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Iga Swiatek of Poland throws balls to spectators as she celebrates winning the Women's singles final of the Qatar Open tennis tournament in Doha, Qatar, February 17, 2024. Noushad Thekkayil, EPA-EFE.


Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/12035195.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"></span></span></span></div><p style="text-align:left">Iga Swiatek of Poland throws balls to spectators as she celebrates winning the Women&#x27;s singles final of the Qatar Open tennis tournament in Doha, Qatar, February 17, 2024. <em><strong>Noushad Thekkayil, EPA-EFE.</strong></em></p><div></div><div style="text-align:left"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Iga Swiatek survived a grueling affair against Sloane Stephens while Aryna Sabalenka blamed unfavorable conditions for her second round defeat to Donna Vekic in Dubai on Tuesday.</span></div><div><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The top-seeded Swiatek, who clinched her third consecutive Doha title on Saturday and had a first round bye in this event, had to dig deep to overcome former US Open champion Stephens 6-4, 6-4 in a tug of war that witnessed eight breaks of serve and a combined 23 break points.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“We had a lot of tight games. I really needed to perform a little bit better in those important moments because I couldn&#x27;t convert some break points. But I&#x27;m happy that in the end I did,” said Swiatek, who takes on two-time Dubai champion Elina Svitolina in the last-16.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“Yeah, it wasn&#x27;t easy. It&#x27;s nice that I played even a longer match here so I could adjust to the surface.”</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Meanwhile, second seed Sabalenka fell 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-0 to familiar foe Vekic in what was her first appearance since she successfully defended her title at the Australian Open last month.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Sabalenka blew a 7-6, 2-0 lead and lost the last nine games of the clash to succumb to her Croatian opponent in two hours and 22 minutes.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“I feel like the conditions here don&#x27;t fit me well at all. It&#x27;s really tricky for me to compete here in Dubai. Really tricky court for me. It&#x27;s super-fast for me. Like no rhythm at all,” said the world number two.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“I&#x27;ll stay here for a couple of days, then I&#x27;m going to move to L.A. and keep practicing, keep fixing problems which happened today. Hopefully I&#x27;ll be in better shape for Indian Wells.”</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The 31st-ranked Vekic, who now owns a 6-2 head-to-head lead in lifetime meetings against Sabalenka, was aggressive throughout the match and enters her next clash with big-hitting Romanian Sorana Cirstea searching for her first WTA 1000 quarter-final of her career.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;To be honest, I didn&#x27;t have big expectations coming to Dubai. Told my coach that I&#x27;m taking this week as half holidays. I can tell you I spent more time on the beach than on the court. Maybe that&#x27;s a good way going forward,&quot; laughed Vekic, who is now 9-13 against top-five opposition.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><strong>- Azarenka retires -</strong></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Fourth seed Elena Rybakina advanced to the third round when her opponent Victoria Azarenka retired with an undisclosed injury. Azarenka took the first set before Rybakina leveled the match 4-6, 6-2.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The former world number one called the trainer between sets and decided to pull out of the contest to avoid further damage, sending Rybakina to a last-16 meeting with Polish qualifier Magdalena Frech.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Over on Court 1, Australian Open finalist Zheng Qinwen needed medical attention after dropping the opening set to Nao Hibino. The Chinese world number seven had her vitals checked and took some medication before coming back for a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 victory.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“I’ve been sick for the past five days, I haven’t been feeling well, breathing hard,” said Zheng after the match.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“I just told myself keep going, everything can happen at a certain point. Never give up, even if I feel bad like today. I have to say thank you to myself to push hard for this match and win.&quot;</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Earlier on Centre Court, eighth seed Maria Sakkari snapped a three-match losing streak and claimed her first-ever Dubai main-draw victory, on her fourth attempt, with a 6-2, 6-4 triumph over in-form American Emma Navarro.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">After suffering opening round exits in Abu Dhabi and Doha, Sakkari was admittedly nervous ahead of her clash with Navarro, who is already a title-winner in 2024 and has amassed 13 victories in the first two months of the season.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;It was very tough. Last night I couldn&#x27;t sleep just because I was overthinking about it and it wasn&#x27;t easy. No one wants to keep losing first round. But I told myself to treat it as the first match of the season,&quot; said Sakkari, who faces Italian Jasmine Paolini next.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Sakkari is in search of a new coach having ended her six-year partnership with Tom Hill.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The Greek world number 11 briefly worked with Sergi Bruguera during the offseason and after the Australian Open but needs to find a full-time coach given Bruguera&#x27;s commitment to ATP player Arthur Fils.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">She is confident she will have found a new coach by the time Indian Wells commences next month.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></span></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hwHKAIUxYjk?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>Iga Swiatek survived a grueling affair against Sloane Stephens while Aryna Sabalenka blamed unfavorable conditions for her second round defeat to Donna Vekic in Dubai on Tuesday.</p>

Iga Swiatek survived a grueling affair against Sloane Stephens while Aryna Sabalenka blamed unfavorable conditions for her second round defeat to Donna Vekic in Dubai on Tuesday.

Swiatek slips past Stephens as Sabalenka crashes out in Dubai

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Swiatek slips past Stephens as Sabalenka crashes out in Dubai

Agence France-Presse,

Reem Abulleil

Published February 21, 2024 06:31 PM PHT

|

Updated February 21, 2024 06:40 PM PHT

Read More:

tennis

Dubai Open

Iga Swiatek

Aryna Sabalenka

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