Fresh off a Grand Slam triumph and riding a red-hot streak, Elena Rybakina looked unstoppable in Doha. But teenage sensation Victoria Mboko had other plans, stunning the world No. 3 to reach the semifinals of the Qatar Open and shake up the rankings race.

Mboko prevailed 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 after a two-hour-and-23-minute battle, denying Rybakina a 10th consecutive victory following wins over Wang Xinyu and Zheng Qinwen earlier in the week. “This week has been insane. I never expected such a result for myself. I’ve just been taking it day by day,” Mboko said after the win. “It was a great match with Elena. She has a pretty good record right now. To play this match is really an honor to share the court with her. Hopefully, I can play her so many more times in the future.”

The result halted one of the tour’s most dominant runs. Rybakina was chasing a new career-high ranking of No. 2 in Doha, but Mboko’s fearless shot-making flipped the script. With this incredible win, the 19-year-old Canadian star has reached her second WTA 1000 SF, and guess what? This was also her second Top 10 win of the 2026 season.

How does it feel to become just the second player to defeat Elena Rybakina in her last 24 matches? “Going into the match, I knew I would have to put up a really big fight. She’d just won the Australian Open, and I’ve previously played her three times, so I knew it wasn’t going to be easy at all. I feel like we both had our ups and downs in the match… when you’re not feeling your best and just getting it through, it feels good in a way when you’re able to pull it through.”

With the victory, Mboko also became the first teenager to reach the Doha semifinals since Jelena Ostapenko in 2016. The Canadian, playing only her sixth WTA 1000 event, is now the highest seed remaining and has beaten Mirra Andreeva and Rybakina in consecutive rounds. Interestingly, she’ll now be facing Ostapenko in the semis. This will be their first meeting on the Tour.

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While sharing thoughts about the Latvian, Victoria Mboko said, “She knows these courts well; she knows the environment. I’m expecting her to play really great tennis. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

Only time can tell now if the teenager can make it through to the finals at the 2026 Qatar Open or not. But this was a huge setback for someone like Rybakina.

What did Elena Ryabkina say after her shocking Qatar Open exit?

Despite the three-set defeat, Rybakina chose optimism over frustration, viewing the week as valuable preparation after returning from Melbourne. Having played a demanding three-set battle against Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in the previous round, fatigue was always going to be a factor. The World No. 3 admitted the physical challenge but took pride in her resilience.

Later in the post-match interview, Elena Rybakina was asked if she felt she had recovered from yesterday’s match. Replying to that, the Kazakh star admitted that it was a “tough match.” But having said that, he also added, “I’m actually happy that I managed to give this fight. I hadn’t played such long matches in a long time. In Australia, we always had a day in between, and I was playing all the matches in two sets except for the final. I think it was still a good tournament for me. I had to do some stuff outside of the court. I think it’s a good preparation, even for the other tournaments.” But that’s not all…

While the defeat halted her Doha campaign, Rybakina made it clear her ambitions extend far beyond a single WTA 1000 event. And it seems the two-time Grand Slam champion is hungry to win more. Asked which major she would prefer to win next, she gave a telling response.

“All of them! (laughs) There is nothing to choose. It doesn’t matter which Grand Slam. But that’s the goal.”

The message was simple – the loss may sting, but the season’s targets remain massive. And if Doha was any indication, Elena Rybakina is already building toward another deep Slam run.

For now, her full focus will be on recovery before heading to Dubai for yet another exciting tennis tournament. Do you think Rybakina can make a strong comeback from this unexpected exit from the Qatar Open and finish her Middle East campaign with a title over there? Share your thoughts in the comment box.