DOHA: Greek world number 52 Maria Sakkari advanced to the semifinals of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open on Thursday after a three-set victory over Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the world number two.
The 30-year-old overturned a slow start to beat the top seed 2-6 6-4 7-5 in a quarterfinal that lasted around two and a half hours on the main court at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.
Sakkari will face the winner of the quarterfinal between Czech Karolina Muchova and Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya in Friday’s semifinal.Swiatek, who won the tournament in 2022, 2023 and 2024, fell short of another final.
The 24-year-old has 25 career titles, including six Grand Slams.The quarterfinal exit leaves Swiatek at risk of losing her world number two ranking if Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina goes on to lift the title in Doha.
