A day packed with upsets saw the defending champion and the only Arab player in action qualify for the next round.

Ons Jabeur put on a stellar show to defeat Zheng Qinwen of China to book her spot in the last sixteen of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open on a day that saw top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff bow out of the tournament.

Jabeur, the only Arab tennis player in the ongoing competition, was supported by a lively crowd as she marched to a 6-4, 6-2 win against the Paris Olympics Gold winner and currently seventh-seeded Zheng.

The win marked Jabeur’s first win over a player ranked top 10 in the world since April of 2024, building on a convincing win over McCartney Kessler a day earlier which saw her take the U.S. player down in straight sets within an hour.

The former world number two has shown signs of getting back to her best form in the Middle East swing of the WTA tour and had said she was feeling a lot better following injury-marred spells, ahead of the tournament in Doha.

Jabeur’s newfound confidence was on display on Tuesday as she sidelined Zheng in a tightly-contested 50-minute-long first set and won 11 of the final 14 games to wrap up the second.

“There was a lot of believing in myself in preparing for this match,” Jabeur said after booking the Round of 16 clash against Sofia Kenin.

“I tried to stay as focused as I could. It’s very tough to play against her — she’s a champion. I’m very pleased with this win, and I hope I can keep performing even better for the future.”

A win on Wednesday against 202 Australian Open winner Kenin will see Jabeur match her previous best in Qatar as the Tunisian’s run has ended in the quarterfinals on two occasions.

Top seeds Sabalenka and Gauff crash out

On a day that saw lower-ranked players win half of the fourteen matches, world number one Aryna Sabalenka and number third Coco Gauff crashed out of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open.

Sabalenka went down to Ekaterina Alexandrova, ranked 25 places below her, in a tightly contested match that had a bit of everything — from a comeback to a feline court invader.

Despite taking the first set 6-3, the Belarusian stumbled by the same scoreline in the second set before suffering a 7-6 loss in the tiebreaker of the deciding set. Tuesday’s loss was Sabalenka’s worst since the second-round exit at the Miami Open in 2024.

For her part, Alexandrova had to overcome a 2-4 deficit in the third set to go one-up in her record against top-ranked Sabalenka. The figure now stands at 4-3 after the tie that lasted over two and a half hours.

“It was a very difficult match to play against her because she’s a fighter and she plays every single point, no matter what,”  said Alexandrova, who will face Belgium’s Elise Mertens in the round of 16.

Sabalenka’s first spot in the world rankings could now be up for grabs for second-ranked Iga Swiatek, who has already progressed into the next round and is seeking to win fourth consecutive title in Doha.

Sabalenka’s exit was not the only shock on Tuesday as the world number three Coco Gauff suffered a crushing defeat in straight sets against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.

In a lacklustre performance, Gauff blew away an advantage in the second set to succumb 6-2, 7-5 in her first appearance since the quarterfinal loss to Paula Badosa at the Australian Open on January 21.

Gauff had expressed her intent to improve her record in Doha “without too much pressure” in an exclusive chat with Doha News ahead of the tournament.

Yet the 20-year-old had only herself to blame for seven double faults and 39 unforced errors.

“The double-faults made it easier for me,” Gauff’s opponent of the night, Kostyuk, would go on to tell broadcasters beIN Sports after the game. It was her first hardcourt win over the American ever.

Kostyuk will now face Magda Linette who booked her spot in the last-16 defeating a higher-ranked Magdalena Frech 7-7, 5-7, 6-4 in an all-Polish tie.

Elsewhere, ninth-ranked Paula Badosa suffered a 6-4, 6-3 defeat against the U.S.’ Amanda Anisimova, whereas fifth-ranked Elena Rybakina beat Peyton Stearns 6-2, 6-4 to advance.

Italy’s world number four Jasmine Paolini booked her spot by defeating France’s Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-4 in straight sets as tenth-ranked Daria Kasatkina also booked the last 16 sport following a 6-2, 6-3 win against Elina Avanesyan.

The round-of-16 matches will take place at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex on Wednesday.