Iga Sviatek (1 WTA) qualified for the semi-finals of the “WTA 500” tournament in Doha after the surprise withdrawal of Belinda Bencic (9 WTA), who was considered the most suitable player at the beginning of the year.

Iga SvyatekPhoto: MANAN VATSYAYANA / AFP / Profimedia

Iga Sviatek, in the semi-finals after the elimination of Belinda Bencic

After a busy start to the year that saw her win in Adelaide and last week in Abu Dhabi, the Swiss made the decision to withdraw ahead of the WTA quarter-finals in Doha due to fatigue.

In the post, Bencic said that she will take care of herself in order to be able to play in the WTA 1000 in Dubai, which will be held from February 19 to 25.

The main favorite of the tournament in Doha, Poland’s Iga Sviatek, will fight for a place in the finals with the winner of Koko Gauf (4) and Veronika Kudermetova (8).

The Qatar TotalEnergies Open (from Doha) takes place from February 13 to 18 on hard, is part of the WTA 500 category, has a total prize pool of $780,637, and the title champion is Iga Sviatek (title won in 2022).

Quarter of the WTA Doha tournament

Iga Svyatek (1) against Belinda Bencic (7)

Coco Gauf (4) vs Veronika Kudermetova (8)

Maria Sakkari (5) vs. Caroline Garcia (3)

Beatrice Haddad Maya vs Jessica Pegula (2)