Leylah Fernandez and doubles partners Dabrowski, Routliffe eliminated from Qatar Open
The Canadian Press | Posted: February 12, 2025 5:26 PM | Last Updated: February 12
Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula into women's quarterfinals in Doha
It was a tough day for Canadian tennis players at the Qatar Open on Wednesday with both Leylah Fernandez and Gabriela Dabrowski making quick exits from their respective events.
Fernandez was defeated 6-3, 6-0 by American Amanda Anisimova in third-round singles action at the WTA 1000 event in Doha.
The world No. 27 from Laval, Que., couldn't get anything going against Anisimova, who wrapped up the match in a tidy 64 minutes.
The American saved the only two break points she faced while converting four of her eight break points against Fernandez.
It was the first meeting between the players since 2022, when Fernandez picked up wins over the American at Indian Wells and the French Open.
Earlier, Ottawa's Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand were eliminated from the women's doubles competition with a 6-2, 6-1 loss to Russians Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider.
The Russians needed just 56 minutes to post the win over the top seeds. They saved both break points they faced while breaking Dabrowski and Routliffe four times on six chances.
In a dominant second set, Andreeva and Shnaider won 14-of-17 first-serve points, compared to 4-of-8 for their favoured opponents.
The rare early exit for Dabrowski and Routliffe, the reigning WTA Finals doubles champions, comes on the heels of a run to the semifinals at last month's Australian Open.
WATCH l Dabrowski, partner Routliffe lose Australian Open semifinal match:
Swiatek to face Rybakina in women's quarters
Defending champion Iga Swiatek advanced to the quarterfinals of the Doha Open with a 6-7 (1), 6-4, 6-4 win over Czech Linda Noskova.
The second-seeded Swiatek will next play Elena Rybakina, who beat Rebecca Sramkova 7-6 (1), 6-2.
Sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula also reached the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Daria Kasatkina.
The American will next face Ekaterina Alexandrova, who beat Elise Mertens 6-4, 6-2, for a spot in the last four. Alexandrova, who is ranked 26th, had defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in three sets on Tuesday.
Italy's Jasmine Paolini, the No. 4 seed, was eliminated by Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-2. The Latvian will next play Ons Jabeur, who beat Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-4.
On Tuesday, Coco Gauff was eliminated by Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 7-5. The Ukrainian will next face Poland's Magda Linette.