The quarterfinals are set at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, where six of the Top 8 seeds lead a loaded slate on Thursday.

Along with top seed Aryna Sabalenka, St. Petersburg champion Anett Kontaveit, Garbiñe Muguruza, Maria Sakkari, Iga Swiatek, and Ons Jabeur, red-hot Jelena Ostapenko and 17-year-old Coco Gauff will battle it out for a spot in the semifinals of the first WTA 1000 tournament of the season. Click here for the full order of play and schedule. 

We break down the four scintillating match-ups:

[1] Aryna Sabalenka vs. [7] Iga Swiatek

Head to Head: Sabalenka leads 1-0.
Last meeting: 2021 WTA Finals Group Stage, Sabalenka d. Swiatek, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5.

Top seed Sabalenka is the only former champion remaining in the draw, having lifted the trophy in 2020. Not only is the World No.2 into her first quarterfinal of the season, but Sabalenka appears to have put her serving woes behind her. Coming into Doha, Sabalenka had struck 110 double faults over eight matches in 2022, an average of nearly 14 per match. This week, she hit just four double faults in a 6-2, 6-2 win over Alizé Cornet and then kept a clean sheet against Jil Teichmann in the Round of 16.

Swiatek has continued her strong form to start the season, posting wins over Viktorija Golubic and Daria Kasatkina to make her third quarterfinal of 2022 (Adelaide, Australian Open). The Polish star is bidding to make her third semifinal of the season and first at a WTA 1000 on hard court. If she does so she will have already matched - in February - her career-high tally of semifinals in a single season.

Rankings watch: Sabalenka must make the final in Doha to hold onto the No.2 ranking. 

Sabalenka stops Swiatek in thriller: WTA Finals Highlights

[14] Coco Gauff vs. [6] Maria Sakkari

Head to Head: Sakkari leads 2-1.
Last meeting: 2021 Rome third round, Gauff d. Sakkari, 6-1, 1-6, 6-1.

After taking a week off after her run to the St. Petersburg final earlier this month, Sakkari has looked sharp in Doha. The Greek has not lost a set, with wins over Ann Li and Jessica Pegula. For Sakkari, 14 of her last 15 quarterfinal appearances have now come on hard courts, with the only exception being her semifinal run at Roland Garros last year.

Match Wrap: Gauff bests Badosa in Doha for fifth Top 10 win; Ostapenko extends winning streak

Gauff has also yet to drop a set in Doha, posting strong wins over Shelby Rogers, Caroline Garcia, and earning her first Top 10 win of the season over Paula Badosa. The 17-year-old American is the fifth player to reach the Doha quarterfinals before their 18th birthday, joining a list that includes Lina Krasnoroutskaya (2001), Dinara Safina (2003), Maria Sharapova (2005) and Caroline Wozniacki (2008).

Gauff, who turns 18 during Indian Wells next month, is bidding to become the second player under 18-years-old to reach the Doha semifinals. Sharapova accomplished the feat in 2005. 

[8] Ons Jabeur vs. [4] Anett Kontaveit

Head to Head: Jabeur leads 3-2.
Last meeting: 2022 Sydney second round, Kontaveit d. Jabeur, 6-4, ret.

So they meet again. The friendly rivalry defined the final weeks of the 2021 season, which saw Jabeur beat Kontaveit at Indian Wells to secure her historic Top 10 debut, only to see the Estonian leapfrog her to secure the final spot at the WTA Finals. Kontaveit is looking to make her first WTA 1000 semifinal since 2019 Miami.

Match Wrap: Kontaveit edges former champ Mertens; Sakkari, Swiatek sail into Doha QF

After seeing her start of the season derailed by COVID and a back injury, the latter of which forced her retirement to Kontaveit in Sydney and subsequent withdrawal from the Australian Open, Jabeur has looked back to her dangerous ways in the Middle East. She needed three sets to get past both Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Tereza Martincova this week, but coming through on the winning end of two physical tests will be a big confidence booster for the Tunisian.

[5] Garbiñe Muguruza vs. [15] Jelena Ostapenko

Head to head: Muguruza leads 3-1.
Last meeting: 2017 WTA Finals Group Stage, Muguruza d. Ostapenko, 6-3, 6-4.

Ostapenko may be the lowest seed remaining among the quarterfinalists but she's also the one who looks unbeatable. The Latvian is on a career-best eight-match winning streak after her title run in Dubai last week. With her straight-set win over Barbora Krejcikova in the Round of 16, Ostapenko has now won her last five matches against Slam champions. 

Match Wrap: Jabeur battles into Doha quarterfinals; Sabalenka, Muguruza cruise

If there is someone in the field who has never been intimidated by Ostapenko's power game, it is Muguruza. The Spaniard is into her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal since winning the 2021 Dubai title, defeating Sorana Cirstea and Madison Brengle along the way. This will be the first meeting between Muguruza and Ostapenko in nearly five years. Ostapenko's sole win came at 2017 Wuhan, where she scored a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 win.