Beatriz Haddad Maia joins Abu Dhabi SF line-up over distressed Ons Jabeur

The first leg of the Hologic WTA tour’s Middle East Swing has reached its critical stage as the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open’s quarterfinal action plays out on Friday, featuring an upset from Beatriz Haddad Maia over No. 2 seed Ons Jabeur.

A former world No. 2, Jabeur appeared physically hampered and emotional throughout a 6-3, 6-4 defeat to send the 2023 Roland Garros semifinalist into the final four alongside top seed Elena Rybakina and last year’s Abu Dhabi runner-up Liudmila Samsonova. Haddad Maia scored a second straight win over Jabeur, having beaten her in three sets last spring in Paris, advancing in 90 minutes flat on Stadium Court.

Jabeur has struggled to launch her 2024 season after an early exit at the Australian Open, winning just two games against Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva in the second round, but had appeared in better form in Abu Dhabi after defeating 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu in straight sets on Wednesday.

To the Tunisian’s visible dismay, Haddad Maia proved a much tougher task in the quarterfinals as the Brazilian raced ahead by a set and a break. Haddad Maia has enjoyed an impressive rise up the rankings since 2022, when she reached her first WTA 1000 final in Canada. She became the first Brazilian woman to crack the Top 10 last June when she reached the semifinals on the terre battueand ended last season with a victory at the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai.

Jabeur brought the second set back on serve but became overawed in the eighth game, ultimately dropping serve behind a slew of unforced errors to the initiative back to the No. 6 seed.

Jabeur found a vein of form at the 11th hour, striking a barrage of winners to earn break points as Haddad Maia served for the match, but Haddad Maia saved both—the second with an incredible volley—and got over the line after saving a third.

Earlier in the day, top seed Rybakina booked an intriguing rematch with nemesis Samsonova, who leads the 2022 Wimbledon champion by a whopping 4-0 in their head-to-head—including two hard-court victories in the last six months. Rybakina wasted little time against Spanish lucky loser Cristina Bucșa with a 6-1, 6-4 victory, looking stronger since her own early exit from the Australian Open and after rallying from a set down to defeat Danielle Collins on Thursday.

Samsonova will nonetheless be a formidable opponent for the Kazakh after she won her own quarterfinal in straight sets against No. 4 seed Barbora Krejcikova, 7-5, 6-4.

Seeded No. 8 this week, the 25-year-old is rounding into form after going 0-2 in Australia, including a first-round Melbourne defeat to Amanda Anisimova. Samsonova improved to 7-1 in Abu Dhabi, having narrowly missed out on the title in 2023, losing the final to Belinda Bencic from match point up.

The final quarterfinal of the day will take place between No.7 seed Daria Kasatkina and a resurgent Sorana Cirstea, who scored back-to-back wins over Caroline Garcia and No. 3 seed Maria Sakkari to reach the last eight.