Jeļena Ostapenko is currently competing in the Middle East swing, participating in the 2026 Qatar Open. During her first-round match at the tournament, unusual scenes unfolded when the Latvian player was handed a foot fault, a call that was delayed by the chair umpire.
Prior to the WTA 1000 hard court tournament in Doha, Ostapenko played at the 2026 Abu Dhabi Open, where she defeated Oksana Selekhmeteva in the first round but was eliminated by eventual champion and qualifier Sára Bejlek in the second round.
Jeļena Ostapenko Visibly Shocked After Being Given Delayed Foot Fault During 2026 Qatar Open 1R
At the 2026 Qatar Open, Ostapenko faced qualifier Anastasia Zakharova in the first round, winning the match with a score of 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4. During the tie-break in the first set, Ostapenko hit a shot that she believed was an ace.
However, after a brief delay, the chair umpire ruled it a foot fault, which violates service rules and resulted in the loss of that serve attempt. This decision of the umpire left Ostapenko visibly stunned.
This was most probably a malfunction of the hawkeye system but of course it had to happen to Ostapenko 😂😂😭 pic.twitter.com/IjHI8gELJU
— Lorena Popa 🕵️♀️🎾 (@popalorena) February 9, 2026
In addition to her singles campaign at the 2026 Qatar Open, Ostapenko is also competing in the doubles event alongside Hsieh Su-wei. They are the third seeds in the tournament and will begin their campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. In their opening match, Ostapenko and Hsieh will face the duo of Katarzyna Piter and Andreja Klepač.
Who Will Jeļena Ostapenko Face at the 2026 Qatar Open 2R?
Following her victory over Zakharova in the first round of the 2026 Qatar Open, Jelena Ostapenko is scheduled to face eighth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round of the tournament.
Before competing in Doha, Alexandrova participated in the 2026 Abu Dhabi Open, where she played in both the singles and doubles events. In singles, she reached the final and finished as the runner-up to qualifier Bejlek. In the doubles event, Alexandrova teamed up with Maya joint, and they triumphed over the duo of Tereza Mihalíková and Olivia Nicholls in the final, securing the doubles title at the 2026 Abu Dhabi Open.
Ostapenko and Alexandrova have met 11 times on the WTA Tour, with the Latvian winning six of those encounters. Their most recent matchup was in the semifinals of the 2025 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, where Ostapenko emerged victorious with a score of 6-4, 6-4. She later defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the final to win the tournament, claiming her ninth WTA Tour singles title.
The winner of the second-round match between Ostapenko and Alexandrova at the 2026 Qatar Open will advance to face either Kateřina Siniaková, or qualifier Camila Osorio in the third round of the tournament.
