Jeļena Ostapenko has reached the semifinals of the 2026 Qatar Open. Following her quarterfinal victory, she delayed her press conference by about 10 minutes to watch the last eight matches between Iga Świątek and Maria Sakkari.
Top seed Świątek faced off against Sakkari in the quarterfinals in Doha, with the Greek securing the win with a scoreline of 2-6, 6-4, 7-5. This victory marked Sakkari’s fourth win against the former World No. 1 in their eight meetings on the WTA Tour.
Jeļena Ostapenko Delays Press Conference To Watch Iga Świątek-Maria Sakkari Qatar Open QF Match
Ostapenko began her campaign at the Qatar Open by defeating Anastasia Zakharova in the first round and eighth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round. She then overcame qualifier Camila Osorio in the third round and most recently eliminated lucky loser Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the quarterfinals, securing her place in the semifinals.
After her win over Cocciaretto, Ostapenko was scheduled for a press conference. However, she kept the press waiting for 10 minutes as she became engrossed in watching the quarterfinal match between Świątek and Sakkari.
Then, speaking at the press conference, the Latvian stated that she enjoys watching matches because there are often “great” performances. She revealed that when she watches a match, she analyzes the players to learn strategies that might help her prepare to defeat them.
“Sometimes I really like to watch some matches because there’s some really great matches. Sometimes I am not in the mood to watch matches. So. when I watch matches, of course I analyze and I take some things what I can use against those players,” Ostapenko said.
In addition to her singles campaign at the 2026 Qatar Open, Ostapenko is also competing in the doubles event. She has partnered with Hsieh Su-wei, and the pair is seeded third. They have reached the semifinals and will next face the defending champions, the top-seeded duo of Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini.
Looking ahead, following her win over Cocciaretto in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Qatar Open, Ostapenko will take on 10th seed Victoria Mboko in the semifinals of the tournament.
At the WTA 1000 hard-court tournament in Doha, Mboko began her campaign by defeating Marie Bouzkova in the first round, followed by victories over qualifier Vera Zvonareva and fifth seed Mirra Andreeva in the second and third rounds, respectively. In the quarterfinals, she triumphed over second seed Elena Rybakina, advancing to face Ostapenko in the semifinals.
Ostapenko and Mboko have not faced each other on the WTA Tour, and their upcoming match in Doha will be their first encounter. The winner of this match will advance to face either Sakkari or 14th seed Karolína Muchová in the final of the tournament.
