Coco Gauff exited the 2026 Qatar Open after a second-round upset this week, with Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto ousting the world No. 5 6-4, 6-2.

At No. 57 in the WTA rankings, Cocciaretto entered the main draw only after McCartney Kessler withdrew, having lost in the final qualifying round. Cocciaretto subsequently dismantled Gauff with aggressive early-ball striking and precise backhands throughout both sets.

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The match's defining moment arrived at 3-3, when Cocciaretto won a 33-shot rally to take control. She closed out the set by saving break points in each of her final two service games.

The second set went even smoother for Cocciaretto. The 25-year-old Italian broke immediately, cruising home as Gauff's unforced error count climbed to 39.

"She was just taking the ball early and crushing the ball," Gauff said postmatch.

"I think I need to figure out how to play against players like her who hit super flat and take everything pretty much early. I think the last two matches have shown that I've been struggling with that."

The win marked Cocciaretto's third career Top 10 victory and her first at a WTA 1000 event outside a Grand Slam. She previously scored major upsets at both the 2023 French Open and last year's Wimbledon tournament.

Cocciaretto said she drew inspiration from Italian Olympic skier Sofia Goggia, after Goggia won bronze in Cortina this week. She next faces fellow American Ann Li for a spot in the quarterfinals.

What's next for US tennis star Coco Gauff?

After her early exit in Doha, Gauff now shifts her focus to the 2026 Dubai Championships. There she'll look to regain form as the WTA's hard-court Middle East swing continues.

Emma Raducanu withdrew from her Qatar Open first-round match Monday after trailing Camila Osorio in the third set. The exit comes just two days Raducanu lost the Transylvania Open final.

The British No. 1 called for medical attention during the deciding set, going on to have her blood pressure checked before retiring from the match. Raducanu won the opening set 6-2 in 38 minutes, but lost the second set 4-6 as her accuracy deteriorated.

Osorio broke Raducanu's serve at the start of the third set, with the 23-year-old immediately signaling for the physiotherapist. Following a lengthy discussion on court, she attempted to continue but lost the next game before walking to the net to end the match.

The retirement came just 48 hours after a taxing week in Romania. At the 2026 Transylvania Open, Raducanu battled through a near-three-hour-long semifinal against Oleksandra Oliynykova on Friday. She subsequently lost to Sorana Cirstea 6-0, 6-2 in Saturday's final.

Raducanu described the weekend final as extremely difficult, appearing visibly exhausted and requiring medical attention throughout the match.

Emma Raducanu feels the weight of a cramped WTA Tour schedule

The quick turnaround between tournaments proved challenging, with Raducanu first taking on world No. 80 Osorio. Osorio recently won a WTA Challenger event in Manila and maintained consistent pressure throughout this morning's showdown.

Raducanu endured another coaching change following her second-round Australian Open exit. She split with Francisco Roig after working together for six months, bringing on LTA coach Alexis Canter in his stead.

Despite Monday's exit, Raducanu climbed to No. 25 in the WTA rankings after her runner-up finish in Cluj-Napoca. The former US Open champion continues searching for her second career WTA title after breakthrough 2021 victory.

Oleksandra Oliynykova reached her first-career WTA semifinal today, defeating Wang Xinyu 6-4 6-4 at the 2026 Transylvania Open. Draped in the Ukrainian flag, the 25-year-old celebrated the victory wearing temporary bat face tattoos to honor the tournament's theme.

Oliynykova saved 20 of 22 break points during the two-hour match, demonstrating the mental resilience that's defined her breakthrough season. The world No. 91 is now expected to climb 20 spots in the WTA rankings.

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Oleksandra Oliynykova, a Ukranian refuge, has been making headlines for refusing handshakes with Russian and Russia-sympathizing competitors. That list includesNo. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

This week, she announced she wouldn't participate in the traditional prematch photo or postmatch handshake with Hungary's Anna Bondar. Her reasoning? Bondar's participation in the 2022 North Palmyra Trophies tournament in St. Petersburg, Russia. Oliynykova subsequently called funder Gazprom a financial pillar of Russia's war machine, saying she would reconsider if Bondar apologized to Ukraine's people.

The victory carried deep significance for Oliynykova, who fled Ukraine with her family in 2011 after her father criticized then-President Viktor Yanukovych. She then returned following the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, and currently trains in Kyiv despite the ongoing Russian invasion.

Nicknamed "Sashka," Oliynykova is on a tear. She recently pushed defending champion Madison Keys to a first-set tiebreaker in her Grand Slam debut. She now stands just two victories away from her first-ever WTA title.

How to watch Oksana Oliynykova at the 2026 Transylvania Open semifinals

Oliynykova takes on top-seeded Emma Raducanu on Friday at 10 AM ET, live on The Tennis Channel.

Word No. 30 Emma Raducanu is one match away from her first WTA final since her 2021 US Open upset, advancing to the Transylvania Open semifinals with a 6-0 6-4 victory over Poland's Maja Chwalinska.

Top-seeded Raducanu dominated from the opening point, limiting Chwalinska to just seven points in the first set. While the second set proved more competitive, Raducanu broke decisively at 3-3 following a Chwalinska double-fault. She subsequently served out the match with confidence.

Raducanu next faces Ukraine's Oleksandra Oliynykova in Friday's semifinal, marking her fourth-career semis appearance. The 23-year-old British No. 1 hasn't dropped in Romania, demonstrating the aggressive style that secured her Grand Slam win nearly five years ago.

The 2026 Transylvania Open represents significant opportunity for Raducanu, after struggling with injuries and coaching instability. She recently split from coach Francisco Roig following a second-round Australian Open exit, marking her 10th coaching change in five years.

Despite the coaching carousel, Raducanu showed resilience in early rounds, mounting a comeback from 5-0 down against Kaja Juvan to win 13 of the final 14 games. That mental toughness could prove crucial as she pursues her first WTA title since 2021.

Russian-born Austrian Anastasia Potapova lurks in the opposite half of the draw, potentially awaiting a final rematch with Raducanu.

For now, however, Raducanu is focused on Oliynykova, as she seeks to extend her dominant bounce-back run at this year's Transylvania Open.

How to watch Emma Raducanu in the 2026 Transylvania Open semis

Emma Raducanu takes the court against Oleksandra Oliynykova in tomorrow's WTA 250 tournament semifinal, live on The Tennis Channel.

Philippines tennis star Alexandra Eala delivered a stunning comeback Wednesday at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, rallying in the deciding set to beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(5).

The world No. 45 rewarded the fans with a performance reminiscent of her 2025 US Open upset against Clara Tauson. Eala now advances to her second consecutive quarterfinal appearance, after reaching the same stage at last week's inaugural Philippine Women's Open on home soil.

Sasnovich dominated early, controlling baseline rallies and building a 31-18 winner advantage in the opening set. The veteran carried her aggressive play into the second set, breaking early before Eala leveled the frame.

After saving multiple second-set break opportunities, Eala finally converted when it mattered most, breaking Sasnovich while serving at 5-4 to force a decisive third set.

Sasnovich surged to a 4-0 lead in the final set, later holding match point while serving at 5-4. However, Eala refused to surrender, saving the match point and winning three consecutive games to reach 6-5 before Sasnovich forced a tiebreak.

In the tiebreaker, Sasnovich led 5-4 before Eala closed with three straight points to secure the dramatic victory after two hours and 46 minutes.

How to watch Alexandra Eala in the Abu Dhabi Open quarterfinal

The 20-year-old Filipina sensation next faces No. 2 Ekaterina Alexandrova in Thursday's quarterfinals, taking the court at 8 AM ET live on the Tennis Channel.

With the 2026 Australian Open in the rearview mirror, this week's WTA rankings update reflected the season-opening Grand Slam's impact on tennis's top tier.

An exit from the Melbourne Slam's quarterfinals sent US star Coco Gauff skidding two spots to No. 5, as the newly crowned Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina took over Gauff's previous position at No. 3 alongside her second-career major tournament victory.

At the top of the WTA rankings, Australian Open finalist Aryna Sabalenka retained her world No. 1 status, followed by the similarly stable No. 2 Iga Świątek — despite the six-time Slam winner's own quarterfinals ousting.

On the flip side, 2025 champion Madison Keys fell six spots to No. 15, while young Canadian star Vicky Mboko and fan favorite Naomi Osaka each rose three spots to Nos. 13 and 14, respectively.

With Gauff's slight fall, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova now takes over as the top US talent after making her first Australian Open quarterfinals appearance last week.

No. 6 Jessica Pegula, No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, and No. 8 Jasmine Paolini all held steady, while new-No. 9 Belinda Bencic and new-No. 10 Elina Svitolina became the first two mothers to earn a Top 10 ranking at the same time.

"It's a dream to return to the WTA Top 10," Svitolina said after reaching her first Australian Open semifinal. "Doing it as a mother means so much to me. I'm proud of my fight and resilience."

US wildcard entry Hailey Baptiste delivered a stunning upset over world No. 17 Emma Navarro at the Abu Dhabi Open on Tuesday, winning 7-6(6), 0-6, 6-3 in a dramatic three-set battle.

The victory marked unranked Baptiste's fourth-career Top 20 win, as she advanced to her her first WTA 500 quarterfinal. Fourth-seeded Navarro, who entered as a tournament favorite, couldn't go the stretch despite dominating the second frame.

Baptiste saved a set point in the opening tiebreak with an expertly placed volley before clinching the set with a drop shot. Her fellow US talent responded emphatically, blanking her opponent 6-0 in the second set.

The turning point came when Baptiste left the court between sets for a mental reset. The strategy proved effective, as she approached the decider with renewed focus and aggression.

"I just had to grind and keep digging and digging," Baptiste said postmatch.

"Obviously the second set was not great for me, but I'm really happy I was able to turn it around. I just left the court to reset, I didn't really tell myself much — I never really leave the court, so me doing that was enough to reset."

Baptiste broke Navarro at 4-3 in the final set with a powerful forehand winner, then closed out the match with her seventh ace. The win ended Baptiste's three-match losing streak to Emma Navarro, dating back to their first meeting in 2018.

Baptiste will next face 2023 tournament runner-up Liudmila Samsonova in the Abu Dhabi Open quarterfinals. Fellow US player McCartney Kessler also advanced Tuesday, scoring an upset victory over sixth-seeded Leylah Fernandez.

Elena Rybakina has won a second career Grand Slam, as the Kazakhstani tennis star took down world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to earn her first Melbourne title at the 2026 Australian Open on Saturday.

The tight battle saw Sabalenka respond to her first-set loss by securing the second set before mounting a 3-0 third set — until Rybakina went on a five-game winning streak to regain control of the match.

"The heart rate was definitely beating too fast," the 26-year-old said following her win. "Even maybe [my] face didn't show, but inside it was a lot of emotions."

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Along with her $2.79 million winner's check, Rybakina also exits the season's first Slam with a promotion in the WTA standings, with the previous No. 5 securing the world No. 3 spot on Monday.

Her latest Grand Slam trophy now joins the Wimbledon hardware Rybakina won in 2022, while Saturday's title match leaves Sabalenka with a 4-4 all-time record in major tournament finals — including back-to-back Australian Open losses.

"I played great until [a] certain point, and then I couldn't resist that aggression that she had on court today," Sabalenka said after the defeat.

"Today I'm a loser, maybe tomorrow I'm a winner," the 27-year-old continued. "Hopefully I'll be more of a winner this season than a loser."

How to watch Rybakina & Sabalenka on the next 2026 WTA Tour stop

Tennis's top stars will return to action at next week's Qatar Open, with US standout No. 4 Amanda Anisimova defending her title when the WTA 1000 tournament hits the hardcourt on Sunday.

The 2026 Qatar Open will air live on the Tennis Channel.

Alexandra Eala continues her ascent in professional tennis, achieving a career-high No. 45 in Monday's WTA rankings update, making her the highest-ranked Filipina player in WTA Tour history.

The 20-year-old left-hander approached her Abu Dhabi Open first-round match against Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez with growing confidence after a breakout 2025 season. Eala lept five spots from her previous career-best No. 49 ranking, continuing her steady progression toward breaking into the WTA Top 40.

Eala's rise stems from her historic Miami Open semifinal run last March, where the wildcard entry stunned three Grand Slam champions in consecutive matches. She defeated No. 24 Jelena Ostapenko, No. 15 Madison Keys, and No. 2 Iga ĹšwiÄ…tek, becoming the first Filipina to beat a Top 10 player and reach a WTA 1000 semifinal.

Following that performance, Eala reached her first Tour-level final at Eastbourne while capturing her first WTA 125 title in Guadalajara. She finished 2025 at No. 50 before opening 2026 with semifinal appearances in both singles and doubles at the Auckland Open.

The Rafa Nadal Academy trainee recently competed at her first Australian Open but fell in the opening round of both singles and doubles. She then participated in the inaugural Philippine Women's Open as a wildcard, advancing to the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Camila Osorio.

Alexandra Eala returns to Abu Dhabi for the first time since her 2024 debut, when she entered at No. 187 via a wildcard and lost to Magda Linette in the first round. Now competing as a Top 50 player, she hopes to become the first Filipina to win the tournament.

"I'm working hard," Eala told reporters. "We're working hard to maintain the level that I'm at, and working even harder to go deeper and higher into the rankings inch by inch."

Emma Raducanu secured a dominant victory at the Transylvania Open on Monday, defeating Belgium's Greet Minnen 6-0, 6-4 in her first competitive match since parting ways with coach Francis Roig.

The 23-year-old UK star showcased confidence in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, dispatching her opponent in convincing fashion. Raducanu took the opening set in just 25 minutes, winning 90% of her first-serve points as she raced to a 6-0 bagel.

Raducanu hired Rafael Nadal's former coach last summer but announced plans to reassess her approach following last month's second-round Australian Open exit. The partnership lasted approximately six months, resulting in yet another coaching change since her breakthrough 2021 US Open title.

Working with former British professional Alexis Canter in Romania, Raducanu appeared relaxed and focused. She broke Minnen's serve in the third game of the second set and maintained control despite the Belgian's strong challenge.

"Very happy today. I think I played a great match from the beginning," the world No. 30 said after the match. "I was super aggressive and the crowd from the minute I walked out was incredible."

The victory marks a positive restart for Raducanu, after struggling with injuries and inconsistent form in recent years.

How to watch British tennis star Emma Raducanu this week

As the WTA 250 tournament's top seed, Raducanu next faces Slovenia's Kaja Juvan on Wednesday, live on The Tennis Channel.

Following the event, she plans to compete at WTA 1000 tournaments in Doha and Dubai before heading to Indian Wells in March.