Ons Jabeur rallied from a break down in the third set to beat Tereza Martincova 6-1 3-6 6-3 after 1 hour and 36 minutes in the third round at the Qatar Total Energies Open in Doha.
Jabeur reached the quarter final in Doha for the second time in her career. Two years the Tunisian player advanced to the last eight of a WTA 1000 tournament for the first time in her career.
Jabeur broke three times to win the first set 6-1. She won 77% of her first serve points and dropped just point on her serve.
Martincova lost just four points on her first serve in the second set. The Czech player earned a break in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead and closed out the second set with a forehand pass down the line.
Martincova went up a 2-0 lead in the third set. Jabeur broke back to draw level to 2-2. Martincova held game point to take a 4-3 lead. Jabeur came back by winning 11 of the next 13 points and sealed the win with a backhand pass.
Aryna Sabalenka reaches her first quarter final
Aryna Sabalenka eased past Jill Teichman 6-2 6-1 in just over an hour to reach her first quarter final of the year. Sabalenka finished a match with no double faults for the sixth time in her career.
Teichmann went down an early break, but she broke back at love to draw level to 2-2. Sabalenka won the next six games to build up a 6-2 2-0 lead. Teichmann pulled back on serve in the next game, but Sabalenka reeled off the final four games to secure her spot in the quarter final.
Muguruza reaches her fifth quarter final in Doha
Two-time Doha finalist Garbine Muguruza cruised past Madison Brengle 6-0 6-2 in just 63 minutes in their first head-to-head match to advance to the quarter finals in Doha for the fifth time in her career.
The Spanish player saved all three of the break pooints she faced and broke five times.
Muguruza reached the final in Doha in 2018 and 2020, but she finished runner-up to Petra Kvitova both times.
Muguruza set up a quarter final match against last week’s Dubai champion Jelena Ostapenko, who has extended her winning streak to eight consecutive matches. Muguruza leads 3-1 in her four head-to-head matches.
Jabeur will face Anett Kontaveit in the quarter final.
