It was a clinical start in Doha for Alexei Popyrin as he cruised to a straight-sets victory over local wildcard Mubarak Shannan Zayid in the opening round of the Qatar Open.<\/p>\n
The Australian No.2 needed just 59 minutes to secure his first win of the season, advancing to the second round of the ATP 500 event for the second time with a commanding 6-0 6-2 scoreline.<\/p>\n
Despite blustery conditions, Popyrin was unfazed on serve as he won 85 per cent of first-serve points and held easily in every service game to control the match from start to finish.<\/p>\n
The win sets up a clash with world No.2 Jannik Sinner in the round of 16 after the Italian asserted himself against Tomas Machac 6-1 6-4 for his first win since the Australian Open.<\/p>\n
Sinner has faced Popyrin on two occasions, with the pair splitting their head-to-head. The Australian’s win came at the 2021 Madrid Masters, while Sinner claimed their most recent meeting at last year’s US Open.<\/p>\n
Popyrin’s other second-round appearance in Doha came in 2024, where he reached the semifinals for a career-best run.<\/p>\n
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Across the gulf in Dubai, Daria Kasatkina continued her resurgent Middle East swing with a strong first-round performance against world No.52 Laura Siegemund.<\/p>\n
The 2018 finalist raced away to a 6-2 6-3 win, securing her place in the second round of back-to-back WTA 1000 events after making the third round in Doha last week.<\/p>\n
Kasatkina will have the challenge of facing last year’s champion, good friend Mirra Andreeva next up.<\/p>\n