Ekaterina Alexandrova vs. Amanda Anisimova: Where to Watch, Doha Preview, Betting Odds

Where to Watch

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The winner of this match will face either Iga Swiatek or Jelena Ostapenko in the final.

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Doha Qatar TotalEnergies Open Semifinal Preview

This is the surprise semifinal. Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff, the No. 1 and 3 seeds, respectively, were supposed to be here. Instead we’ll get a duel between an unseeded Russian ranked 26th, and an unseeded American ranked 41st.

Both women have earned the right to be here, of course, especially Alexandrova, who knocked out Sabalenka and sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula in a pair of three-set upsets. And both women have always had more ball-striking talent than their rankings indicated. Anisimova, a former Roland Garros semifinalist, has as much natural power as any WTA player. Alexandrova has one of the best two-handed backhands on a tour that has more than its share of them. The semis of a 1000 is where many of us thought these two would be on a regular basis when they first came up.

They’ve played twice, and each has one win. Anisimova won on this court five years ago, before Alexandrova turned the tables in Madrid in 2022. That’s not a lot to go on. What we do know is that each woman found something early this week, and has kept her momentum rolling through a series of quick-turnaround, back-to-back wins.

As far as hitting the ball goes, Anisimova has the advantage. She’ll decide the majority of the points either with blazingly confident winners or nervously shanked or overcooked errors. Alexandrova, judging by her last two matches, will have the advantage mentally when it comes to winning clutch points and hanging tough when adversity strikes. Anisimova, but contrast, nearly gave away both the second and third sets in her quarterfinal victory over Marta Kostyuk.

Anisimova could overpower a weary Alexandrova and run away with this match. But even when she’s belting the ball brilliantly, Anisimova never entirely leaves her nerves behind.—Steve Tignor

Betting Odds

To win the tournament, Alexandrova is +500 and Anisimova +600.

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