Iga Swiatek stands two wins away from making history at the WTA Doha Qatar Open. The 22-year-old stretched her winning streak to 11 matches and is looking to become the first WTA player to win three singles titles in Doha. Can she scale her next assignment against a former World No. 1?
WTA Doha Semifinal Predictions
Elena Rybakina vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Head-to-head: Pavlyuchenkova 1-0 Rybakina
The first semifinal of the day will feature a rematch of the 2021 French Open quarterfinal. On that day, Pavlyuchenkova won a dramatic three-setter, storming back from a set down. That final set ended 9-7 in favor of the Russian veteran. The disappointment of double faulting while match point down might play on the back of Rybakina’s mind. But on the evidence of her stellar run in the Middle East this year, the Kazakh has probably erased it from her memory bank. Pavyluchenkova is assured of re-entering the world’s Top 30 and has not received a lot of credit for her recent renaissance since returning from a career-ending knee injury. Rybakina has hit a purple patch since the start of last week. Like in Linz, Pavlyuchenkova will come unstuck against another big hitter.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Iga Swiatek vs Karolina Pliskova
Head-to-head: Swiatek 1-1 Osaka
It’s been nine years since a WTA player three-peated a tournament (Serena Williams at the 2015 Miami Open). But Iga Swiatek is on the verge of emulating the legendary American. With just two more rounds to go, Swiatek is the clear-cut favorite to win her third title at WTA Doha. Data gathered from her first three tournaments of 2024 suggest she has been the beneficiary of the toughest opening matches based on ranking. This week, she drew the highest-ranked unseeded player (Sorana Cirstea) to kick off her title defense. But the challenging bouts have only helped Swiatek restore the swagger in her step. She’s played splendidly to reach another semifinal.
Karolina Pliskova, meanwhile, is working overtime as she bids to reach her first final in Doha since 2017, the year she went on to win this tournament. The big-serving Czech arrived at this year’s Qatar Open within a few hours of her title win in Cluj-Napoca. It’s a minor miracle that she has even reached this stage. And it is not just because of the after-effects of traveling that is the most surprising, but the opponents she has beaten. She has pushed her body to its physical peak capacity, and it is questionable she’ll have enough in the tank to run Swiatek close.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey – USA TODAY Sports
