VCO Player Field Update: Qatar Total Open

VCO Player Field Update: Qatar Total Open

DOHA, QATAR – As play advances into the later rounds at the Qatar Total Open many of the 2018 Volvo Car Open player field find themselves still in the thick of the action in Doha. Fourteen players from our field entered the tournament, and of those, half still find themselves in contention as the tournament reaches the round of 16. The Qatar Total Open is setting up to provide some exciting tennis after a Fed Cup bye week.

Here is a quick update on our field in Doha…

WTA No. 7 Caroline Garcia: The Frenchwoman already finds herself in the third round of play at the Qatar Total Open. The benefactor of a first-round bye, Garcia took advantage of the added rest and battled past her second round opponent Dominika Cibulkova to win in three sets 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-0. With this win, Garcia secured her spot in the round of 16 where she’ll meet Anna Blinkova of Russia.

WTA No. 10 Julia Goerges: Goerges also finds herself into the third round after defeating her first-round opponent and VCO contender, Lucie Safarova. She then knocked out a second VCO contender and current World No. 25 Barbora Strycova in the the second round of the tournament. Goerges won this match in three sets 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. The German will face Mihaela Buzarnescuin her next match, who is also competing in Charleston.

WTA No. 11 Johanna Konta: Our Volvo Car Open field keeps dominating as Johanna Konta also advance to the round of 16 in Qatar. Konta downed Bernada Pera in the first round and continued her strong play in the second round defeating Spaniard Caria Suarez Navarro 6-2, 6-2. It was a powerful two set performance for the British contender. Konta will face the winner of Samantha Stosur vs. Angelique Kerber as her third round opponent.

WTA No. 14 Madison Keys: Keys advanced past the first round defeating Qiang Wang of China in two sets, 6-1, 6-4. She then faced off against Volvo Car Open player, CiCi Bellis, in round two. Keys was unable to come away with a victory against her fellow American. 18-year-old Bellis defeated Keys in a three set battle 2-6,6-3,6-0.

WTA No. 15 Anastija Sevastova: Sevastova defeated Donna Vekic in the first round 6-3, 6-4. The Latvian powerhouse then went on to defeat another player from our field, Naomi Osaka, in two sets, 6-4, 6-1. Sevastova will go up against World No. 2 Simona Halep in the third round, setting up an exciting top matchup.

WTA No. 21 Petra Kvitova: Kvitova rolled into Doha fresh off of a tournament win in St. Petersburg, and so far it’s been more good news in Qatar for the Czech superstar. Kvitova easily defeated first round opponent Cagla Buyukakcay 6-0, 6-3. She faced a bit more of a battle in the round of 32 against Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland but was able to come away with a three set victory 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the round of 16. Kvitova will face Elina Svitolina in her next match.

WTA No. 24 Daria Kasatkina: An unfortunate turn of events for our 2017 VCO champion, Kasatkina was forced to retire from play during the second set of her match against Bellis. The young Russian has been playing some great tennis thus far in the 2018 season, and we’re looking forward to seeing her back on the court.

WTA No. 25 Barbora Strycova: Strycova advanced past Aleksandra Krunic in the first round 6-4, 6-4, but fell short against top-10 opponent and fellow 2018 VCO contender Goerges in the round of 32.

WTA No. 31 Lucia Safarova: Safarova exited the tournament early after running into another player from our 2018 field, Goerges in the first round. Goerges defeated Safarova 6-1, 7-5, to oust the Czech from contention in Doha.

WTA No. 39 Alize Cornet: Cornet beat Annett Kontaveit in round one 6-2, 6-1, but unfortunately drew a tough opponent in World No. 5 Karolina Pliskova for her round of 32 matchup. Cornet was unable to advance, losing in two sets, 2-6, 3-6.

WTA No. 43 Mihaela Buzarnescu: Buzarnescu has played very well throughout the tournament in Qatar, netting some big wins against higher-ranked opponents.  After defeating Lesia Tsurenko in round one, Buzarnescu went on to upset former Grand Slam champion and World No. 6 Jelena Ostapenko in round two! Buzarnescu dominated in a thrilling victory 6-3, 6-1. She’ll face the World No. 10 and fellow Charleston player Goerges in the round of 16.

WTA No. 44 Samantha Stosur: Stosur took down her first-round opponent Irina-Camelia Begu in two sets to advance to the round of 32. Unfortunately, her run in Doha ended there as she came up short against World No. 9, and 2015 Charleston champ, Angelique Kerber.

WTA No. 48 Catherine ‘CiCi’ Bellis: Bellis drew 2017 Volvo Car Open champion Daria Kasatkina as her first round opponent. Bellis received a victory after Kasatkina was forced to retire during the second set of play…Bellis had a one set lead at the time. She took advantage of her opportunity in the second round where she defeated fellow American Madison Keys 2-6, 6-3, 6-0. It’s an exciting run for the young Bellis. She’ll match up against Czech star Karolina Pliskova in the third round.

WTA No. 51 Naomi Osaka: Osaka entered the tournament as a qualifier and her wins propelled her into the main draw. She cruised in the first round against Katerina Siniakova 6-4, 6-0. Unfortunately, the magic came to an end for Osaka as she drew another player from our 2018, Sevastova. Osaka fell short to Sevastova 4-6, 1-6.

Overall the play in Doha has been exciting to watch, and we’ve loved seeing our field competing at the highest level. Some exciting matches are setting up, and we wish all our players the best of luck!