Three-time defending Doha champ Swiatek falls to Ostapenko in semifinals

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Jelena Ostapenko ended Iga Swiatek’s three-year reign of the Qatar Open in the semifinals on Friday and will play Amanda Anisimova for the title.

No. 37-ranked Ostapenko won 6-3, 6-1 and improved her record against No. 2 Swiatek to 5-0. The Latvian is the only active player to have faced Swiatek at least twice and kept a winning record.

“I was pretty confident that I would beat her … I know how to play against her,” Ostapenko said on court. “I’m happy with the way I’m handling my emotions this week.”

The former French Open champion will play for her ninth career WTA title, and first in a year.

Ostapenko also beat No. 4 Jasmine Paolini in the second round and has two wins against top-five players in a single tournament for the first time in her career.

Swiatek has suffered her first loss in Doha in 16 matches, and her third defeat of the year.

Yekaterina Alexandrova also beat two top-five players this week — No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 5 Jessica Pegula — but couldn’t shake off Anisimova, who won their semifinal 6-3, 6-3.

The 26th-ranked Alexandrova suffered her first loss since the first round of the Australian Open, ending an eight-match winning streak.

Anisimova, ranked 41st, will try to win her third career title. Her previous two were in 2022.

The American lost her only previous match against Ostapenko in 2022, also in Doha.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis