Rybakina, Swiatek cruise into Qatar semi-finals, Osaka falls

Elena Rybakina, the third seed, took her time getting going but defeated Leylah Fernandez 6-4 6-2 on Thursday to advance to the Qatar Open semi-finals and remain on track for her third title of the season.

Top seed and defending champion Iga Swiatek overcame a shaky start in windy conditions to defeat two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 6-0.

But it was the end of the road for Japan's four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who lost 7-6(6) 7-6(5) to fellow former world number one Karolina Pliskova in a rematch from their Brisbane meeting last month.

Rybakina, who won the Brisbane and Abu Dhabi titles this year, dropped serve twice at the start of the match, but the 24-year-old controlled the flow of errors from her racket and won five games in a row from 4-1 down to win the first set.

Fernandez put up more of a fight in the second set, but the 2021 U.S. Open runner-up couldn't stop former Wimbledon champion Rybakina from taking two more breaks and powering to victory with some big hitting.

"It was a difficult match. I didn't start the set well. It took me some time to get used to Leylah's ball," Rybakina said after clinching a joint tour-leading 14th win of the season.

"She plays very different. Also a lefty. I'm really happy I managed to win the first one. After that, it was a bit easier to start the second."

The Moscow-born Kazakh faces Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova next, after the unseeded Russian advanced to the Doha semi-finals for the first time after defeating American qualifier Danielle Collins 7-5, 6-4.

"Hopefully it's going to be a great match to see. We know each other very well on the court and off the court. Hopefully I can recover and show some good tennis," Rybakina added.

Swiatek, the 2022 and 2023 winner, won the final nine games against former world number one Azarenka to advance.

The 22-year-old Pole hopes to become the first player to win a WTA event three times in a row since American Serena Williams won in Miami from 2013 to 2015.

"I'm really happy. Vika's a great champion. I feel she's been at the top in terms of the best players I watched when I was younger," Swiatek said of her 34-year-old opponent.

"I'm proud I can compete on the same court and play against Victoria and win. It's pretty crazy."

Swiatek will next face Pliskova, who won her ninth straight match with a gritty performance against Osaka, who showed signs of regaining her best form after a maternity break.

SportsLigue