Maria Sakkari stunned Iga Swiatek in three sets to reach the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 Qatar TotalEnergies Open in Doha on Thursday, where she will meet 14th seed Karolina Muchova, who came from 1-4 down in the second set to beat Anna Kalinskaya in the final match of Day 5.
I kept telling myself that I’m playing well. Tom [Hill] kept reminding me that I was playing very well. I just kept doing the same thing. I feel like you have to be very aggressive, but at the same time very solid with those players, and that worked out very well today. Maria Sakkari
Sakkari defied all expectations, overcoming the world number 2 after coming from a set behind to win, 2-6 6-4 7-5, and breaking a four-match losing streak against the 24-year-old Pole, scoring her first win against Swiatek since 2021.
The Greek also equaled her best-ever individual victories in terms of ranking, beating a world number 2 for the fourth time in her career, and the first time since 2022.
“You’re always the underdog when you play against the world number 2, especially where I come from,” said Sakkari, himself a former world number 2, who is currently ranked 52nd. “But I kept telling myself, even after the first set, that I was playing good tennis and that I had to stick to my game plan and the way I played. I was aggressive, I was brave and it turned out very well.”
The 30-year-old has rebuilt her game since falling to No. 90 last spring, reuniting with longtime coach Tom Hill. Sakkari has two Top 10 victories this week, including upsetting Jasmine Paolini in the second round, to reach her first WTA 1000 semi-final since the 2024 BNP Paribas Open.
Sakkari not only conceded her losing streak to Swiatek, but she also became the first to defeat the former world No. 1 after defeat at a WTA 1000 tournament.
Entering the match, Swiatek had a record of 109–0 when he won the first set at this level.
“To be honest, I don’t feel like I played badly in that first phase [set]Sakkari said. “I was unlucky with that net string in the 2-All game. It would be 3-2 for me. I know it’s a small detail, but with these players it’s one or two points per set that can really change everything. It’s different to be 3-2 ahead than 3-2 behind during a break.”
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The match had gone in Swiatek’s favor in the opener as the six-time Grand Slam champion took two breaks to win the last four games in a row and secure the set 6-2, with the Greek facing the full brunt of Poland’s dominance, and it looked like Sakkari’s own strong run in Doha was about to end quickly.
However, she rallied, regrouping in the second and going 3-0 and then 4-1 ahead, before the Pole leveled matters at 4-4.
The Greek held her serve before breaking Swiatek to take the set 6-4, making them a decisive player for the first time in the eight matches they have played against each other in their careers.
Sakkari took firm control of the third set as she broke early to take a 3-1 lead, later taking the lead 5-2 before Swiatek demonstrated what a great fighter she is by coming back level at 5-5.
The 30-year-old unseeded Greek then produced a crucial hold on serve to put herself ahead, 6-5, before winning the match on her third match point when Swiatek scored a drop-volley attempt onto the net.
“I’m speechless because it’s been a while since I had such a big victory like today,” she said in her on-court interview. “When you drop in the rankings and you don’t play good tennis, you start to doubt yourself and think you’re never going to beat those players again.
“So it is a huge process that you have to go through in your head, that you know you can do. Last year in the second round against [Swiatek]I had no confidence in it. I didn’t believe in myself. And this year it’s different. I feel a lot better.”
This win is Sakkari’s first victory over a Top 5 player since she defeated Coco Gauff at the 2024 Miami Open.
“I kept telling myself that I am playing well,” Sakkari added. “Tom kept reminding me that I was playing very well. I just kept doing the same thing. I feel like you have to be very aggressive, but at the same time very solid with those players, and that worked very well today.”
Maria Sakkari called for a video review of a controversial double-bounce that Iga Swiatek failed to acknowledge
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The match was not without controversy, however, as at 5–3 for the match, Sakkari appealed to the video review system to determine a double bounce from Swiatek.
“It’s great that we have it because imagine if we didn’t have it today,” Sakkari said. “I feel like, you know, it’s very difficult for the referee to see too, because you don’t know how they’re placing the racket. And they’re not robots, they’re human beings, and they can lose balance with their vision. It’s the first time I’ve used it, and I’m glad it exists.”
Swiatek denied she knew the ball had bounced on the court a second time before she took it for the winner.
“I didn’t know if I, I mean, from physics, knew how the ball was going,” Swiatek insisted in her post-match press conference. “It came off the floor, or I framed it. So, to be honest, I wasn’t sure.”
Swiatek went on to win the match, saving a match point in the next with an ace, leveling the match at five games apiece, and again it looked like the Pole would be victorious.
However, after leading 5–2 in the decider, having gone five points from defeat in the second set, Sakkari shook off the disappointment to commit to the final two matches, breaking for the match when Swiatek scored her volley.
“I’m just really happy that I was able to overcome myself in the last two matches and come up with some great tennis, and some brave tennis, I would say,” Sakkari said.
14th seed Karolina Muchova maintained her dominance over Anna Kalinskaya in Doha to reach her first Qatar Open semi-final
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The win sets up a semi-final battle with Karolina Muchova for a place in her first final in two years, the last of which will be in Indian Wells.
Regardless of her Last 4 result, the current world number 52 will rise some 20 places in the WTA rankings next week, where she is already number 33 in the live rankings.
For Swiatek, the surprise loss put her No. 2 ranking in jeopardy as she was chased by Elena Rybakina, who needed to reach the final to overtake her. But the world number 3 also lost to Victoria Mboko in the quarter-finals, so the status quo remains, at least for now.
Meanwhile, Sakkari will need more courage against Muchova, who maintained her perfect record against Anna Kalinskaya, the 14th seed who reached her first semi-final in Doha 6-3 6-4 in an hour and 28 minutes.
The Czech blew an early break in the first set, but broke the 29th-seeded Russian again in the 6th game before closing the opener on her serve.
Trailing by a set, Kalinskaya responded by opening a 4–1 lead in the second, putting herself in a strong position to push the match to the limit, but Muchova went on an impressive five-match winning streak to erase the deficit, getting the nightcap match done in straight sets.
When the 2023 French Open finalist and Sakkari face each other in Doha on Friday, it will be their sixth meeting, and Muchova leads their head-to-head clash 4-1, having beaten the Greek on her way to her first Grand Slam final in Paris three years ago.
“We’ve played quite a few times. It’s been a while,” Muchova said. “I watched the match with Iga. It was a great fight. They both played incredibly. It will definitely be tough, but I am ready to take on that challenge.”
If Muchova beats Sakkari, she will reach her first final since Beijing in 2024.
Anna Kalinskaya had a 4-1 lead in the second set, but saw it slip away as Karolina Muchova won four games on the trot to win the match in Doha on Thursday evening
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