By Richard Pagliaro Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Photo credit: Jon Buckle/Rolex
The next group is Darya Kasatkina, Iga Swiatek Take a bathroom break, change rackets and come back strong in Doha.
Swiatek came back strongly, breaking serve six times, and defeated Kasatkina 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 today, defeating Kasatkina for the seventh consecutive time.
After losing the first set, Swiatek won eight consecutive games and won 12 of the last 14 games to reach the quarterfinals of the Total Energy Qatar Open.
“Of course it wasn’t easy, but I’m happy that I found a better rhythm,” Swiatek said. “I started following up on my shots because I was kind of backing off a little bit in the first set.
“I’m just trying to go with the flow, especially with the wind.”
Three-time Doha champion Swiatek improved his tournament record to 18-2, with 15 of those 18 wins coming in straight sets.
Swiatek, ranked second in the world, will face Maria Sakkari Compete for a spot in the semi-finals.
Earlier, Sakkari converted five of six break points in 90 minutes to beat qualifier Varvara Gracheva 7-6(3), 6-0. Sakkari lost to Swiatek in the 2022 Doha semifinals and rose to No. 44 in the WTA live rankings.
Overall, Swiatek has won four of seven meetings with Sakkari, including a 6-4, 6-0 victory in the 2024 Indian Wells final and a 6-3, 6-2 win in Doha last year.
“Overall, I think my level has improved in 2022 so I can do a little bit more, have a little more variety and
” Swiatek said of facing Sakkari. “But against Maria, it’s always difficult. It seems like every game is important, every point is important.
“So, you know, sometimes I lose, sometimes I win, and I feel like we’re playing at a similar level and it’s just a matter of playing at that great level in the big moments to win games and games.”
Although she has dominated Kasatkina for years, Swiatek was burned by the new Australian citizen’s tee shot in today’s first set.
Kasatkina made a mistake at her foot, and Swiatek got the second set point with a forehand winner.
Kasatkina surprised the Pole by playing entirely on her forehand, hitting a long forehand into the net to take the first set in the 61st minute. This is the first time since 2021 that Kasatkina has won a set from Swiatek.
After taking some time off the court to take a bathroom break, Swiatek played more confident tennis in the second set.
The tone of the match completely changed at 1-1 in the second set. Swiatek squandered a 40-Love lead and then saved three break points.
In the longest game of the game, Swiatek hit a backhand winner, and Kasatkina finally returned the ball and scored, 2-1.
The lengthy fight sparked a surge for Swiatek that saw him win eight straight fights.
“Of course she used a slower surface here and yes, I would say she worked harder than she did in the last race,” Swiatek said of Kasatkina. “But you never know, you know, if it had been her, you know, doing this from the beginning, or me giving her more of a chance.
“In tennis, both guys are playing, so I need to, I don’t know, maybe watch and watch. But certainly I felt like I could have done more at times in the first set. Yeah, it didn’t take well to the colder conditions and the wind. That’s definitely a lesson for the next few days.”
Top-seeded Swiatek scored 16 of the next 21 points to take the second set and force a decider.
Swiatek hit the baseline with a forehand return winner on her second serve for her eighth straight match and a 3-0 lead in the third set.
Creative Kasatkina is happy to see the base point constructed. However, Kasatkina’s second serve remains the most vulnerable shot in her arsenal. Swiatek knew this and won 22 of 29 games on Kasatkina’s second serve, completely wiping out the second serve.
On the third match point, Swiatek hit a cross-court forehand winner that lasted 2 hours and 17 minutes.
