Former champions Pliskova, Kvitova, Azarenka into quarters

DOHA: Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur, cheered on by the small Qatar Open crowd like a home star, deployed masterful racquet work, landing crucial shots out of rival and second seed Karolina Pliskova’s reach but was inconsistent, succumbing 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 on Wednesday in their second round clash in Doha.

It was Jabeur who defeated the Czech during their last encounter in Doha in 2020 but this time it was 2017 Qatar champion

Pliskova who booked her ticket to her first hard-court quarterfinal since 2020 Dubai.

The Tunisian dug deep to secure crucial points, including an ace in the sixth game of the second set which ramped up pressure on the more experienced Pliskova.

But Jabeur was clearly taxed by her Czech opponent’s agility as the humidity mounted, slowing down her game.

A superb forehand won her the second set, sending the match to a third.

After Pliskova won the first game of the third, Jabeur shot back with some inspired play during rapid fire volleys, aided by Pliskova’s unforced errors.

But ultimately Pliskova proved she had the answers for Jabeur’s self-proclaimed “crazy shots”.

“The conditions are good for me -- she plays a lot of tough shots,” said Pliskova.

“I think she can play a little bit of everything, she can play slices, drop shots, she serves well -- she’s improving with every year.”

Petra Kvitova, the Czech number four seed and another former Qatar Open champion, distinguished herself with a 6-1, 6-3 demolition of Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.