(Video) Jelena Ostapenko reacts to Iga Swiatek smashing her racket after rare Qatar Open defeat
World No. 2 Iga Swiatek was aiming for a fourth consecutive title at the Qatar Open, but was stopped in her tracks by Jelena Ostapenko.
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Iga Swiatek smashes her racket at Qatar Open 2025 (via X)
Since 2022, the Qatar Open has been Iga Swiatek‘s bounceback tournament after a ‘disappointing’ Australian Open swing. The Pole was aiming for a fourth consecutive title this time at Doha, having defeated Anett Kontaveit in the 2022 finals, Jessica Pegula in the next, and Elena Rybakina in the 2024 finals to clinch this title.
However, her semifinal opponent, World No. 37, Jelena Ostapenko, decimated Swiatek at Doha this time. Ostapenko has an impressive record against Swiatek, a top-ranked player, and with this match, she brought her head-to-head to 5-0 against the World No. 2.
Apart from a defeat at Doha, another thing uncharacteristic about Iga Swiatek is smashing rackets. She is generally known to be a very calm and composed player with rare instances of smashing rackets, viz. 2024 US Open quarterfinal, 2024 Dubai semifinal. However, today’s match witnessed one of Swiatek’s rare outbursts, leaving Jelena Ostapenko gobsmacked.
Jelena Ostapenko's reaction to Iga Swiatek throwing her racquet in Doha
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 14, 2025
😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/EvIjoEtKBx
Ostapenko broke in the opening game, finding winners all over the court, and won the opening set 6-3. The Latvian kept on rolling as Swiatek struggled to win a game in the second set. Swiatek blew a break-back point, allowing Ostapenko to hold for 3-0. Swiatek’s frustration was very evident as she threw her racket towards her bench. In the last game, Ostapenko broke for the fifth time and closed out a 6-3, 6-1 victory.
Jelena Ostapenko will face Amanda Anisimova in the Qatar Open finals
Iga Swiatek has had a pretty heartbreaking season so far and a title-less run since her 2024 Roland Garros victory. She lost in the finals to Coco Gauff at the United Cup 2025.
Swiatek then competed at the Australian Open, where she reached the semifinals of the tournament for the second time. However, the five-time Grand Slam champion faced a major upset against Madison Keys, who defeated her and eventually went on to clinch her maiden Grand Slam title at Melbourne.
After early exits at the Adelaide International, Australian Open, and Abu Dhabi Open, Jelena Ostapenko has had a pretty incredible comeback and run at the Qatar Open. She has reached the finals of this tournament without dropping a set en route and has defeated several higher-ranked players along the way, viz. Jasmine Paolini and Ons Jabeur.
The 2017 French Open champion will be aiming for her first Qatar Open title. Ostapenko was a finalist in this tournament in 2016, where she lost to Carla Suarez Navarro. She will face Amanda Anisimova in the finals, and this will mark not only their second meeting on court but also at Doha. They previously faced each other in 2022, where Ostapenko defeated Anisimova in the round of 32.
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Lakshya Chopra
(2641 Articles Published)