Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic signs autographs after the match against Amanda Anisimova of the United States.
Doha, Qatar: Amanda Anisimova’s title defence campaign came to an end while qualifier Tereza Valentova beat crowd favourite Alexandra Eala on second day of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open yesterday.
In a battle between two former champions, American world number four Anisimova was forced to retire from her match against Karolina Pliskova. Anisimova took the opening set 7-5 but lost a tight second-set tiebreak 6-7 and was trailing 1-4 in the decider when she was unable to continue, having felt unwell after the tough battle.
Anisimova was the second player of the day to retire mid-match, following British sensation Emma Raducanu’s retirement, which paved the way to Colombian Camila Osorio advance.
The British No 1 started strongly and took the first set 6-2, but her level dropped as the match progressed.
Osorio, ranked No 80, fought back to lead 6-4, 2-0 when Raducanu, the world No 25, was unable to continue. The retirement came shortly after Raducanu was assessed by the doctor on court.
Meanwhile, Czech Valentova disappointed a huge crowd of Filipino expats who were backing their fellow countrywoman Eala at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, overcoming her for the second time in six months to advance with a score of 7-6 (6), 6-1.
Valentova will face No. 14 seed Karolina Muchova next.
Earlier, China’s Qinwen Zheng marked her season debut with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 win over Sofia Kenin.
The match was her first on the WTA Tour since last September’s China Open, after she ended her 2025 season early and withdrew from the Australian Open. Zheng recovered from a slow start to impress as the match progressed.
Zheng relied heavily on her serve and attacking prowess, finishing with 20 aces and 43 winners during the two-hour-long affair.
She said the serve has been a major focus during her six-month layoff.
“My team and I are working so hard on that because I’ve been out for six months with my elbow. That’s not easy and I want to come back really strong,” Zheng said, while stressing that consistency remains the priority.
“It has to be consistent. It’s not only one round.”
Zheng admitted the comeback process is still ongoing, but said her body is responding well. “When you come back from injury, it’s never totally pain-free. It always comes with an up and down process,” Zheng said. “But generally I believe my elbow is in a good process.”
The 22-year-old added she now feels capable of sustaining high-level serving.
“Right now I’m in a really good stage and I can keep going for another two hours serving 190.”
