Iga Swiatek advanced to the third round of the Qatar Open on Monday, dominating Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-2 to kick off her quest for a fourth consecutive title in Doha. Despite a slow start, the Polish star found her rhythm and secured a straightforward win.
This marks Swiatek's first match since her semifinal loss in Melbourne to Madison Keys, following a brief one-month doping ban at the end of last year.
Next, the World No. 2 will face either Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan or Czech youngster Linda Noskova in the last 16. Swiatek, 23, has not lost a set at the Qatar Open since her second-round victory over Viktorija Golubic in 2022.
Her victory in Doha last year helped her claim her first of four WTA 1000 titles in 2024, bringing her total to 10, tying her with Victoria Azarenka for the most titles among current players.
Sakkari, a former world No. 3, briefly led in the first set after winning three consecutive games, but she struggled to maintain momentum, failing to score again until the fifth game of the second set.
Although Sakkari saved a match point while holding serve to make it 5-2, Swiatek closed out the match on her own serve. In other matches, Linda Noskova beat 15th seed Donna Vekic 6-2, 6-4, while Daria Kasatkina thrashed Polina Kudermetova 6-0, 6-0 in just 42 minutes, and Jelena Ostapenko cruised past Aoi Ito 6-2, 6-1.
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