Sabalenka’s place at the Qatar Open was taken by Emiliana Arango. The Colombian featured at this week’s Ostrava Open, but was defeated in the round of 16 by Tamara Korpatsch. Xinyu Wang replaced Osaka. When the Chinese player finds her game, she can compete well against the best players. That was evident in previous victories over Pegula, including at Wimbledon, and over French Open champion Coco Gauff.
Daria Kasatkina benefited from Pegula’s decision to withdraw from the tournament. In 2024, she almost qualified for the WTA Finals after reaching six finals in that season. Since then, her form and rankings have dipped, and she will try to find inspiration in Doha. Laura Siegemund, the 37-year-old who reached the Wimbledon quarterfinal last year, took Keys’s place on the entry list.
Alexandra Eala, Maria Sakkari, Katerina Siniakova, Marie Bouzkova, Cristina Bucsa, and 2021 French Open runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova are the other players who have been given an opportunity. Eala, who was born in the Philippines, always draws attention because of the incredible support she receives from compatriots around the world. Sakkari, despite a decline in recent years, remains a popular figure.
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images