Rakhimova avenges her loss in uncommon tournament double

On Tuesday, Kamilla Rakhimova was 6-5 up in the third set in the final qualifying round against Kimberly Birrell, three points from sealing her place in the main draw of the China Open for the first time. But the Australian pipped her at the post, denying Rakhimova in a 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(2) heartbreaker.

Beijing: Scores | Order of Play | Draws

Rakhimova didn’t have to wait long for her revenge. Emma Raducanu’s withdrawal with a foot injury opened up a lucky loser spot in the main draw, and it went to her. In the first round, she was drawn against none other than Birrell. On Thursday, Rakhimova reversed their qualifying result, coming through 6-2, 6-4 to book a second-round matchup against No.5 seed Zheng Qinwen.

It’s unusual for two players to face each other twice in the same tournament — but how unusual? And how common is it for the loser of the first match to turn the tables, as Rakhimova did this week?

Rakhimova and Birrell’s first-round contest in Beijing was the second time this year that a qualifying match has been reprised in the main draw. In Cleveland, Ana Bogdan defeated Greet Minnen once in the second qualifying round, then again in the second round of the main draw.

In total, it’s happened 38 times this century in Hologic WTA Tour tournaments. On 22 occasions, the qualifying winner was also the main-draw winner, but on 16 occasions the qualifying loser got her revenge in the main draw.

Unsurprisingly, most of these rematches take place in the first couple of rounds of the main draw. Four took place at the quarterfinal stage. The rarest dynamic of all happened at Canberra 2005, when Ana Ivanovic defeated Melinda Czink 6-1, 6-3 in the final qualifying round. Czink got into the main draw as a lucky loser, survived a 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(8) first-round tussle against Dally Randriantefy — and made it all the way to her first career final. The Hungarian’s opponent there was another first-time finalist — none other than Ivanovic. The future World No.1 reprised the qualifying result 7-5, 6-1 to lift her first WTA trophy.

All 16 occasions this century in which a lucky loser avenged a qualifying loss in the main draw

2000 Strasbourg
FQR: Iroda Tulyaganova d. Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 6-4
R1: Hantuchova d. Tulyaganova 6-4, 6-4

2001 Oklahoma City
FQR: Renata Kolbovic d. Dawn Buth 6-2, 6-2
R1: Buth d. Kolbovic 6-1, 6-3

2002 Memphis
FQR: Antonella Serra Zanetti d. Erika De Lone 7-5, 7-5
R1: De Lone d. Serra Zanetti 6-2, 6-4

2002 Berlin
FQR: Angelica Roesch d. Marie-Gayanay Mikaelian 6-4, 6-3
R2: Mikaelian d. Roesch 6-0, 6-1

2003 Memphis
FQR: Diana Ospina d. Maria Goloviznina 6-4, 6-3
R1: Goloviznina d. Ospina 6-2, 6-3

2004 Antwerp
FQR: Alexandra Stevenson d. Yulia Vakulenko 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-3
R1: Vakulenko d. Stevenson 6-1, 6-3

2004 Antwerp
FQR: Klara Koukalova d. Myriam Casanova 6-3, 7-5
QF: Casanova d. Koukalova 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

2004 Warsaw
FQR: Henrieta Nagyova d. Lenka Nemecková 7-5, 6-7(2), 6-4
R1: Nemeckova d. Nagy 6-3, 6-2

2004 Zurich
FQR: Marie-Gayanay Mikaelian d. Flavia Pennetta 7-6(2), 6-0
R1: Pennetta d. Mikaelian 6-2, 6-1

2006 Roland Garros
FQR: Virginia Pichet d. Kirsten Flipkens 5-7, 6-2, 8-6
R1: Flipkens d. Pichet 6-2, 6-3

2008 New Haven
FQR: Mallory Cecil d. Sara Errani 4-6 6-4, 6-1
R1: Errani d. Cecil 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(1)

2012 Sydney
FQR: Sofia Arvidsson d. Alexandra Dulgheru 6-7(6), 7-6(2), 7-5
R1: Dulgheru d. Arvidsson 6-1, 6-1

2014 New Haven
FQR: Irina-Camelia Begu d. Caroline Garcia 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(5)
R1: Garcia d. Begu 7-6(4), 7-6(4)

2021 Gdynia
FQR: Kateryna Volodko d. Weronika Falkowska 6-3, 7-6(3)
R1: Falkowska d. Volodko 6-0, 6-2

2022 Eastbourne
FQR: Kirsten Flipkens b. Victoria Tomova 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4)
R3: Tomova d. Flipkens 3-6, 6-3, 6-4

2024 Beijing
FQR: Kimberly Birrell d. Kamilla Rakhimova 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(2)
R1: Rakhimova d. Birrell 6-2, 6-4