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Victoria Mboko is through to her second WTA 1000 final after she delivered a stellar display to defeat Jelena Ostapenko at the 2026 Qatar Open.

The Canadian star prevailed 6-3, 6-2 against world No 24 Ostapenko in an hour and 14 minutes in the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Doha.

At the age of 19 years and 166 days, Mboko is the fourth-youngest finalist at the WTA Qatar Open since the event was founded in 2001 after Maria Sharapova (2005), Svetlana Kuznetsova (2004) and Ostapenko (2016).

The Canadian is aiming to win her second WTA 1000 title to add to her victory in Montreal last year, and she is chasing a third WTA Tour title overall.

In her on-court interview, Mboko said: “Yeah, I mean it’s crazy. She was playing really great tennis from the start, so I felt like I had to step it up.

“I’m happy to be here in the final and I wanna thank everyone who came to support because there’s a lot of people. It’s a lot more each round.”

Asked how she felt physically after playing deciding sets in previous rounds, Mboko said: “I feel pretty good. It’s a part of the game, sometimes you have really long matches, sometimes it can be shorter, but it’s important to rest up and take recovery into perspective and just do everything I can to be ready for tomorrow.”

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Mboko has clinched a major rankings milestone

After reaching the semi-finals in Doha, current world No 13 Mboko climbed three places in the Live WTA Rankings to a new projected career-high ranking of 10th.

If Mboko had lost to Ostapenko, it was possible that she could have been overtaken by Karolina Muchova — who is playing Maria Sakkari in the second semi-final.

However, by reaching the championship match, Mboko has ensured that she will make her top 10 debut when the rankings update next week.

She has moved onto 3,246 points in the live rankings, while Muchova can earn a maximum of 3,058 points if she lifts the title.

If Mboko wins the final, her points total will jump to 3,596, which would see her overtake Elina Svitolina and become the world No 9.

READ NEXT: WTA stars call for more privacy after ‘invasive’ Coco Gauff camera incident

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The Dubai Championships is the next stop on the WTA Tour, and the prestigious tournament has suffered a double blow as Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek have both withdrawn.

The WTA 1000 event in Dubai will be held from Sunday February 15 to Saturday 21 after the conclusion of the ongoing Qatar Open — a WTA 1000 in Doha.

Sabalenka and Swiatek are ranked first and second and would have been the top two seeds in Dubai.

The stars both confirmed their decisions in statements reported by tennis journalist Reem Abulleil, with Sabalenka saying she is “not feeling 100%” and Swiatek citing a “change of schedule” as her reason.

Sabalenka: “I’m really sorry I have to withdraw from Dubai. I have such a special connection with the tournament, the fans and the city. Unfortunately, I am not feeling 100%. But I hope to be back next year and wish the tournament a great event.”

Swiatek: “I am sorry to announce that I will not be playing Dubai this year due to a change of schedule. I hope I will come back next year to experience the great tournament. See you guys in Indian Wells.”

Sabalenka also pulled out of the Qatar Open, and she has not played since losing to Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final last month.

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Swiatek, meanwhile, reached the quarter-finals in Doha this week, where she suffered a surprise loss to Maria Sakkari.

Rybakina, the world No 3, will be the top seed in Dubai in the absence of the top two, while fourth-ranked Amanda Anisimova has been bumped up to the No 2 seed position.

Sabalenka and Swiatek both said they would skip WTA events last month

Sabalenka and Swiatek have both spoken out about the demands of the tennis schedule and criticised the WTA’s mandatory tournaments rules.

Ahead of the 2026 Australian Open, Sabalenka outlined her intention to skip events this season to protect her body.

“The rules are quite tricky with mandatory events, but I’m still skipping a couple of events in order to protect my body, because I struggled a lot last season,” said the Belarusian.

“Even though the results were really consistent, some of the tournaments I had been playing completely sick or I’ve been really exhausted from overplaying. This season, we will try to manage it a little bit better, even though they are going to fine me by the end of the season.

“But it’s tricky to do that. You cannot skip 1000 events. It’s really tricky, and I think that’s insane what they do. I think they just follow their interests, but they’re not focusing on protecting all of us.”

After her Australian Open quarter-final exit, Swiatek echoed Sabalenka’s sentiments.

“I think we’ll skip some 1000 tournaments,” the Pole said.

“I was never in this position, so I don’t know what the result will be, but I think it’s necessary, because if you want to improve your game, unless I want to stay the same and just prepare for every tournament, then I can do that as well.

“I’ll play well, but if I want to improve something, it will be nice to have some time. Unfortunately, calendar doesn’t give that.”

READ NEXT: Elena Rybakina above Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff 8th, Emma Raducanu in top 20 – alternative rankings

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The semi-finals at the Qatar Open WTA 1000 tournament are set, and there has already been some significant movement in the Race to the WTA Finals in Riyadh.

The eight women who earn the most ranking points in the 2026 season will qualify for the season-ending WTA Finals, which will be staged in Riyadh from 7 to 14 November.

The prestigious tournament, which was first held in 1972, is staged on indoor hard-court at the King Saud University Indoor Arena.

Elena Rybakina is the reigning WTA Finals champion having secured a record-breaking $5,235,000 for winning last year’s event.

If a current-year Grand Slam winner finishes between ninth and 20th in the Race, they will take the eighth and final qualification spot.

The players who finish ninth and 10th will travel to Saudi Arabia as alternates and have the chance to take the place of any players who withdraw.

Rybakina, who is third in the WTA Rankings, has extended her lead at the top of the Race after reaching the quarter-finals in Doha.

The Kazakh, who won the 2026 Australian Open, has boosted her points total by 215 points to 2,323.

World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka chose not to compete at the Qatar Open, and she remains second in the Race with 1,800 points.

Victoria Mboko defeated Rybakina in the quarter-finals in Doha, and her run to the last four has seen her surge to third in the Race.

The 19-year-old Canadian is on 1,237 points, and she could jump to 1,497 if she wins her semi-final against Jelena Ostapenko, while she could reach 1,847 points — which would see her overtake Sabalenka — if she lifts the title.

Elina Svitolina is in fourth position on 1,150 points after reaching the last 16 in Qatar, while Jessica Pegula — who did not play this week — remains fifth with 975 points.

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Mirra Andreeva exited the Qatar Open in the last 16, and she is in the No 6 position in the Race on 968 points.

Karolina Muchova’s run to the semi-finals in Doha has increased her points total by 390 points to 825, which has lifted her to seventh.

The Czech can move onto 1,085 points if she wins her semi-final against Maria Sakkari, while winning the title would take her tally to 1,435 — which could take her as high as third.

World No 2 Iga Swiatek is eighth in the Race with 795 points after a quarter-final exit in Doha.

Iva Jovic and Belinda Bencic, who have not played since the Australian Open, are ninth and 10th, while Coco Gauff is 11th with 590 points after losing her opening match in Qatar.

Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Sara Bejlek and Wang Xinyu sit 12th, 13th and 14th respectively.

Live WTA Race to Riyadh (as of 13 February)

1) Elena Rybakina – 2,323
2) Aryna Sabalenka – 1,800
3) Victoria Mboko – 1,237
4) Elina Svitolina – 1,150
5) Jessica Pegula – 975
6) Mirra Andreeva – 968
7) Karolina Muchova – 825
8) Iga Swiatek – 795
Cutoff
9) Iva Jovic – 691
10) Belinda Bencic – 624
11) Coco Gauff – 590
12) Elisabetta Cocciaretto – 575
13) Sara Bejlek – 565
14) Wang Xinyu – 552
15) Maria Sakkari – 551

Sakkari has made a massive 47-place jump to 15th in the Race as her semi-final run in Doha has taken her points total to 551. The Greek could move to 811 points if she wins her semi-final and 1,161 if she claims the trophy.

Ostapenko has soared 55 positions to 16th in the Race with 522 points for making the last four, and she would go to 782 if she reached the final and 1,132 for winning the title.

World No 4 Amanda Anisimova is in 17th position with 500 points after retiring in the opening match of her Qatar Open title defence.

READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu ‘still a distance from her physical prime’ – leading injury expert amid Brit’s struggles

The post WTA Rankings Race To Riyadh: Rybakina stretches lead, Mboko 3rd, Swiatek 8th, Gauff 11th appeared first on Tennis365.

Coco Gauff’s off-court racket-smashing moment after her Australian Open exit has raised questions about the lack of privacy afforded to tennis players at tournaments.

After suffering a humbling 6-1, 6-2 quarter-final defeat in just 59 minutes at the hands of Elina Svitolina at Melbourne Park, Gauff sought out a private space outside the main Rod Laver Arena to take out her frustration on her racket – or so she thought.

The incident was captured on camera, and it quickly went viral on social media with some criticising the two-time Grand Slam winner, but her fellow players quickly came to her defence.

“I tried to go somewhere where they wouldn’t broadcast it, but obviously they did,” Gauff said. “So maybe some conversations can be had because I feel like at this tournament the only private place we have is the locker room.”

Six-time major winner Iga Swiatek was one of those who raised questions about privacy as she said: “The question is, are we tennis players, or are we animals in the zoo where they are observed even when they poop? That was exaggerating, obviously, but it would be nice to have some privacy.”

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It is certainly a topic that needs further discussion, as it would make sense for the cameras to be switched off once players leave the court.

2021 Olympic singles gold medallist Belinda Bencic says it often feels like players are part of a reality show as she told The National: “It’s not comfortable at all.

“You have that in your mind always, but you cannot be free, even in a positive way, but also in a negative way. You always feel watched and it feels almost like you’re in a reality show, to be honest.

“I’m not a big fan of it. I know it’s super interesting for the fans and for people watching that. And I guess Tennis Twitter can gossip about us, but it’s not really what we’re here for.”

The former world No 4 added: “And Coco deserves her moment of privacy. She just played in a stadium where she had to keep her emotions together. And then she goes outside of the stadium and she has to still keep her emotions together. It’s not possible.”

Bencic has seen it all as she has been on the WTA Tour for more than a decade, but rising star Alex Eala is still coming to grips with life as a professional tennis player.

The 20-year-old made her top-level breakthrough last year and with it comes a struggle for privacy.

“I am learning to deal with a lot of, you know, these cameras and a lot of the times when people see me, the phone is the first thing they reach out for. Which is something that I have to adjust to,” the Filipina said.

“I do value privacy a lot. I think everyone has the right to their own privacy and sometimes being a public figure, the lines are a little bit blurred.

“Or sometimes I can understand that we don’t have the power to draw our own line. I think everybody should have the right to draw the line of privacy.”

The post WTA stars call for more privacy after ‘invasive’ Coco Gauff camera incident appeared first on Tennis365.

Alex Eala has tasted mixed fortunes during the Middle East swing, though the star has now been handed an unexpected boost for the upcoming Dubai Tennis Championships.

The 20-year-old started this swing at the Abu Dhabi Open and went on an impressive run to the quarter-final, propelling her to a career-high of 40th in the WTA Rankings.

However, Eala then tasted defeat in the opening round of the Qatar Open in Doha, falling to Tereza Valentova at the first WTA 1000 event of the 2026 season.

The Filipina’s positive momentum appeared to stall with her early defeat in Doha, though the star has now been handed the chance to test herself against the best players in the world in Dubai — the second WTA 1000 event of the year.

Why is Eala now in the Dubai main draw?

Entry lists for WTA Tour events are made six weeks before the tournament takes place, and Eala was not ranked high enough to enter the main draw at that time.

However, a string of pre-tournament withdrawals has now cleared the path for the Filipina to enter the main draw, securing her debut appearance at the prestigious event.

It was the withdrawal of world No 15 Naomi Osaka that ultimately enabled Eala to enter the main draw, though the four-time Grand Slam champion is not the only other player out of the event.

Fellow major champions Marketa Vondrousova and Madison Keys have also withdrawn, with Lois Boisson, McCartney Kessler, Veronika Kudermetova, and Eva Lys also set to be absent.

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The string of withdrawals ultimately means that Eala is now in the main draw by right and will not have to win two qualifying matches to compete in the main draw of the WTA 1000 event.

The 20-year-old has never competed at the tournament previously, not even in qualifying, meaning this now presents a significant opportunity for her.

Eala is unseeded in the draw and could face a 9-16 seed in the opening round of the event, with only the top eight seeds in the women’s singles draw receiving an opening-round bye.

Mirra Andreeva is the defending champion at the tournament, with Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek also set to be in action.

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Renowned coach and former player Mark Petchey has argued it is “recency bias” to think Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are better than the Big Four in response to Patrick Mouratoglou’s much-debated statements.

Mouratoglou, who has coached Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, frequently voices his opinions on tennis on his social media accounts.

The Frenchman has claimed that Alcaraz and Sinner are “already playing at a higher level than Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in their prime.”

Former world No 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga played against Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Andy Murray, and he argued the Big Four faced stronger competition than Alcaraz and Sinner.

Mouratoglou hit back at Tsonga’s comments by saying: “I don’t believe for one second that today’s top players are weaker or less dangerous than those of previous generations.

“Players like [Jack] Draper, [Holger] Rune, [Alex] De Minaur, [Taylor] Fritz, [Ben] Shelton, [Felix] Auger-Aliassime are huge players. Really huge. And I’m not even sure that anyone from the previous generation would beat them on a regular basis.”

Speaking on Tennis Channel’s The Big T podcast, Petchey opposed Mouratoglou’s claims, highlighting Nadal’s achievements as a teenager as an example.

“To say that Sinner and Alcaraz are better than the Big Four, at this stage already of their career, I just think is a stretch, that’s just recency bias. That’s all that is,” said Petchey, who has coached Murray and Emma Raducanu.

“Just because you’re seeing them every single day, you just think they’re the best players because that’s what I’m seeing all the time.

“You can’t tell me that peak Rafa on clay isn’t beating those guys. Let’s just take a look at Rafa as an 18, 19-year-old.

“Let’s take a look at his 2005 season, [he won]: Roland Garros, Monte Carlo, Rome, Montreal, Madrid, Barcelona, Beijing, Bastad, Acapulco, Stuttgart, Sao Paolo. Miami runner-up.

“We forget that this guy was on another level, but because it was in ’05, we’re suddenly consigning it to the dustbin, saying, ‘That doesn’t matter, that was a different era, it wasn’t as strong as now.’

“Uh, I think Roger was playing particularly well in ’05, if I remember rightly. [Andy] Roddick was still around, there was awesome players around.

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“Would they all beat each other on various days? 100%. Yes, they (Alcaraz and Sinner) are in the same ballpark as the Big Four, there’s no doubt that they’re gonna be in that kind of stratosphere. But to just lazily say that they are comfortably better than the Big Four, just doesn’t sit well with me.”

The Brit was also adamant that the ATP top 20 was stronger during the Big Four generation than it is now.

“I think that when you have four of the greatest players that we’ve ever seen in the same era, surely if you’re gonna go down the evolution route of that players are getting better, if you’ve got four of them in that point of life, the backlog behind that has to be better,” the former world No 80 said.

“And therefore, all of those players that were behind them; the [Tomas] Berdych’s, the [Grigor] Dimitrov’s… they’re clearly getting better because they’re having to butt up heads against these guys every single week.

“And so therefore, I would make the argument that back in the day, the top 20 was way better than the top 20 we have right now. Because basically what you’re saying is, there’s two guys that are great, and everybody else isn’t close to them.”

Petchey added: “The reality is that the argument, it doesn’t really serve tennis particularly well, and I also don’t think it’s correct.

“And there’s no real way of measuring it. But having watched nearly all of the Big Four matches… I’m watching Carlos and Jannik play, and there’s no doubt for me that what I was watching back then was equally — if not superior to what we’re watching right now. It was a poor argument.”

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The post ‘It’s recency bias to say Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are better than Djokovic, Nadal, Federer’ appeared first on Tennis365.

Emma Raducanu’s former coach Mark Petchey has assessed that the 2021 US Open champion “only has one choice” of playing style as he shared his thoughts on her start to the season.

Raducanu enjoyed a successful collaboration with Petchey between March and August last year, having previously been coached by the former British No 1 in 2020.

The Brit compiled a 20-10 record across the 10 tournaments she played while working with Petchey — the last of which was the WTA 1000 in Montreal.

The world No 25 has been without a permanent coach since last month, when she parted ways with Francisco Roig, who she had hired in August.

Raducanu entered 2026 following an off-season disrupted by a foot injury, and she holds a 6-5 record.

After starting the year at the United Cup, where she lost her only match, Raducanu reached the quarter-finals of the Hobart International and the second round at the Australian Open.

The 23-year-old then won four matches to reach the final at the WTA 250 event in Cluj-Napoca last week, before retiring in her opening round clash with Camila Osorio at this week’s WTA 1000 in Doha.

During the latest episode of Tennis Channel’s The Big T podcast, Petchey and former world No 9 Andrea Petkovic discussed Raducanu.

Petkovic:

“She had some physical issues at the beginning of the year, and I think her off-season didn’t exactly go ideally, right… It’s fair to say?”

Petchey:

“Yeah, I think it’s fair. We have messaged a few times. I did watch her play [in Cluj-Napoca].

“Obviously it was nice to see her get some wins, it was nice to see some confidence, it was nice to see the fight was back.

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“She was playing the way that she wants to play, that was something I think she felt that she had lost a little bit, in recent times.

“And I think from my perspective watching her play, she really only has one choice — she needs to stay up on the baseline, she needs to be able to redirect, and she needs to serve well. And if she can put those components on the court, she’s going to give herself a chance to win big matches.

“I thought she did well to kind of get through the draw. I don’t necessarily feel her tennis was where it needed to be. I do think that she was suffering a little bit from health problems.

“But I think she’s got a good three, four weeks of hard work to get her tennis back to where you would like to see her be, in terms of being able to challenge those big hitters, which has obviously been, in recent times, the stumbling block for her.

“And I think there is still work to do to kind of put that piece of the puzzle back together so that she can feel very comfortable with what she’s doing out on the tennis court.

“So it was a nice week for points, it was a nice week for confidence to know that you can put back-to-back wins together, but I would think that she would feel as though her tennis needs to go up quite a few gears if she’s suddenly gonna get back out on the court with [Aryna] Sabalenka and [Elena] Rybakina.”

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The post Emma Raducanu’s former coach says she has ‘one choice’ after Francisco Roig split appeared first on Tennis365.

Rafael Nadal has proclaimed that Novak Djokovic does not have many opportunities left to win a 25th Grand Slam title as he described his former rival’s longevity as “admirable.”

Djokovic holds the record for the most men’s singles Grand Slam titles in tennis history, having secured his 24th and most recent major at the 2023 US Open.

The 38-year-old Serb was vying to become the oldest major singles champion in tennis history at the 2026 Australian Open, where he lost to world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz in a four-set final.

Nadal collected 22 Grand Slam crowns before calling time on his staggering career in 2024, which puts him second on the all-time men’s major list behind Djokovic.

Djokovic and Nadal formed what was arguably the greatest rivalry in the history of men’s tennis, having contested 60 matches — a men’s Open Era record — between 2006 and 2024.

During an appearance at a charity golf tournament at the Club de Campo in Madrid, Nadal was asked about Djokovic’s bid for a 25th major.

“It’s done; I don’t think we need to analyse tennis based on who wins,” said the former world No 1.

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“He had an opportunity in Melbourne, and at this stage of his career, to be honest, he doesn’t have that many left, and I think what he’s achieving is admirable.”

The 14-time Roland Garros champion also spoke about being a fan of tennis since his retirement.

“It feels calmer and without any strange feelings because my time here ended the way it was meant to,” said the 39-year-old.

“I extended my career longer than I ever imagined, and now I’m completely happy to see my colleagues succeed, and in a way, I also enjoy their success.”

What Rafael Nadal said during the Australian Open

Nadal shared his thoughts after Djokovic defeated world No 2 Jannik Sinner in a thrilling five-set semi-final at the Australian Open.

“It must have been difficult for Jannik to accept this defeat, because he was the favourite, but he must understand that he faced a player with a special and unique trajectory in this tournament,” the Spaniard said.

“He had opportunities. He couldn’t take advantage of them, and in the fifth set things changed, the momentum was clearly in Novak’s favour.

“We learn from everything and he is a very humble guy with a great capacity for self-criticism.

“So I am convinced that he will pay a lot of attention to what happened to avoid it happening again.”

Before the final, Nadal was asked whether he wanted Alcaraz or Djokovic to win.

“If Novak wins, I’ll be happy for him because, in a way, what he’s doing is spectacular,” Nadal said.

“It wouldn’t be a tragedy for me, but if I have to support someone, I feel I have to support Carlos.”

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The post Rafael Nadal makes ‘it’s done’ comment on Novak Djokovic’s hopes of 25th Grand Slam appeared first on Tennis365.

Leading injury prevention and athlete welfare expert Stephen Smith has spoken to Tennis365 about Emma Raducanu’s struggles with injuries and revealed the role that the Brit’s stunning US Open win has played.

Raducanu has battled a host of problems with her body in her young career to date, including in her last match, where she was forced to retire against Camila Osorio at the Qatar Open.

The world No 25 cut short her 2025 season in mid-October having struggled with physical issues at tournaments in Wuhan and Ningbo.

The 23-year-old’s preparations for the 2026 campaign were hampered by a bone injury in her foot that restricted her ability to train.

In May 2023, Raducanu underwent surgeries on both her wrists and her ankle, which ruled her out for the remainder of the season.

Smith, who is the founder and CEO of Kitman Labs — the world’s leading sports science and performance intelligence company — addressed whether Raducanu could do anything differently to prevent injuries.

“It’s hard when a young athlete like that is coming through and having such great success on the court,” Smith said.

“I think the lessons we can take from other sports, and apply them back to a young athlete like that that’s emerging, is all about periodisation.

“That’s one of the challenges that we’re now seeing with the global calendar within tennis, is the requirements in terms of the number of tournaments that they need to be involved in, it makes that even harder.

“So I think for her, what she’d like to be able to do is cherry pick the ones that are more important throughout the year and keep building in blocks of development work to ensure that she has that base, and she’s getting enough recovery to be able to adapt to the demands of a formalised professional career. And a formalised professional career where you’re expected to get success, you’re expected to make it to finals, you’re expected to pick up trophies.

“So I think it’s all about periodisation, it’s all about planning and being smart and being really strategic, but I think building in blocks, not just of recovery and rest, but of development work so she can actually top up some of those underlying foundational fitness and strength capabilities.

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“I think they’re really, really important in emerging athletes of her age and expectation. Because what she doesn’t want to do is to cut her career short by picking up really significant injuries this early, especially when she looks like she has the quality that she has.”

Raducanu secured the only title of her career to date in remarkable fashion as she won the 2021 US Open as an 18-year-old ranked 150th in the world. She remains the only player in tennis history to win a Grand Slam title as a qualifier.

Smith assessed that Raducanu’s body was not ready for the big step-up in intensity and level of competition that came with playing on the WTA Tour regularly after her US Open win.

“Undoubtedly, she wasn’t ready for that,” he said.

“That’s exactly why I’m suggesting that her periodisation and planning model for this season is going to be a cumulative build from where she was at, and she needs to get the right balance between enough exposure to be able to compete at that level and also enough time to be able to recover, regenerate, look after her body and keep building it back up.

“It takes a number of seasons — what we see in any sport globally, for young emerging athletes who go from a limited or lower intensity competition base — it takes multiple years to be able to build those foundations. I just think she needs to be incredibly smart, and she’s such a promising athlete that you hope she gets that right.”

Asked if Raducanu is still some way off reaching her physical prime, Smith replied: “100%, I think she most likely is still a distance from her physical prime.”

Following her second round exit at the Australian Open, Raducanu parted ways with her former coach Francisco Roig, and she has now worked with eight different permanent coaches during her professional career.

Smith gave his verdict on whether Raducanu’s frequent coaching changes could be a contributing factor in her injuries, given the potential adjustments to training methods with each change.

“If there was [a change of methods with each coaching change], we can only hypothesise that there was,” Smith assessed.

“It’s hard from the outside looking in to be able to say, yes, there’s been a change, but certainly if there were changes with technique, changes with training load, changes with the way they’re coaching and playing et cetera, with each of those coaching changes, that’s another risk factor, for sure.”

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