A furry friend interrupted a tense moment at the 2016 Qatar Total Open yesterday.

Ahead of set point in a match between World No. 9 Roberta Vinci of Italy and Cagla Buyukakcay of Turkey, a stray cat wandered into the venue, eluding capture and darting onto the court before making its exit.

After the brief pause, the action resumed, and Vinci defeated Buyukakcay 7-5, 6-1 to move on to the quarter-finals.

Asked how she feels about cats by the WTA, she said, “Well I won the set so it’s OK.”

Competition heats up

Many of the world’s top tennis players have already been eliminated ahead of the quarter-finals, including Simona Halep, Lucie Safarova and Angelique Kerber.

However, Da Vinci and third seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland will be among those advancing in the tournament.

The Qatar Total Open runs through runs through Saturday, Feb. 27 at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Dafna/West Bay.

Tickets start at QR20 for ground passes, while finals tickets cost from QR100 to QR350. They can be bought in person (cash-only) at stalls in Landmark Mall, Lagoona Mall, City Center and the Khalifa complex, or online here.

Thoughts?