After gritty win over Noskova, Swiatek to face Rybakina in Doha quarters

There may be no more intimidating sight in today’s tennis than Iga Swiatek on the other side of the net in Doha. But for more than two-and-a-half hours Wednesday, a fearless 20-year-old from the Czech Republic challenged the World No. 2 in every way possible.

In the end, Swiatek displayed those ethereal qualities that helped her capture five Grand Slam singles titles, the most of any currently active player under 40. Slowly, she reeled in No. 33 Linda Noskova and emerged with a 6-7 (1), 6-4, 6-4 victory in the Round of 16 at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open.

Doha: Draws | Scores | Order of Play

This was Swiatek’s 14th consecutive match win in Doha and it keeps alive her chances to score a rare four-peat. She has won 15 of 16 matches in Doha (.930), history’s best mark.

On Thursday, Swiatek will meet No. 5 Elena Rybakina, a 7-6 (1), 6-2 winner over Rebecca Sramkova, in what promises to be a rousing quarterfinal match.

The other Top 4 seeds will be absent from the final four after a string of upsets Tuesday that saw No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 7 Zheng Qinwen and No. 9 Paula Badosa fall out of the draw. On Wednesday, No. 4 Jasmine Paolini was upset by Jelena Ostapenko.

Thus, Swiatek and Rybakina are the two highest-seeded players left. Rybakina leads the entertaining series 4-3. It will be a rematch of last year’s Doha final, which Swiatek won 7-6(8), 6-2 to seal her three-peat.

Although Swiatek is a four-time Roland Garros champion, Rybakina won both of their matches on clay, two years ago in Rome and last year in Stuttgart. Swiatek holds a 3-2 lead on hard courts, including the only match this year — a 7-6 (5), 6-4 barnburner less than six weeks ago at the United Cup in Sydney.

“Tough opponent as always,” Rybakina said of Swiatek. “Going to focus on myself, and try to stay aggressive on the court. It’s definitely the toughest opponent so far on this tournament, so hopefully I can do well.”

That Noskova gave Swiatek a real ride was no random accident. For it was Noskova who drummed Swiatek out of the Australian Open last year with a three-set third-round win. Swiatek, though, has now won four of their five matches.

At 17, Mirra Andreeva is the youngest member of the PIF WTA Ranking’s Top 100. And while there are five 20-year-olds right behind her — including World No. 3 Coco Gauff — Noskova is the youngest of the bunch.

The first-set tiebreak was surprisingly one-sided. An unreturned serve gave Noskova a 2-1 lead when Swiatek wavered uncharacteristically. After her second errant forehand, she screamed “Iga!” twice in visible frustration. A few more errors, a few more big serves and Noskova had won seven of the extra session’s eight points.

Swiatek — who had been pressured from the baseline — gradually gathered herself in the second set. After three consecutive breaks of serve, Swiatek held for a 5-3 lead and eventually served it out.

Coming out fast in the third, Swiatek broke Noskova in the opening game but Noskova broke back to level it at 2-all. Serving at 3-4, down love-30, Swiatek won six consecutive points and delivered the emphatic break of Noskova to take a non-negotiable 5-4 lead.

Noskova finished with 16 aces, nine of them coming in the first set. But Swiatek was better in the big moments, saving six of eight break points and breaking Noskova’s potent serve four times.

Noskova actually won more points, 101-98.

Although Swiatek said last year’s victory over Rybakina in the final was difficult, she called this one against Noskova her toughest win ever in Doha.

“Yeah, I think so,” she told reporters. “I would say Linda played amazing, and for sure she didn’t make it easy for me.”

But Rybakina, Swiatek said, is always a tough out.

“She likes playing here, she’s been in a final here last year, and last year also was tough. So I’ll be ready for some intense rallies, and some low balls, and good serving.”

Here’s a quick look at the other three Thursday quarterfinal matchups:

No.6 Jessica Pegula vs. Ekaterina Alexandrova (3:30 p.m., local time)

Pegula was a 6-3, 7-5 winner over No.10 Daria Kasatkina, while Alexandrova defeated Elise Mertens 6-4, 6-2. Alexandrova is on fire right now. Coming off her title in Linz she’s now won seven straight matches — including a takedown of World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in a third-set tiebreak. Pegula has been steady, winning seven of nine matches to start the year.

Head-to-head: 1-1, with Alexandrova winning the most recent match, last year’s Miami quarterfinal in three sets.

Jelena Ostapenko vs. Ons Jabeur (7 p.m. local)

This unseeded matchup could easily go either way. The No. 35-ranked Jabeur — the overwhelming favorite of these partisan crowds — was a 6-3, 6-4 winner over Sofia Kenin. She’d love to return the favor of receiving a handful of wild cards over the years. No. 37 Ostapenko knocked out No.4 Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2.

Head-to-head: 4-2, Jabeur. Less than two weeks ago in Abu Dhabi, Jabeur won a tight one, 7-6 (4), 7-5.

Marta Kostyuk Vs. Amanda Anisimova (9 PM, Local)

Another unseeded matchup pits Kostyuk, a 6-4, 6-2 winner over Magda Linette, versus Anisimova, who defeated Leylah Fernandez 6-3, 6-0 in a little over an hour. Kostyuk upset World No. 3 Coco Gauff in the second round and has yet to lose a set. At No. 41, Anisimova is the lowest-ranked player left but has scored impressive wins over Victoria Azarenka, No. 9 seed Paula Badosa and Fernandez — all in straight sets.

Head-to-head: 2-0, Kostyuk, most recently in the first round of the 2023 Australian Open. They were scheduled to play last fall in Wuhan, but Anisimova withdrew with a hip injury.