Coco Gauff unexpectedly lost in straight sets to Italian lucky loser Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the second round of the WTA 1000 event in Doha on Tuesday.
Sixth seed Jasmine Paolini and eighth-seeded Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova exited the Qatar Open after the fourth seed, who lost 6-4, 6-2, was defeated.
However, Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina had no such issues, as the top seed and recent Australian Open champion both easily advanced to the round of 16.
In her opening match last year, American Gauff was also eliminated from the event, despite receiving a first-round bye.
Cocciaretto, who has only won three times in her career against a top-10 ranked opponent, will take on Ann Li in the following round.
The world no. 57 claimed that she was motivated by her friend, skier Sofia Goggia, who won bronze in the women’s downhill competition at the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina over the weekend.
Regarding Goggia, she remarked, “We always send messages and FaceTime to talk about our sports and how you manage some things.” “I get a lot of guidance from her.
“I adore the way that they (skiers) take the sport.” They are not afraid of anything. They prioritize themselves above all others and are incredibly focused.
Maria Sakkari, the former world number three, defeated Paolini 6-4, 6-2 as well, securing a matchup with Varvara Gracheva in the round of 16.
Jelena Ostapenko, a former French Open champion, defeated Alexandrova 6-4, 6-2.
at her first match since losing to Rybakina at the Australian Open last eight, Swiatek defeated Janice Tjen of Indonesia 6-0, 6-3, dropping just eight games in the opening set.
In order to advance to the quarterfinals, the six-time Grand Slam champion will face Daria Kasatkina.
She has defeated the Australian, who was born in Russia, six times in a row.
Regarding her match against Kasatkina, Swiatek remarked, “She can enter the match feeling that she has nothing to lose.”
“The game can go in a variety of directions, and I don’t think that concentrating on the previous outcomes provides much insight. I would like not to worry about the past challenges and to remain prepared for the current one.
Rybakina defeated Wang Xinyu 6-2, 6-4 to maintain her excellent play. She will next take on Zheng Qinwen, another Chinese player.
Since losing to Zheng in the group round of the 2024 WTA Finals, world number three Rybakina has not played the game.
Victoria Mboko, a rising talent in Canada, and Elina Svitolina, a semi-finalist at the Australian Open, both advanced to the third round.
