Qatar Open: Svitolina earns comeback win over Vondrousova to reach second round

Elina Svitolina staged a remarkable comeback against 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, fighting back to beat the Czech 0-6, 6-2, 7-5 and advance to the last 16 of the Qatar Open in Doha.

The Ukrainian was overpowered in the opening set, failing to win a game as Vondrousova’s clinical form rapidly moved her into a one-set lead.

However, Svitolina recovered remarkably to take the second set comfortably as the Czech’s first-serve percentage plummeted alarmingly. The former world No 1 then edged a close deciding set to complete the comeback.

The Ukrainian will face No 6 seed and last year’s US Open runner-up, Jessica Pegula next.

Doha WTA 1000, other first-round results (Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, hard, USD 3.664.963, most recent results first):

• Paula Badosa vs. Renata Zarazua: monday
• Ons Jabeur beat McCartney Kessler: 6-2, 6-0
• Peyton Stearns beat Dayana Yastremska: 7-5, 6-3
• Daria Kasatkina (10) beat Polina Kudermetova (LL): 6-0, 6-0
• Jelena Ostapenko beat Aoi Ito (Q): 6-2, 6-1
• Magda Linette beat Veronika Kudermetova (Q): 3-6, 6-0, 6-4
• Yulia Putintseva beat Moyuka Uchijima (Q): 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3
• Linda Noskova beat Donna Vekic (15): 6-2, 6-4
• Rebecca Sramkova beat Anhelina Kalinina: 6-2, 6-3
• Sofia Kenin (WC) beat Ashlyn Krueger: 6-4, 6-4
• Amanda Anisimova beat Victoria Azarenka: 6-3, 7-5
• Ekaterina Alexandrova beat Emma Raducanu (WC): 6-3, 7-5
• Magdalena Frech beat Beatriz Haddad Maia (13): 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
• Elina Avanesyan beat Xinyu Wang: 7-6 (3), 1-6, 7-6 (5)
• Mirra Andreeva (12) beat Katie Volynets (Q): 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4
• Liudmila Samsonova (16) beat Lulu Sun: 6-3, 6-3
• Marta Kostyuk beat Zeynep Sonmez (WC): 6-3, 6-3
• Leylah Fernandez beat Greet Minnen (Q): 6-1, 6-2
• Elise Mertens beat Clara Tauson: 6-0 ret.
• Maria Sakkari beat Elena-Gabriela Ruse (Q): 4-6, 6-3, 4-0 ret.
• Cristina Bucsa (Q) beat Anna Kalinskaya (14): 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-4
• Caroline Garcia (WC) beat Yue Yuan: 6-1, 7-6 (5)
• Alycia Parks (Q) beat Diana Shnaider (11): 6-4, 7-6 (2)