Qatar Open: Naomi Osaka Advances as Coco Gauff, Ons Jabeur Dumped Out
The Qatar Open saw some major upsets on Wednesday as several top seeds crashed out of the WTA 1000 event in Doha.
Former world #1 Naomi Osaka safely advanced to the third round with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Qatari wildcard Mayar Sherif. Osaka is seeking her first title since the 2022 Miami Open.
However, there was drama elsewhere in the draw. Rising American star Coco Gauff fell in a big upset to Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska. The world #4 struggled, losing 6-2, 1-6, 6-7(8) to the former top 20 player.
Another top seed, Ons Jabeur, also suffered an early exit. The world #3 from Tunisia couldn’t find her form and was beaten 6-3, 6-2 by Russian veteran Veronika Kudermetova.
“Not a good day at the office,” Jabeur said afterwards. “Just one of those days!”
There was better news for Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, the top remaining seed. The Australian Open champion moved into the quarters with a hard-fought 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over Marie Bouzkova.
Sabalenka will now be a heavy favorite to claim her first WTA 1000 title in Doha after the stunning upsets saw several other contenders eliminated earlier than expected. She continues her brilliant start to 2023.
