Iga Swiatek was again made to work extremely hard by Linda Noskova but the Pole also came up with the goods when it mattered the most and managed to complete a 6-7 (1) 6-4 6-4 comeback in a high-quality Doha round-of-16 clash.
Right from the start of the match, it was clear that the rising Czech star would again be a real threat to the Pole and potentially cause another upset in their matchup.
While the world No. 33 missed out on a total of five break points across two games in the first set, she absolutely dominated the first-set tie-break and won it with only one lost point.
Throughout the entire set, Noskova’s serve was near-perfect as she impressively fired nine aces only in the opener and her aggressive game was evidently causing problems for her rival.
In the second set, the 20-year-old’s intensity on the serve dropped a little and Swiatek managed to clinch two breaks and send the match into a decider.
In the third set, the No. 2 seed blew an early break but broke the Czech again in the ninth game for a 5-4 lead before putting the curtain on the match in the following game.
Now, everything is set for a Doha quarterfinal blockbuster between the Polish tennis star and Elena Rybakina, who beat Rebecca Sramkova today.
Noskova lost today to Swiatek but achieved one small feat
Going into today’s match, the world No. 2 had been without a lost set in Doha since 2022.
And while the Czech didn’t manage to beat the Pole, she at least became the first player since Viktorija Golubic to win a set against the 23-year-old at the Qatar Open.
Meanwhile, Swiatek now owns 5-1 head-to-head against Noskova.
Last year, the rising Czech upset the former world No. 1 at the Australian Open.
In the rest of 2024, they played three more times and twice it was a tight battle as the Pole clinched two three-set wins and had one straight-set win.
Evidently, Noskova is one of the trickiest rivals for Swiatek with her very aggressive style of play.
Tennis World USA