By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, February 11, 2025
World No. 26 Ekaterina Alexandrova shocked world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) in Doha for her sixth straight win.
Photo credit: ARIM JAAFAR/AFP/Getty
A stray cat crashed the party scampering across the court briefly pausing play in Doha today.
On a wild day of surprises, a sharp Ekaterina Alexandrova roared to the biggest upset of all.
Eyes riveted on the ball, Alexandrova edged world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) bouncing the woman with the tiger tattoo in a pulsating two hour, 36-minute thriller.
On her third match point, a lunging Alexandrova wristed a one-handed backhand return crosscourt. Sabalenka caught up to the ball at midcourt and had an open expanse of court open, but sprayed a backhand down the line well wide.
Dropping to a squat, Alexandrova pumped her fists to coach and former ATP standout Igor Andreev, who raised both arms in the air like an NFL referee signaling touchdown. Alexandrova, who beat 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu in her opener, scored her second straight win over a Slam champion.
It was the sixth straight win for Linz champion Alexandrova, who defeated the top-seeded Sabalenka 11 months after she stunned world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in Miami.
Prior to today, Alexandrova was 0-6 in third-set tiebreakers vs. Top 10 opponents, but she banged bold returns down the line toppling the US Open champion to improve to 2-1 lifetime vs. world No. 1 players. Alexandrova is now 4-4 lifetime vs. Sabalenka.
“It took a lot of energy and focus,” Alexandrova said in her on-court interview. “And it was very difficult match to play against her because she’s a fighter and she plays every single point no matter what.
“But I tried to do my best. I told myself before the match: ‘You just need to do the maximum you can tonight and if you lose at least you tried everything.’ I’m glad it worked out because it feels amazing right now.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThis was the most unpredictable of Tuesday’s in recent tournament history.
Three of the Top 10 seeds—No. 3 Coco Gauff, seventh-seeded Zheng Qinwen and No. 1 Sabalenka—all fell at the first hurdle.
World No. 21 Marta Kostyuk exploited 39 unforced errors from Gauff in a 6-2, 7-5 upset.
Fan favorite Ons Jabeur broke serve six times sending Olympic gold-medal champion Zheng packing 6-4, 6-2 with her first win over the Chinese power player.
Adding to unsettling intrigue, Rebecca Sramkova toppled 12th-seeded Mirra Andreeva 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.
World No. 26 Alexandrova, who pushed Sabalenka to three sets at the US Open last September, came out competing with confidence—and taking her cracks—from the first ball today.
Alexandrova earned 15 break points in the match and won 42 percent of points played on Sabalenka’s first serve letting her know each service hold would be a battle.
The top seed fended off four break points in a powerful stand. Sabalenka slid an ace, capping a hard-fought hold for a 4-1 lead after 23 minutes.
Alexandrova again pressured the Belarusian’s serve in the seventh game. During a seven-deuce game, Sabalenka slammed her fourth ace out wide to erase a third break point, eventually earning a 12-and-a-half minute hold for 5-2.
On her second set point, Sabalenka served out the 50-minute opener that was more stressful than the 6-3 scoreline suggests.
Alexandrova is quick around the court and was not ceding much ground behind the baseline to the big-hitting Belarusian. Rapping a return down the line, Alexandrova drew an errant backhand to break for a 5-3 second-set lead.
Serving for the set, Alexandrova caught the baseline with a backand, ran down a slice reply and coaxed a Sabalenka error to convert her third set point and force a final set.
The two-time Australian Open champion took a bathroom break to reset. Sabalenka broke first for a 2-0 third-set lead only to see Alexandrova again hammer some deep returns and flatten a drive down the line to break back in game three.
Elevating her game, Sabalenka broke for a 4-2 lead and tried to assert command. Alexandrova came right back banging a return at the Belarusian’s feet to earn her fourth break for 3-4 after two hours, five-minutes of physical play.
Tension escalated in the tiebreaker that saw mini breaks in nine of the first 11 points.
Sabalenka netted a forehand and was falling off a backhand she scattered wide as Alexandrova earned three match points at 6-3.
Showing guts, Sabalenka saved the first with the forehand winner, erased the second with a forehand volley and as in position to save the third match point when she missed the backhand wide.
A joyous Alexandrova will play for her seventh straight win against Sabalenka’s former doubles partner, Elise Mertens, next.
“It’s so amazing,” Alexandrova said. “I hope [I have] enough [energy] so let’s see tomorrow. I’ll try to do same thing.”