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Aryna Sabalenka Shocked in 1st Match at the Qatar Open

Ekaterina Alexandrova defeated Aryna Sabalenka in three sets at the Doha 1000.

Pat Benson

Aryna Sabalenka lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova in the Qatar Open.
Aryna Sabalenka lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova in the Qatar Open. / IMAGO / ABACAPRESS

Day three of action in Doha has officially delivered plenty of action and upsets. Moments ago, World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka got knocked out of the first round of the Qatar Open (called the Qatar TotalEnergies Open 2025 or Doha Open). 

Ekaterina Alexandrova defeated Sabalenka in a hard-fought, three-set match: 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5). Sabalenka took the first set, and as a seemingly auspicious sign, a cat ran onto the court at one point in the second set.

However, the World No. 26 was on her A-game. Alexandrova took the second set and showed resilience when falling down 2-4 in the deciding set. The Russian tennis star battled back to force a dramatic tiebreak.

A evident in the final point, Sabalenka's serve was off today, and she was less accurate than usual. She hit 58% on the first serve and 53% on the second serve. She was 4/8 on break points.

Meanwhile, Alexandrova hit 63% and 64% on her services games. Additionally, she was 4/15 on break points.

After the match, Alexandrova credited Sabalenka as a "fighter" and said, "I told myself before the match you need to do the maximum you can do. If you lose, at least you tried everything tonight. I'm glad it paid off because it feels amazing now."

Sabalenka suffering an upset in her match in Doha could have been another example of the conditions playing a role in the match. Or it could have been Alexandrova playing at a high level again. She has now tied her head-to-head record with Sabalenka 4-4 and picks up her second win over a World No. 1.

For Sabalenka, it is her worst loss since her second-round exit at the Miami Open in 2024. But that also speaks to her dominance and incredible play over the last year (and overcoming a scary shoulder injury).

Alexandrova will play Elise Mertens in the Round of 16 on Thursday, February 13. Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated's Serve on SI for all the most important news from the sport.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Previously, he has reported on the NBA, authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)," and interviewed some of the biggest names in the sports world. You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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