Damien Kayat previews the 2023 Women’s Qatar Open – Selected Quarter-finals as Caroline Garcia takes on Maria Sakkari, and Jessica Pegula faces Beatriz Haddad Maia.
2023 WTA Tour
WTA 500
Qatar Open
Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, Doha, Qatar (Outdoor Hardcourt)
Selected Quarter-finals
16 February
Caroline Garcia (17/20) | Maria Sakkari (10/11)
Of late, 29-year-old Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia has not been hitting the heights that she reached in the latter part of last year. Garcia became arguably the most feared hardcourt player outside of Swiatek towards the end of last year.
She won in Cincinnati before a brilliant semi-final run at the US Open. She then capped it all off with an exceptional WTA Finals victory. She was bundled out at the quarterfinal stage of the Adelaide International 2.
She was absolutely shocked by Magda Linette in the 4th round of the Aussie Open. And she went to Lyon as the comfortable favorite to win the title. But she would ultimately fall to the unheralded Alycia Parks in the final.
And she really labored in her opening victory against Karolina Muchova. It looks as if she is feeling the after-effects of last year’s arduous campaign. She will need to elevate her game as she takes on fellow hardcourt enthusiast Maria Sakkari.
Isn’t it amazing that 5th seed Maria Sakkari still only has one WTA title to her name (the 2019 Rabat Open)?
The 27-year-old Greek has developed the unenviable knack of going deep into tournaments but not finishing the job (she reached yet another semi-final at last week’s Linz Open).
But she was consistent in 2022, reaching three finals throughout the year. That included WTA 1000 finals at Indian Wells and Guadalajara. She disappointed with an insipid 3rd round run at the Aussie Open.
And then she collected that semi-final in Linz. She started this week with a nervy three-set win against Zheng. But she showed her class with a potent straight-sets victory against Alexandrova.
She will look to go toe-to-toe with Garcia, matching the Frenchwoman with her own powerful serve and forehand.
Verdict: Sakkari to win in three sets at 23/10
– Garcia has an immaculate 3-0 head-to-head record against Sakkari. That includes two victories in 2022. She absolutely blew Sakkari off the court in the WTA Finals. But Garcia seems to have lost a bit of momentum. Her serve has lost some snap and I have noticed her first-serve percentage has been down. I think Garcia is there for the taking this week.
Jessica Pegula (4/9) | Beatriz Haddad Maia (31/20)
2nd seed Jessica Pegula has become one of the most consistent players on the WTA Tour. She reached two WTA 1000 finals last year (losing in the Madrid final but clinching the Guadalajara title).
And the American seems to have carried that form into this year. She went 4-1 at the United Cup. Her performances proved instrumental in helping guide America to the inaugural title (this included a chastening straight-sets victory over World No.1 Iga Swiatek).
She then reached her 3rd consecutive Aussie Open quarterfinal. This is actually her first appearance since a disheartening defeat to Azarenka in Melbourne. And she really struggled against the ever-mercurial Jelena Ostapenko.
In fact, the Buffalo native had to save two match points in the final set. But that is exactly the sort of grit and character that has come to define Pegula.
26-year-old Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia has overcome a fair share of adversity in her career. She has suffered numerous injury blows and a significant doping suspension.
But she has roared back to prominence with a brilliant 15 months. The statuesque Brazilian uses her height and serve to dominate points. A doubles specialist, she often comes to the net to finish points succinctly.
This came in handy when she won two grass-court titles last year. But her most significant performance of the year came at the Canadian Open.
She would go on to become the first Brazilian to reach a WTA 1000 final. And she seems to have brought that form into 2023. She is 9-3 for the year. She is fresh off a semi-final run at the Abu Dhabi Open.
And she has survived a really tricky draw to reach the quarterfinals. In fact, she is the only player outside the top 8 seed to reach the quarterfinals this year.
She beat Paula Badosa and 6th seed Daria Kasatkina in straight-sets. The lefty is looking a really dangerous proposition this week.
Verdict: Haddad Maia to win 31/20
This will be the first career meeting between these two. Pegula is obviously going to be riding a major high after saving those match points. But I really think there’s a legitimate chance of a Brazilian upset. This will be the first time that Pegula has taken on the tricky lefty. I expect the Brazilian to serve well and disrupt the American with her net play.
