Daria Kasatkina says she is a fan of the Middle East swing as he underlines that it is definitely “better for players to have a block of tournaments held in the same country or region.” On the WTA Tour, February is booked for the Middle East swing.
After last week’s Abu Dhabi Open, this week it’s time for the Qatar Open in Doha. After Doha, top players will return to the United Arab Emirates for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. “It’s amazing. Especially compared to the end of last year.
There was a stretch of Tokyo, Ostrava, San Diego, Guadalajara, and then if you qualify for the WTA Finals, then Fort Worth. So it’s crazy. I know it’s because of all the circumstances we’ve had during these years, but honestly it’s crazy, it’s very difficult to enjoy playing, enjoy doing your work while you’re just exhausted.
Traveling, plus jet-lag, plus going to Guadalajara, I was going crazy honestly because of the conditions of the altitude. This is tough. So for sure it’s better when we have a block of tournaments in the same country, or region,” Kasatkina told Arab News.
Kasatkina set to compete in Doha
Last week, Kasatkina had a first-round bye in Abu Dhabi before beating Jil Teichmann in the round-of-16. After beating Teichmann, Kasatkina suffered a 6-1 6-2 loss to Qinwen Zheng. This week, sixth-seeded Kasatkina also has a first-round bye in Doha.
After a first-round bye, Kasatkina will play the winner of the match between Paula Badosa and Beatriz Haddad Maia. Kasatkina, 25, is set to make her sixth Doha appearance. So far, Kasatkina hasn’t really had that much success in Doha.
Kasatkina’s best Doha result came in 2017, when she made the quarterfinal. So far in 2023, Kasatkina has had one strong result – she made the final at the Adelaide International 2 before losing to Belinda Bencic. It remains to be seen how well can Kasatkina do this week in Doha.
