Karolina Pliskova was forced to withdraw from the 2024 Qatar Open, sending Iga Swiatek into the final of the tournament.
The two semifinal protagonists entered the WTA 1000 event in Doha in two completely different ways. While the Polish player had a first-round bye and was rested after almost month away from the courts, her opponent's journey was much different.
Pliskova won the title at the Transylvania Open in Cluj, and she immediately had to jump on the plane to catch her flight to Doha, where she played her first-round match only 24 hours after the Cluj final.
Surprisingly, she won the match, and did the same thing also in the second and third round, with all of her matches being a very difficult three-set battles.
The Czech player also bested Naomi Osaka in the quarterfinals, and on Friday, she was set to play her ninth match in 9 days, against no other than the top-seeded Swiatek.
Probably assessing her chances against the world no. 1, who she never beat, and who she lost to 0-6, 0-6, three years ago in Rome, Pliskova made a decision to withdraw form the tournament.
It's very unfortunate development for the Czech player, who has been playing some inspired tennis, but probably a combination of fatigue and probable injury made her make a decision to withdraw from the tournament ahead of the last four showdown.
The former world no. 1 cited a lower back injury as the reason for her withdrawal, but enormous fatigue likely also played a role.
"Karolina Pliskova has withdrawn from the Qatar Total Energies Open semifinals due to a lower back injury."
While it's unfortunate for Pliskova, Swiatek will certainly be happy to move right into the final, attempting to win her third consecutive title in Doha and complete a rare three-peat.
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