WATCH: Swiatek Loses Cool And Throws Her Racket In Doha Defeat, Ostapenko Laughs
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Iga Swiatek could not contain her frustration during a crushing loss to Jelena Ostapenko in the 2025 Qatar Open semifinal. That included throwing a racket, which the Latvian enjoyed watching.
Swiatek was the three-time defending champion in Doha, but her hopes of extending that run further were ended after a heavy 3-6, 1-6 defeat to Ostapenko, who dominated the contest from start to finish.
Remarkably, that was Ostapenko's fifth consecutive victory against Swiatek and the Pole has never beaten her. No other player on the WTA Tour has caused Swiatek such problems since she began her career.
Swiatek is known as one of the calmest players in the world during matches. The 23-year-old usually shows little emotion, even in difficult moments during the long and grueling tennis season.
However, Swiatek had an uncharacteristic outburst against Ostapenko. After falling 3-6, 0-3 behind, she slammed her racket onto the ground while walking to her chair, although it did not break from the force of her throw.
That moment can be watched in the video below. It was followed by Ostapenko, known for trying to get under the skin of her opponents, giving a reaction that was noticed and commented on by many fans.
After watching Swiatek's angry reaction, Ostapenko looked over to her team before laughing about it. The Latvian clearly loved bringing out such emotion from the world No. 2, who has dominated all other players in Doha since 2022.
Swiatek spent the rest of that changeover with a towel over her face, not wanting fans to see how she looked after that outburst. The toll of Ostapenko's outstanding level throughout the match weighed heavily on her.
Although there were some uncharacteristic misses from Swiatek, it would have been challenging for anyone to beat Ostapenko. The 2017 French Open champion's level was absolutely incredible, striking winners from every angle of the court.
Swiatek's inability to defend her Qatar Open title has also impacted the world No. 1 race. Aryna Sabalenka was guaranteed to stay at the top at the start of the week, but Swiatek's performance in Doha was crucial to the points difference between them.
The four-time French Open champion's semifinal loss means she has dropped 610 points to 8160. That puts her 796 points behind Sabalenka's 8956 ahead of next week's Dubai Championships, another WTA 1000 tournament.
Sabalenka might be ruing not taking the opportunity to extend her lead further. The Belarusian was defeated in the opening round of the Qatar Open by Ekaterina Alexandrova, who went on to reach the semifinal.
However, the two-time Australian Open winner will have another chance to extend her lead in Dubai. Sabalenka lost her opening match to Donna Vekic last year, meaning she is defending no points at this year's tournament.
Swiatek cannot overtake Sabalenka at the Dubai Championships. The Pole is defending 390 points from reaching the 2024 semifinal, meaning a maximum of 610 points can be added to her total if she wins the tournament.
Although Sabalenka cannot be overtaken next week, getting points now could be crucial since she will defend many points during the second half of the season.
