2025 WTA Doha 1000
- Thread starter spystud
- Start date
tennis4me
Hall of Fame
Apparently there were some controversies with the draw as someone noticed that the live televised draw looks slightly different than the final draw. Some quickly commented that it validated the suspicion of WTA rigging the draw. Kinda look like that, even if I'm skeptical.
I'm interpreting the accusation of rigging the draw as making the draw so that seeded player will get easier opponents at early rounds.
A few musings ...
- Raducanu with continuing freebies WC considering her performance and withdrawals ...
- The unorthodox Ito v Ostapenko. How would an Ito v. Hsieh look like?
I'm interpreting the accusation of rigging the draw as making the draw so that seeded player will get easier opponents at early rounds.
A few musings ...
- Raducanu with continuing freebies WC considering her performance and withdrawals ...
- The unorthodox Ito v Ostapenko. How would an Ito v. Hsieh look like?
ScottleeSV
Hall of Fame
I'm surprised Boulter isn't playing. Her ranking privileges might look very different come the summer. Take the chances whilst they're there.
I guess Emma will be 50/50 to beat Alexandrova and then a surefire defeat to Sabakenka afterwards. Not much to get excited about there. The tournament as a whole though should be a good watch.
I guess Emma will be 50/50 to beat Alexandrova and then a surefire defeat to Sabakenka afterwards. Not much to get excited about there. The tournament as a whole though should be a good watch.
D-Lite
Hall of Fame
I'm guessing Boulter probably has a jiggle as she was entered but withdrew. She's due to play Dubai next week, then will go to the sunshine double. I agree she could do with playing more regularly but I think she's seasoned enough to know how to balance her schedule now. She does seem like a player who thrives on having plenty of reps in leading into big events otherwise she can lack sharpness which her big forehand game needs.
My concern for ER is Alexandrova won Linz and will be very confident. Of course Alexandrova is far from consistent and that was indoor but still ER's confidence seems knocked right now. Winner gets Sabalenka in R2... Always good to play the top players but if she got thumped after that thrashing by Swiatek it would be awful for the confidence. I feel like Raducanu is in an awful spot given she still has a target on her back for being a major champ and having large endorsement deals. Additionally losing her coach (from I'll health apparently) must not be ideal. People will knock her for that even if it was totally unrelated. Hopefully she can find a coach to pick up some momentum with and compliment her fitness trainer who I've heard is one of the top trainers in the industry.
Down_the_line
G.O.A.T.
It's dead in that arena. How can Doha afford to be a 1000 lol? I realize this is opening day though so I don't want to overreact.
ScottleeSV
Hall of Fame
I only saw the Emma match until 3-4 first set. She was playing a lot better today but Alexandrova was in great form. Much better standard than the Aussie Open match. Sabakenka will have to be on it next round.
D-Lite
Hall of Fame
ER is going to have a very tough time. Without a coach she should have played Cluj last week as the field was far more manageable than Abu Dhabi. Some of these players need to identify when to drop it down a notch to get matches in and wins to build confidence. Perhaps she will play Austin or Merida before IW as I doubt she's in the draw for Dubai unless she's given a WC for qualies maybe. For her sake I hope she isn't given a WC for the main draw as the field will be stacked and she will pretty likely lose R1 or R2 guaranteed. Qualies would give her a much better shot at building some confidence as I think rock bottom is approaching without a coach locked in.
tennis24x7
Hall of Fame
Money talks!
tennis24x7
Hall of Fame
I hope we can stop talking about ER going forward, I think everyone knows she will go away in the next year or so. It is only the british LTA which is keeping her in the game.
DutchUncle
Professional
Wondering whether all those endorsement contracts have clauses in them to terminate if ER falls below a given ranking... who wants to identify a product with a perpetual loser?
austintennis2005
Professional
Why would you be concerned about her personal finances and contracts? She is set for life already and is an amazing young woman
robyrolfo
Hall of Fame
Somehow Angela Parks is still around, managed to qualify and even win her first match, so she plays Kenin next. I hope Kenin absolutely thrashes her.
People like you...
spystud
Talk Tennis Guru
Did you see any of this? For DasKa, of all players, to demolish anyone in 42 minutes is more than strange.
tennis4me
Hall of Fame
End of the road for Ito; she became Jelena's punching bag today. Couldn't withstand the endless attacks (and winners) from Ostapenko from both wing. Ito was always on the defense. Saw one shot from the highlight where Ito tried her moonball FH against Ostapenko, only to be attacked on the rise with Ostapenko's BH to Ito's BH corner, then the rest is history. They are at completely different levels.
This is a good "example" of how to beat a "pro-level pusher" or any "pusher" for that matters. Yeah, you need to be a lot better than the "pusher". Easier said than done.
This is a good "example" of how to beat a "pro-level pusher" or any "pusher" for that matters. Yeah, you need to be a lot better than the "pusher". Easier said than done.
DutchUncle
Professional
Absolutely no slur intended. Just wondering what I'd do if I had spent a great deal of corporate money investing in return by ER's promotion of my products as she continues to lose star power. Star? More like a comet, dazzling for a few minutes and then a dust trail.
Let's face it, FOUR 1st-round exits after getting to R3 in the USO...
I couldn't care less about her finances, I'm thinking of the corporations who sank money into hopes of better performance from ER.
austintennis2005
Professional
You’re worried about corporations?
austintennis2005
Professional
lol what did I do wrong?
robyrolfo
Hall of Fame
How do you know she is an "amazing young woman"? Do you know her? Based on her public appearances, she doesn't seem that amazing to me.
And I don't think anyone is truly concerned about her finances or sponsorship deals, but this is a tennis forum and part of chit-chatting about tennis is discussing stuff like this. Plus, a lot of non-Brits are absolutely sick of all the media hype and attention that continues to surround her. There are so many players that deserve some of that spotlight that she has been taking up for years.
Heck, I haven't heard a thing about Madison Keys since the Saturday of her final, and I live in the US.
Bill Lobsalot
Hall of Fame
Nothing. This Roby guy is a bit weird.
Bill Lobsalot
Hall of Fame
Vekic got rolled today. I like her, one of my favorite players on the WTA. But she's not good enough to just roll into a 1000 after weeks off and expect to do well. At 28 maybe she doesn't care. Noskova is a player.
TennisXpert@2023
Semi-Pro
Give it a rest, Emma’s endorsements aren’t your concern, it’s nothing but jealousy because their fav will never marketable no matter how much they win.
Nobody was concerned about Madison Keys’ attention before and thought she would lose easily to Sab at the AO based on her poor performance in USO 2017 final.
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spystud
Talk Tennis Guru
Down_the_line
G.O.A.T.
Paolini with a solid straight sets win over Garcia, 6-3 6-4. Garcia did not look comfortable in the bit I saw in the last set.
Gauff v Kostyuk underway now. Kostyuk up an early break.
Gauff v Kostyuk underway now. Kostyuk up an early break.
Down_the_line
G.O.A.T.
Gauff looking reeeeally rough. Errors galore. Just sloppy all around.
marc45
G.O.A.T.
I fast forwarded through it...and considering it was only 42 minutes to begin with, it was a very quick watch for me
marc45
G.O.A.T.
SI:
Marta Kostyuk handily defeated Coco Gauff in straight sets: 6-2, 7-5. Kostyuk started strong, putting Gauff under pressure with her deep groundstrokes and smart court coverage.
The American, known for her speed and defensive skills, struggled to find her rhythm against Kostyuk’s relentless pace. Kostyuk’s ability to convert break points (5/9) and serve at a high level (66% on first serve and 75% on second serves) ultimately made the difference.
Meanwhile, Gauff double-faulted seven times, going 59% on first serves and 50% on second serves. Gauff was 2/3 on break points. Gauff jumped out a 4-2 lead in the second set, before eventually unraveling against Kostyuk.
This win is a significant milestone for Kostyuk, who has been steadily rising in the rankings and proving herself as a serious contender on the WTA tour. The Ukrainian tennis star is the World No. 21 and continues to take down top-ten players.
Kostyuk has now picked up nine wins against players ranked in the top ten, with this being her first win against a top-ten player in 2025. It is her first win against Gauff after three losses (including two last year).
After the match Kostyuk said, "Coco is an incredible fighter. We always have incredible matches. If you haven’t seen our matches, go on YouTube and watch it."
Meanwhile, this is one of the worst losses Gauff has had since last Summer's US Open. She finished 2024 extremely strong and then advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2025 Australian Open last month.
Kostyuk will face the winner of Magda Linette and Magdalena Frech in the Round of 16. If she can win there, Kostyuk is looking at a potential matchup against Paula Badosa or Leylah Fernandez in the quarterfinals.
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Marta Kostyuk handily defeated Coco Gauff in straight sets: 6-2, 7-5. Kostyuk started strong, putting Gauff under pressure with her deep groundstrokes and smart court coverage.
The American, known for her speed and defensive skills, struggled to find her rhythm against Kostyuk’s relentless pace. Kostyuk’s ability to convert break points (5/9) and serve at a high level (66% on first serve and 75% on second serves) ultimately made the difference.
Meanwhile, Gauff double-faulted seven times, going 59% on first serves and 50% on second serves. Gauff was 2/3 on break points. Gauff jumped out a 4-2 lead in the second set, before eventually unraveling against Kostyuk.
This win is a significant milestone for Kostyuk, who has been steadily rising in the rankings and proving herself as a serious contender on the WTA tour. The Ukrainian tennis star is the World No. 21 and continues to take down top-ten players.
Kostyuk has now picked up nine wins against players ranked in the top ten, with this being her first win against a top-ten player in 2025. It is her first win against Gauff after three losses (including two last year).
After the match Kostyuk said, "Coco is an incredible fighter. We always have incredible matches. If you haven’t seen our matches, go on YouTube and watch it."
Meanwhile, this is one of the worst losses Gauff has had since last Summer's US Open. She finished 2024 extremely strong and then advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2025 Australian Open last month.
Kostyuk will face the winner of Magda Linette and Magdalena Frech in the Round of 16. If she can win there, Kostyuk is looking at a potential matchup against Paula Badosa or Leylah Fernandez in the quarterfinals.
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