Karolina Muchova hits a return to Jaqueline Cristian.
Doha, Qatar: Former Grand Slam finalists Karolina Muchova and Karolína Pliskova headlined a strong opening day at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, which saw several early upsets at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex yesterday.
Muchova, the 14th seed, proved too strong for Romanian Jaqueline Cristian, sealing a 6-2, 6-3 victory to move smoothly into the next round. Meanwhile, Pliskova, who won the Doha title in 2017, dismissed lucky loser Solana Sierra 6-1, 6-2, dominating the match from start to finish.
Earlier, Canadian teen Victoria Mboko overcame Marie Bouzkova on her Doha debut with a straight-sets 7-5, 6-2 victory. The 19-year-old No. 10 seed will next face Vera Zvonareva, who won her first tour-level singles main draw match since the Jiangxi Open in October 2023, defeating Peyton Stearns 2-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Playing the night match as the higher-ranked player, Mboko embraced the moment, saying, “I feel like it’s not something I’m used to where I’m the top player in the tournament, so it’s good for me to try to adapt to that and get used to it.”
Mboko stressed that her focus remains firmly on steady progress.
“When I’m going into a match, I just think of it as any other match. I know everyone’s really good, so I really want to bring my A game every match,” Mboko said.
Looking to 2026 after a breakthrough year, the teenager added, “Every year I try to be a better version of myself. I just want to enjoy my time on the tour, be grateful to be on the WTA Tour, and the results will come after.”
The first round also delivered several notable results, with late drama and surprise exits.
Qualifier Varvara Gracheva continued her strong run with a straight-sets victory over Laura Siegemund, overcoming the German 7-6, 6-4 in their first-round clash.
Lucky loser Magdalena Frech edged past 13th seed Liudmila Samsonova in a tense three-set battle, turning the match around to win 6-3, 6-7, 7-6.
American Ann Li came through in straight sets against Canadian wild card Leylah Fernandez, winning 6-4, 6-3 with a steady display.
Italian lucky loser Elisabetta Cocciaretto also produced a strong performance to defeat French wild card Elsa Jacquemot 7-6, 6-2 to book a second-round meeting with fourth seed Coco Gauff.
Qualifier Alycia Parks also pulled off a notable first-round upset, edging past 15th seed Diana Shnaider in a three-set contest, winning 1-6, 6-4, 7-6.
Today’s action will be headlined by former world No. 3 Maria Sakkari’s first-round clash against Turkish wild card Zeynep Sonmez, and defending champion Amanda Anisimova’s round of 32 meeting with fifth seed Mirra Andreeva.
Anisimova said returning to Doha brings back special memories as she prepares for another run at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open.
“I have a lot of great memories from here. Last year was my first big title, so I’m really excited to be back,” Anisimova, who defeated Jelena Ostapenko in last year’s final, said.
“It feels like it’s been a long year, and this is kind of where it all started for me last year, so I’m hoping for a really great week again.”
The American added that her mindset remains unchanged despite the experiences gained over the past season.
“I’m still the same person, same player, for the most part. Obviously, I have a lot more experience from last year, but I feel like I’m in a very similar place mentally to where I was when I came here last year.”
