarterfinals against China’s Yuan Yue, despite losing the first set 4-6, Snigur fought back strongly to win the next two sets 6-0, 7-5, reaching the semifinals of a tour-level event for the first time in the 2026 season. Although she was heavily defeated in the semifinals by the tournament’s third seed, Romanian player Costică, who eventually won the title, losing to the eventual champion is understandable.

In 2022, Czech player Beleck achieved a three-match winning streak in the US Open qualifiers, making her Grand Slam main draw debut. She then qualified for the main draws at the Australian Open and French Open in 2023. Last week, Beleck won consecutive matches against Russia’s E. Ovcharenko and France’s Paquet in the WTA500 Abu Dhabi qualifiers to enter the main draw. In the first round, she defeated American Krueger convincingly to advance.

In the second round, facing the seventh seed and former Grand Slam champion from Latvia, Ostapenko, Beleck played exceptionally well, allowing her opponent only seven games throughout the match. After advancing, she faced fellow qualifier British player Katar in the quarterfinals and showed no mercy, sweeping her 6-0, 6-2 to reach the semifinals.

In the semifinals against the third seed, Danish player Tauson, who had previously reached a WTA1000 final, Beleck held her nerve and won in the deciding set, making it to her first-ever tour final. In the final, Beleck defeated the second seed, Russian player Alexandrova, in straight sets to claim her first career tour title.

Italian player Cocciaretto is much more well-known than Snigur and Beleck. Recently, she won seven consecutive matches starting from the qualifiers at the WTA250 Hobart event, securing her first tour title of the 2026 season.

This week, although she lost in the final round of the WTA1000 Doha qualifiers to French player Gorgodze, some higher-ranked players withdrew, allowing Cocciaretto to enter the main draw as a lucky loser. In the first round, she defeated wildcard French player Jacquemot in straight sets to advance; in the second round, Cocciaretto convincingly beat two-time Grand Slam champion American Gauff, causing Gauff to exit the Doha Open in the first round for the third consecutive year.

Afterward, Cocciaretto kept up her strong form by defeating American Zhang Jiayi to reach her first WTA1000 quarterfinal. Although she lost in the quarterfinals to former Grand Slam champion Latvian Ostapenko, Cocciaretto has already achieved a new career milestone. From WTA250 to WTA500, and then to WTA1000, Snigur, Beleck, and Cocciaretto have proven through their efforts that qualifiers can also experience their own springtime. Hopefully, these three players will continue to perform well in the future. That’s today’s tennis story; more to come tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)