The Brazilian Beatriz Haddad, number 12 in the world, remains unstoppable in the WTA 500 in Doha (United Arab Emirates). This Wednesday (15), she defeated the Russian Daria Kasatina (8th in the WTA ranking) by 2 sets to 0 – partial 6/3 7/6 (7) – and qualified for the quarterfinals scheduled for the middle -day (Brasília time) this Thursday (16). The 25-year-old from São Paulo will face the North American Jessica Pegula (4th).
Quarterfinal bound ?️
Beatriz Haddad Maia saves 3 set points in the tiebreak against Kasatkina!#QatarTennis pic.twitter.com/mTV5YV52JI
— wta (@WTA) February 15, 2023
“It was an important victory in my career. Playing like this against a top 10 player and a great player like Daria, who is very competitive, consistent and always plays at a high level, made me very happy with my victory”, said the Brazilian after the triumph, the seventh against a top 10 opponent on the world tour.
The confrontation against Pegula this Thursday (16) will be the first between the two tennis players on the world circuit.
“I respect her career and her history a lot. I feel motivated and prepared to get on the court and do my best,” said Haddad, who reached the semifinals of the WTA 500 in Abu Dhabi last week.
Last Monday (13), the São Paulo native reached the 12th position in the world, the best position of a Brazilian tennis player in the history of the modality since 1975, when she started to count for the WTA ranking. Until then, the big star of tennis in the country was Maria Esther Bueno, who won 19 Grand Slams (seven in singles, 11 in doubles and one in mixed doubles), between 1950 and the beginning of the 1970s.
