Muchova, Pliskova cruise into second round in Doha

Doha, Qatar: Former Grand Slam finalists Karolina Muchova and Karol na Pliskova headlined a strong opening day at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, which...

Doha, Qatar: Former Grand Slam finalists Karolina Muchova and Karolína Pliskova headlined a strong opening day at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, which saw several early upsets at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex yesterday.

Muchova, the 14th seed, proved too strong for Romanian Jaqueline Cristian, sealing a 6-2, 6-3 victory to move smoothly into the next round. Meanwhile, Pliskova, who won the Doha title in 2017, dismissed lucky loser Solana Sierra 6-1, 6-2, dominating the match from start to finish.

Earlier, Canadian teen Victoria Mboko overcame Marie Bouzkova on her Doha debut with a straight-sets 7-5, 6-2 victory. The 19-year-old No. 10 seed will next face Vera Zvonareva, who won her first tour-level singles main draw match since the Jiangxi Open in October 2023, defeating Peyton Stearns 2-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Playing the night match as the higher-ranked player, Mboko embraced the moment, saying, “I feel like it’s not something I’m used to where I’m the top player in the tournament, so it’s good for me to try to adapt to that and get used to it.”

Mboko stressed that her focus remains firmly on steady progress.