Sabalenka downs Cornet as Jabeur advances into round of 16
Doha: Top-seed Aryna Sabalenka defeated Alize Cornet 6-2, 6-2 in 74 minutes on Tuesday to secure a round of 16 berths where she will be up against Jil Teichmann. The Belarussian committed just four double faults and did not face a single breakpoint. She also won 15 of 23 points on Cornet's second serve.
No. 8-seeded Ons Jabeur endured a sluggish start before recovering and repelling qualifier Aleksandra Sasnovich 1-6, 7-5, 6-3. Next up for Jabeur is Tereza Martincova, a 6-2, 6-4 victor over lucky loser Arantxa Rus.
No.15 seed Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia won her seventh straight match by outlasting Amanda Anisimova of the United States 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the second round of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open on Tuesday.
Back in the Top 20 for the first time since October 2018, former Roland Garros champion Ostapenko is now in the Doha round of 16 after her 1-hour and 39-minute victory over Anisimova.
Meanwhile, Madison Brengle of the United States moved into the round of 16 after No.12 seed, and two-time Doha champion Victoria Azarenka of Belarus withdrew from their scheduled second-round clash.
Defending champion Petra Kvitova called for the trainer and opted to retire due to a left wrist injury in the second set of her second-round match against No.16 seed Elise Mertens, the 2019 champion, on Tuesday.
There was little to separate the former champions in a narrowly-contested first set which threw up seven breaks of serve in total, and momentum swung between both as their form oscillated in the wind.
Mertens, deploying extreme forehand slice to superb effect to further disrupt Kvitova's rhythm, was unable to serve out the set at 5-4 after committing consecutive double faults but made no mistake with her second opportunity.
Kvitova had held for 2-1 in the second set before the Czech's retirement. Mertens will next face No.4 seed Anett Kontaveit.
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