Aryna Sabalenka has arrived in Doha for the 2025 Qatar Open after leaving her Australian Open heartbreak behind. Sabalenka, who was the double defending champion at the Melbourne Major, finished as the runner-up in the tournament.

The 26-year-old was the top seed at the Grand Slam tournament and she defeated the likes of Sloane Stephens, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Clara Tauson, and Mirra Andreeva in the first four rounds.

She then overcame Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarterfinals and Paula Badosa in the semifinals to secure her place in the final. However, Sabalenka fell short of claiming the title for the third time, after a 3-6, 6-2, 5-7 loss to Madison Keys.

Following her runner-up finish at the Australian Open, Aryna Sabalenka has traveled to Doha to compete at the 2025 Qatar Open which is scheduled to take place from February 9 to February 15 at the International Tennis and Squash complex in Doha.

The World No.1 last competed at the WTA 1000 hard court tournament in 2022 where she reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Iga Swiatek.

“Hi guys, this is Aryna Sabalenka here. I just arrived to Doha. Hope to see you soon and just happy to be here,” Sabalenka said.

Before competing at the 2025 Australian Open, Sabalenka participated at the Brisbane International where she defeated the likes of Renata Zarazua, Yulia Putintseva, Marie Bouzkova, Mirra Andreeva, and ultimately overcame Polina Kudermetova to win the title.

Aryna Sabalenka won the Qatar Open back in 2020

Aryna Sabalenka won the Qatar Open only once in her career, which was in 2020. She was seeded ninth at the tournament and kicked off her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye and she defeated Anett Kontaveit in the opening round, prevailing with a hard-fought 7-5, 2-6, 7-5 victory.

The World No.1 overcame the 15th seed Maria Sakkari in a dominant 6-3, 6-0 performance in the third round and then faced Zheng Saisai in the quarterfinals, where she battled to a 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 win. In the semifinals, Sabalenka faced off against Svetlana Kuznetsova, emerging victorious with a 6-4, 6-3 win to secure her spot in the final

The championship match saw Sabalenka go head-to-head with the eighth seed Petra Kvitova and claim a 6–3, 6–3 victory in just an hour and 14 minutes to win the 2020 Qatar Open, her sixth career title.