Doha, 16 Feb. 2023 (WTA)

World No.1 Iga Swiatek made a triumphant return to competition at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open. Swiatek raced past No.42 Danielle Collins 6-0, 6-1 and is into the semifinals after her quarterfinal opponent Belinda Bencic withdrew from the tournament due to fatigue.

Last season, Swiatek kicked off her 37-match win streak in Doha, where she captured her first WTA 1000 hard-court title. Playing her first match since the Australian Open, the reigning champion showed no signs of rust against Collins, as she built a 3-0 lead after just 10 minutes and pocketed the opening set in just 21 minutes.

No.8 seed Veronika Kudermetova booked her place in the Qatar TotalEnergies Open semifinals with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 win over No.4 seed Coco Gauff in 2 hours and 4 minutes.

Kudermetova, 25, also reached the last four at Adelaide 2 in January. She will bid to reach her first final since Istanbul last April against No.1 seed Iga Swiatek, who received a walkover from No.7 seed Belinda Bencic. Kudermetova is yet to win a set from Swiatek in two previous encounters.

The result was Kudermetova’s first win over a Top 10 player since her defeat of Ons Jabeur in the San Jose quarterfinals last year, and her 11th in total. Her season record is now 9-3.

Dealing with challenging conditions was a key aspect of the match. Swirling wind caused the ball to move in unexpected ways, and rallies were frequently decided by who could control their technique better in the face of this.

Ultimately, it was Kudermetova’s steady, but still aggressive, approach that won out. The World No.11 tallied an even 18 winners to 18 unforced errors, and her ratio remained consistent in all three sets.

By contrast, Gauff’s form oscillated more. The American teenager came out on top of several superb improvised points in the second set, finding a series of lobs and passes to deny Kudermetova as she found 13 winners to four unforced errors. However, the first and third sets saw her total 19 unforced errors.

Jessica Pegula is making the most of her second chance in Doha. A day after saving two match points in a thrilling three-set victory over Jelena Ostapenko, the No.2 seed was at her efficient best in a 6-3, 6-2 win over Beatriz Haddad Maia in Thursday’s quarterfinals where she will face No.5 seed Maria Sakkari.