The last eight are set at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open. As the first 1000-level event of 2026 heats up on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz, a pair of significant rankings milestones are in play for No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina and No. 10 seed Victoria Mboko — who face each other in the third quarterfinal of the day on Thursday.
Doha: Scores | Draws | Order of play
After capturing her second Grand Slam crown at the Australian Open, Rybakina is on a nine-match winning streak and has returned to her career high of No. 3 on the PIF WTA Rankings — a position she first held in June 2023. The Kazakhstani could go one place higher, displacing Iga Swiatek at No. 2, depending on their results in Doha.
- If Swiatek loses her quarterfinal to Maria Sakkari, Rybakina will need to reach the final
- If Swiatek defeats Sakkari and reaches the semifinals, then Rybakina will need to win the title
- If Swiatek faces Rybakina in the Doha final on Saturday, the World No. 2 ranking will thus be on the line for both
Rybakina’s quarterfinal challenger is also bidding for her own milestone this week. Mboko is at a career high of No. 13 after a successful Australian swing in which the 19-year-old reached her third career final in Adelaide, and made the fourth round of a major for the first time at the Australian Open. This week, she’s already notched her third career Top 10 win over Mirra Andreeva — and Mboko could join that elite group herself, depending on the following scenarios:
- If Mboko reaches the Doha final, her Top 10 debut next week will be guaranteed regardless of other results
- If Mboko defeats Rybakina in the quarterfinals but loses in the semifinals, she will make her Top 10 debut unless Karolina Muchova wins the title
- Mboko’s Top 10 debut could be guaranteed on Thursday if she defeats Rybakina and Muchova loses to Anna Kalinskaya in the quarterfinals
Rybakina holds a 2-1 head-to-head lead over Mboko, with all three previous meetings coming last year. Rybakina won their first encounter in the Washington second round 6-3, 7-5, and reprised the result 6-3, 7-6(4) in the Tokyo quarterfinals. In between, Mboko saved one match point en route to a 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) triumph in the Montreal semifinals.
The only quarterfinal on Thursday with no ranking implications for Rybakina or Mboko is the first of the day, which sees two-time finalist Jelena Ostapenko face lucky loser Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
