Maria Sakkari and Ekaterina Alexandrova will take on each other in the round of 16 of the 2023 WTA Qatar Open on February 15.
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After quickly recovering from the Linz setback, Maria Sakkari defeated Zheng Qinwen, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, in part thanks to her opponent’s right wrist injury. She made her debut at the Qatar Open in 2013, and she has since advanced to the quarterfinals and semifinals twice. This was her eighth career victory there. Since January 2022, she has advanced to nine quarterfinals, solidifying her place among the top 10 players. But despite four runner-up finishes in the previous 12 months, she has yet to win her second career title, which would be her first in almost four years. She came agonisingly close to winning the Linz tournament last week but fell to Petra Martic in a setback.
In Doha, Ekaterina Alexandrova’s first career victory couldn’t have come with a more convincing performance. The qualifier and 2017 champion was defeated 6-1, 6-2 in just 52 minutes thanks to her 10 aces and 13/13 second serve success rate. Her first top 20 victory in the Middle East came with her 20th top 20 victory overall. For the first time since losing to Amanda Anisimova in the opening round of her main draw debut in 2020, she is competing in Doha. The 28-year-old hopes to make her first quarterfinal appearance since winning Seoul (her second 2022 title after Rosmalen) and reaching the semifinal in Ostrava. She has only made six quarterfinal appearances over the past year.
| Maria Sakkari vs Ekaterina Alexandrova | Match details |
|---|---|
| Date | February 15, 2023 |
| Surface | Hard |
| Tournament | Qatar Open |
| Stage | Round of 16 |
| Time (India) | 7:30 pm |
| Time (Qatar) | 5 pm |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Zheng Qinwen | 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 (W) |
| Petra Martic | 6-3, 3-6, 4-6 (L) |
| Donna Vekic | 6-3, 7-6 (W) |
| Varvara Gracheva | 6-4, 6-2 (W) |
| Nuria Parrizas-Diaz | 6-1, 7-6 (W) |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Karolina Pliskova | 6-1, 6-2 (W) |
| Rebecca Masarova | 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (L) |
| Magda Linette | 6-3, 6-4 (L) |
| Taylor Townsend | 6-1, 2-6, 3-6 (W) |
| Ysaline Bonaventure | 6-2, 6-1 (W) |
After beginning their rivalry in the ITF tournaments in 2015 and 2016, Maria Sakkari is ahead 5-1. Her lone loss occurred when she retired from the 2021 Kremlin Cup. The Greek player lost only six games in St. Petersburg and five in Rome three months later during their two meetings in the first half of the 2022 season.
| Tournament | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 Italian Open | Maria Sakkari | 6-3, 6-2 |
| 2022 St Petersburg Open | Maria Sakkari | 6-2, 6-4 |
| 2021 Kremlin Cup | Ekaterina Alexandrova | Walkover |
| 2019 Silicon Valley Classic | Maria Sakkari | 6-1, 6-4 |
| 2016 ITF Hungary 05A | Maria Sakkari | 5-7, 7-6, 3-6 |
Maria Sakkari and Ekaterina Alexandrova will take on each other in the round of 16 of the 2023 WTA Qatar Open on February 15.
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