The Qatar Total Open began on Monday with two-time champion Victoria Azarenka and finalists Jelena Ostapenko, Garbiñe Muguruza and Angelique Kerber all gaining the upper hand in their opening round matches.
In the nightcap match, No.8 seed Azarenka beat two-time runner Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-2, 6-3, to secure her place in the second round in Qatar.
Azarenka, who won back titles in Doha in 2012 and 2013, improved her face-to-face record against Kuznetsova to 6-4 with her one-hour and 42-minute victory. It was the first meeting between the Grand Slam champions twice since their performance in the 2016 Miami Open final, which Azarenka won.
Azarenka turned three of her four rest points in the opening frame, which, at 44 minutes, was longer than the scoreline suggests. Kuznetsova almost matched Azarenka in winners in the opening, but there were five other non-critical errors.
A two-game stretch in the second set was crucial: Azarenka’s strong return earned her a break for 3-2, and she fought from five rest points in a long game to grab for 4-2 and maintain her win.
Azarenka lost three game points while serving for the game at 6-2, 5-2, but retained the win in the next game, changing her sixth game point to break for the win.
Ostapenko, who finished second in Doha in her first tournament in 2016, overtook No.5 seed Kiki Bertens 6-0, 6-2.
Ostapenko, the 2017 Roland Garros champion, took the lead against Bertens, collecting her 21st career title against 20 top rivals.
Ostapenko, who reached the WTA singles second final of her career in Doha five years ago, hit 26 winners to 19 non-critical errors, a strong ratio for her aggressive playing style.
Bertens was playing in her first game since undergoing Achilles surgery in late 2020, a gap of five months in her play. The former World No.4 retained its first service percentage but its powerful play only brought in six winners on the day.
Ostapenko traveled through the first set and pulled away in the second thanks to some minutes for a 5-1 lead.
But Bertens turned her first chance to block Ostapenko’s first chance to attend the game. But Ostapenko took control in the next game, bringing in a crosscourt backhand winner to finish the game in just 53 minutes.
Former World Muguruza won No.1 with straight sets, beating Veronika Kudermetova, 6-2, 7-6 (4). Muguruza, its sixth straight scene in Doha’s main draw, reached the 2018 final.
The Spaniard has won with only Top 30 players so far in 2021. The two-time main champion continued that streak with a 1-hour, 45-minute win against World No.34 Kudermetova.
In the second set, Kudermetova prevented Muguruza from attending the game at both 5-4 and 6-5. Muguruza remained firmly in the bond, finding strong driving volleys as he counted to push through to the second round.
“Veronika was a very tough opponent,” Muguruza said in her post-match press conference. “Just happy with this win. We played a year ago, and I remember it was a tough game. We’re happy to be closed in two sets.”
With her win, Muguruza establishes an interesting relationship in the second round against No.3 seed and defends champion Aryna Sabalenka.
“I wonder [Sabalenka is] playing great, “Muguruza said.” Last year and this year I saw her win titles and play good tennis. I am excited to face these key players. “
Also in the first round on Monday, Anett Kontaveit dismissed a seeded player with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over No.7 seed Jennifer Brady, the 2021 Australian Open runner.
Kontaveit started the game with a bang, beating three clean return winners in Brady’s first service game. World No.24 Kontaveit followed that path, breaking Brady three times while never looking for a place to rest.
Kontaveit hit 17 winners to just nine non-critical errors as the Estonian claimed her first-best 20 of the season in just 53 minutes.
Next up for Kontaveit will be Angelique Kerber at World No. 1. Leading three-time champion Kerber got her Doha campaign started with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Cagla Buyukakcay.
Kerber is another Doha semi-finalist. She reached the tournament game in 2014. Kerber had to make a comeback from a 1-4 deficit in the opening set before stopping a wild Turkish card.
Maria Sakkari also advanced in the second round, defeating Mayar Sherif, 6-0, 6-3.