Garbine Muguruza battled past defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 after 2 hours and 18 minutes in a blockbuster match to advance to the quarter finals at Qatar Total Open. It was the first match this week to be decided by the third set.
Muguruza avenged the defeat against Sabalenka in their only previous head-to-head match in Beijing 2018.
Muguruza went up a double break to race out to a 4-0 and closed out the first set 6-2 without dropping serve, although she had to save two break points in the eighth game.
Muguruza earned an early break in the first game of the second set. Sabalenka broke back in the fourth game to draw level to 2-2. Sabalenka broke for the second time in the eighth game to open up a 5-3 lead, but Muguruza won the next three games with two consecutive breaks to take a 6-5 lead earning her chance to serve for the match. Sabalenka converted her third break-back point to send the second set to the tie-break. Sabalenka took a 5-3 lead, but Muguruza won the next two points to draw level to 5-5, but Sabalenka earned a set point after Muguruza netted her backhand. Sabalenka converted her chance with a backhand forcing the match to the third set.
Sabalenka hit a backhand winner to get a break in the fifth game of the third set to take a 3-2 lead. Muguruza converted her fourth break-back point in a long sixth game featuring six deuces. The two-time Grand Slam champion won the final four games with a second consecutive break at love in the eighth game to close out the third set.
Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina cruised past Japan’s Misaki Doi 6-1 6-2 in exactly 1 hour to advance to her third consecutive quarter final. Svitolina went up a 3-0 lead with a break in the second game. The Ukrainian player raced out to a 5-1 lead with a double break in the sixth game. Svitolina started the second set with an early break in the first game of the second set. Doi broke straight back in the second game, but Svitolina reeled off five of the next six games with two consecutive breaks in the third and fifth games to set up a quarter final against Victoria Azarenka.
