Two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek beat number 14 seed Elaterina Alexandrova 6-1 6-4 in 1 hour and 31 minutes in the Round of 16 to extend her winning streak to ten consecutive matches at the Qatar Total Energies Open in Doha. Swiatek has reached her third consecutive quarter final in Doha.
Swiatek has improved to 3-1 in her four head-to-head matces against Alexandrova.
Swiatek saved two break points in the first game and four more break points in the first game of the second set.
Alexandrova saved four match points and earned a break-back point in the last game of the match. Swiatek sealed the win on her fifth match point.
Swiatek saved all of the eight break points she faced.
Swiatek has a record of 11 wins to one defeat in Doha. She lost only one match at this tournament against Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second round in 2020.
The Polish player has not dropped a set at this tournament since her first round match against Viktorija Golubic in 2022.
Swiatek has won her last eleven matches against top 20 opponents. The former world number 1 player has extended her record to 4-0 against top 20 players so far this season. She suffered her last defeat to a top 20 rival against Veronika Kudemertova in the quarter finals in Tokyo last September.
Swiatek set up a quarter final match against another two-time Doha champion Victoria Azarenka, who cruised past Jelena Ostapenko 6-0 6-3 to reach the 36th WTA 1000 quarter final of her career.
Azarenka raced out to a 4-0 lead with two breaks in the second and fourth games. She broke for the third time on her fourth set point in the sixth game to take a bagel win in the first set. Azarenka saved all five break points she faced in the first and fifth games of the second set before breaking serve in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead. The Belarusian player served out the win on her first match point.
Ostapenko made 49 unforced errors to just 20 from Azarenka.
Ostapenko is the the WTA Tour match-win leader with a record of 14 wins in 2024. She suffered all three defeats against Azarenka.
