Coco Gauff suffered a surprise second-round defeat against lucky loser Elisabetta Cocciaretto at the Qatar Open, before Iga Swiatek overcame Janice Tjen in straight sets.

Gauff – who also exited in the second round at Doha last year – fell to a 6-4 6-2 defeat as Cocciaretto continued her stellar start to 2026. 

Errors characterised Gauff's performance from the off, particularly on her forehand, as Cocciaretto got back-to-back breaks in the first set – the first coming to love and the second at the end of a drawn-out game.

Gauff was unable to correct those deficiencies in the second set and quickly fell 5-1 behind. The American rallied briefly and missed a break-point opportunity at 5-2, with Cocciaretto quickly recovering to convert her first match point. 

In the mixed zone afterwards, Gauff said: "I just feel like some of the things I've been working on in practice aren't translating to the match court, which is super frustrating.

"I tried to be more aggressive and was hitting more unforced errors. When I tried to be a little more passive and play with more shape, she was taking the ball early and crushing the ball."

Cocciaretto will now face Ann Li in the round of 16, while Swiatek will take on Daria Kasatkina after overcoming Tjen 6-0 6-3.

Swiatek needed just 25 minutes to bagel her opponent, who sits 46th in the WTA Rankings, in the opening set. 

The second was more of an even affair, with the players trading breaks in games one and two, but Swiatek gave up little from then on and edged a back-and-forth eighth game against her opponent's serve to get over the line.

32 - Since the Tier I format’s introduction in 1990, only Martina Hingis (40) has claimed more consecutive opening match wins at Tier I/WTA-1000 events than Iga Swiatek (32). Welcoming.#QatarTennis | @QatarTennis @WTA pic.twitter.com/Z7VMwWDT9m

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) February 10, 2026

Data Debrief: Cocciaretto joins exclusive club, Swiatek dominates again

Since the format's 1990 introduction, Cocciaretto is just the fourth lucky loser to defeat a WTA top-five opponent at a Tier I/WTA-1000 event.

Lilia Osterloh (Tokyo 2000), Madison Keys (Madrid 2013) and Beatriz Haddad Maia (Indian Wells 2021) had previously accomplished that feat.

Meanwhile, Swiatek ranks fifth for the most sets won by a 6-0 scoreline at Tier I or WTA-1000 events, with 36. Martina Hingis (52), Serena Williams (50), Conchita Martinez (40) and Victoria Azarenka (37) are the four players above her.