In pictures: The story of Doha 2020
From Ons Jabeur electrifying the crowd to Petra Kvitova's run to a second final and Aryna Sabalenka's third title in the past six months, all the best photos from the 2020 Qatar Total Open.
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Barbara Haas kicked off qualifying by moving to the verge of an upset over Camila Giorgi, taking a 6-3, 4-1 lead and holding three match points.
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However, Giorgi pulled off a remarkable comeback, eventually running away with the win over Haas 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-0.
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Aliaksandra Sasnovich also came from a set and a break down to defeat Viktorija Golubic in the first round of qualifying.
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Teenage Qatari wildcard Mubaraka Al-Naimi fell in the first round of qualifying to Laura Siegemund.
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Siegemund went on to qualify for the main draw, where she defeated Yaroslava Shvedova - making her return from maternity leave - in the first round.
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Liudmila Samsonova upset fellow Russian Anna Blinkova - who had posted Top 20 wins in the main draw in each of the previous two years - in round one of qualifying 6-3, 6-3.
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Katerina Siniakova came through qualifying for the second week in a row with wins over Han Xinyun and Timea Babos.
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Daria Kasatkina came from a set down in qualifying against both Natalia Vikhlyantseva and Aliaksandra Sasnovich, then pushed Garbiñe Muguruza all the way in round one.
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Muguruza led by a set and 5-2 before Kasatkina rallied, saving a match point - and the Australian Open finalist eventually needed two hours and 49 minutes for a 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 triumph.
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Elise Mertens got her title defence off to a fine start in round one, dropping only three games to Wang Qiang for the second week in a row.
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Veronika Kudermetova oscillated past Kristina Mladenovic in a seesawing first round, coming from 1-5 down to take the first set and thereafter the match 7-6(6), 0-6, 6-3.
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Ons Jabeur continued her brilliant start to 2020, dazzling with her shotmaking as she scored a first win in six attempts over Katerina Siniakova.
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Former World No.60 Cagla Buyukakcay was awarded a wildcard into the main draw, where she took on Svetlana Kuznetsova.
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2004 and 2007 runner-up Kuznetsova came through 6-2, 6-2 over Buyukakcay.
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Karolina Muchova ended Hua Hin champion Magda Linette's eight-match winning streak 6-3, 6-1 in the first round.
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Jil Teichmann qualified with quality wins over Margarita Gasparyan and Jana Cepelova, and proceeded to give Jelena Ostapenko a tough match in round one.
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In a late-night Sunday finish, Ostapenko eventually managed to hit through Teichmann's defence 7-5, 2-6, 7-5 in two-and-a-half hours.
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Belinda Bencic, Karolina Pliskova, Ashleigh Barty and Elina Svitolina - the top four seeds in the draw - make their way to the players' party.
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Doubles partners Aryna Sabalenka and Elise Mertens had fun at the players' party.
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Americans Alison Riske and Sofia Kenin at the players' gala dinner.
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Zheng Saisai scored her 10th career Top 20 win over Marketa Vondrousova, coming from a set down to win 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.
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Tereza Martincova dispatched Misaki Doi twice in three days, 7-5, 6-1 to qualify and 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 to seal her first Premier 5 match victory after Doi made the main draw as a lucky loser.
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Iga Swiatek overcame gusty conditions and umpiring controversy to reprise her Australian Open defeat of Donna Vekic in straight sets.
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Fresh from cracking the Top 20 for the first time, Maria Sakkari snapped a three-match losing streak against Julia Goerges to defeat the German 6-4, 6-3 in the first round.
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2011 champion Vera Zvonareva came out on top of a battle of veterans, defeating Hsieh Su-Wei 6-4, 6-4 to score her first WTA main draw win since St. Petersburg 2018.
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An epic all-American derby found Jennifer Brady squeezing past Alison Riske in a third-set tiebreak after two hours and 48 minutes.
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Proving that she is learning quickly, 19-year-old Dayana Yastremska avenged a defeat in Moscow four months ago to the wily Kirsten Flipkens, winning their first round 6-2, 6-4.
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St. Petersburg and Dubai finalist Elena Rybakina kept on going, notching up her 20th match win of the year from a set down over Sorana Cirstea.
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Top 10 singles players Belinda Bencic and Sofia Kenin teamed up in doubles for the first time, upsetting eighth seeds Ashleigh Barty and Demi Schuurs in round one.
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St. Petersburg champion Kiki Bertens extended her winning streak to seven, opening her campaign with a second-round win over Karolina Muchova.
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Amanda Anisimova showed off her clean power as the 18-year-old notched up her third career Top 10 win over Elina Svitolina in round two.
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Ashleigh Barty made a winning return in her first match since the Australian Open on Tuesday, beating Laura Siegemund in straight sets.
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For the last time, 2016 champion Carla Suárez Navarro took to the courts in Doha, falling to Petra Kvitova in three sets.
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2018 champion Kvitova rallied from a set down to beat Suárez Navarro in three sets, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.
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Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin was upset in her first match in Doha by an in-form Yastremska.
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In a thrilling Tuesday clash, Aryna Sabalenka served up a 7-5, 2-6, 7-5 win over Anett Kontaveit in two hours and 15 minutes.
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2017 champion Karolina Pliskova was dominant in a 6-3, 6-0 defeat of American qualifier Bernarda Pera in her second round match.
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Kazakh Yulia Putintseva scored a big upset in the second round, dethroning defending champion Mertens in three sets.
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For the second time in her career, Zheng Saisai reached the quarterfinals in Doha by coming from a set down to beat St. Petersburg champion Kiki Bertens in the round of 16.
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Jabeur's dramatic run kept rolling into the quarterfinals, as she ousted World No.3 Karolina Pliskova in three sets for her best-ever WTA win.
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Vocal Tunisian support was on hand for Jabeur as she earned a hard-fought win against Pliskova.
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Bencic advanced to her third quarterfinal of the season by ending Putintseva's run in the round of 16.
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Muguruza rounded out the quarterfinalists and recorded her 16th win of the season by easing past Yastremska on Wednesday night in straight sets.
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Aryna Sabalenka battled back from a break down in the third set in strong wind to beat Zheng Saisai and reach her second semifinal of the season.
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Svetlana Kuznetsova avenged a loss to Belinda Bencic in St. Petersburg two weeks ago to reach the Doha semifinals for the first time since 2007 with a 6-4, 6-4 victory.
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Petra Kvitova won her ninth straight match at Doha, ousting Ons Jabeur in two tiebreak sets to reach the semifinals. The Czech saved two set points in the second set before advancing.
Petra Kvitova - 2020 Doha
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World No.1 Ashleigh Barty got past Garbine Muguruza in three sets, to line up a semifinal meeting with Kvitova -- the ninth time they will face off.
Ashleigh Barty - 2020 Doha
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Sabalenka soared into her second consecutive Premier 5 final by beating Kuznetsova, 6-4, 6-3 in Friday's first semifinal.
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For the first time in their last five meetings, Kvitova scored a victory over Barty - by a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 final score - to advance to her second final in Doha.
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For the third time this season, Hsieh Su-wei and Barbora Strycova were crowned champions in the doubles final.
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By beating Gabriela Dabrowski and Jelena Ostapenko in the final, the pair became the first team to sweep the Dubai and Doha titles since Lisa Raymond and Liezel Huber in 2012.
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Dabrowski and Ostapenko entered the final undefeated as a duo in Doha at 9-0, having won the 2018 title, but fell, 6-2, 5-7, 10-2.
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With the win, Hsieh is set to ascend to the World No.1 doubles ranking once more in the next update on March 2.
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Aryna Sabalenka delivered a phenomenal performance in the final, striking seven 21 winners to 15 unforced errors.
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The Belarusian triumphed over Petra Kvitova 6-3, 6-3 to capture her third title in the past six months, and sixth overall.
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Kvitova saw her winning streak in Doha end at 10, while Sabalenka extended her winning streak at Premier 5 level to 11.
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Sabalenka's win-loss record since September is 22-6, including titles in Wuhan, Zhuhai and now Doha.
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