Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko had never lost to Iga Swiatek of Poland in four matches prior to their Qatar TotalEnergies Open semi-final on Friday. It took just 70 minutes of exhilarating tennis from Ostapenko on Friday to make it 5-0 in head-to-head against the second seed in Doha as the Latvian wrapped up a one-sided 6-3, 6-1 semi-final win.
Also on Friday, Ostapenko ended Swiatek’s 15-match winning streak in Doha with her imperious tennis on the Centre Court at the Khalifa International Complex.
The 27-year-old from Latvia is now one match away from her biggest title since Roland Garros 2017. Having not dropped a set this week, Ostapenko will face unseeded Amanda Anisimova of the US in the final on Saturday.
Anisimova, 23, on Friday crushed Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova in the day’s second semi-final. Anisimova won 6-3, 6-3. She could bid to be the first American champion in Doha since Monica Seles lifted the trophy in 2002.
The only previous meeting between Ostapenko and Anisimova also took place in Doha, with the former taking their 2022 second-round clash 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
“I was pretty confident that I would beat her (Swiatek), because we’ve played a lot of matches and I know how to play against her,” Ostapenko said in her on-court interview on Friday. “I was more focusing on myself and what I had to do. I’m happy with the way I’m handling my emotions this week,” she added. “Obviously I was preparing for the match, and I pretty much knew what to expect from her,” Ostapenko said. “I don’t know, sometimes I know where the ball’s coming, but sometimes I’m just going with my feelings and my instincts, so that helps me,” she added.
A blistering start for Ostapenko
Ostapenko started as she meant to go on: blitzing a forehand return winner on the first point of the match, and another to capture the Swiatek serve in the first game. In a flurry of overwhelming winners, she stamped her authority on the match from the off by winning eight of the first nine points.
Teeing off on everything, Ostapenko racked up 24 winners to Swiatek’s seven, and committed only 15 unforced errors.
Swiatek briefly found an effective response in the sixth game with a pair of angled winners, but her break point opportunity was snuffed out by an Ostapenko service winner.
Ostapenko went from strength to strength in the second set while Swiatek’s level fell. In the fourth game, the Pole netted a smash and shanked a forehand, before Ostapenko came out on top of a wild exchange featuring a drop shot, an absurd reflex and finally a pinpoint backhand winner on the line.
Up 4-0 and having won six straight games, Ostapenko lapsed momentarily to concede her serve for the only time with a double fault. But it was a mere blip, and she resumed pummelling winners to every corner to close out the final two games. At just 70 minutes, the match was Swiatek’s shortest since a 69-minute loss to Garbine Muguruza in the second round of the 2021 Dubai tournament (6-0, 6-4). Her four games won were also her fewest since a 6-2, 6-2 defeat to Elena Rybakina in the 2023 Indian Wells semifinals
After 6-3, 6-3 win, Anisimova said: “I’ve been putting in a lot of work... and I think it’s really showing up here. I’m happy with the results and the performances I was able to put out here this week.Playing against so many tough competitors, getting all of these matches under my belt, has been really great.”

Qatar TotalEnergies Open results
Semi-finals
Amanda Anisimova (USA) bt Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS) 6-3, 6-3
Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) bt Iga Swiatek (POL x2) 6-3, 6-1