Naomi Osaka: Former world number one advances to the last eight of a tournament for the first time since 2022

Former world number one Naomi Osaka has advanced to the quarterfinals of the tournament for the first time in two years.

The 26-year-old reached the last eight at the Qatar Open after her opponent Lesia Tsurenko withdrew before the match due to injury.

Osaka returned to tennis last month after giving birth to daughter Shai in July.

Her performance in Doha was her best since reaching the final of the Miami Open in April 2022, where she lost to Iga Swiatek.

Japan's four-time major champion Osaka will face in-form Karolina Pliskova in the quarterfinals.

The Czech former world number one won her first WTA title in four years at the Transylvania Open on Sunday, defeating compatriot Linda Noskova 3-6, 7-5, 6-1.

Swiatek, the top seed and two-time defending champion, also booked a spot in the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Ekaterina Alexandrova on Wednesday.

Poland's Swiatek will face two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, who defeated No. 8 seed Jelena Ostapenko 6-0, 6-3.

Elsewhere in Doha, Australian Open runner-up Zheng Qinwen lost to Canada's Leila Fernandes 7-5, 6-3, while Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrusova lost to Russia's Anastasia Pavliuchenkova 7- 5 We lost 6-3.

Italy's Jannik Sinner defeated Botic van de Zanzschulp in his first match since winning his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open last month.

The 22-year-old Sinner started his winning streak with a straight-sets win over Van de Zandsschulp in Melbourne and then won again in the first round of the Rotterdam Open on Wednesday.

The top seed won 6-3, 6-3 in just one hour and 27 minutes to book a place in the last 16 against France's Gael Monfils.

Sinner, who defeated Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open final last month, was runner-up to the Russian in Rotterdam last year.

If he can take another step forward this year, he will rise to a career-high third place in the world rankings.