Naomi Osaka has advanced to the quarterfinals of a tournament for the first time in almost two years. The former world number one progressed to the last eight at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open after Lesia Tsurenko withdrew before their match due to an elbow injury.
After defeating 15th seed Caroline Garcia and Petra Martic in the first two rounds of the WTA 1000 event in Doha, Osaka received a walkover and moved into her first WTA quarterfinal since April 2022, when she reached the title match of the Miami Open.
The 26-year-old Osaka resumed her tennis career last month after giving birth to her daughter Shai in July. The Japanese is currently ranked No.747 and has a 3-3 win-loss record in 2024. The walkover received in the third round of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open doesn’t count towards her match wins, nor does it add up to Tsurenko’s losses.
The four-time Grand Slam champion will next face fellow former world number one, Karolina Pliskova, as the Czech secured her spot in the quarterfinals by defeating compatriot Linda Noskova 3-6 7-5 6-1. The 59th-ranked Pliskova, who recently clinched her first WTA title in four years at the Transylvania Open, keeps on winning in Doha despite the stress of managing a tight schedule and dealing with a lack of sleep.
