Qatar Open: Osaka edges Martic; Tsurenko upsets Jabeur

Doha, Feb 14 (IANS) Naomi Osaka scored a second-round 6-3, 7-6(9) win over Croatia's Petra Martic and earned her back-to-back victories at a WTA Tour event for the first time in 23 months.

Osaka last won two matches at a WTA tournament at the 2022 Miami Open, where she eventually finished runner-up to Iga Swiatek. But after defeating No.15 seed Caroline Garcia in the first round this week the former World No.1 took another step forward by beating World No.67 Martic in 1 hour and 45 minutes.

The four-time Grand Slam champion was on top of Martic -- whom she last played 10 years ago -- for nearly the duration of the match. But she failed to serve out victory at 6-3, 5-4, and eventually, saved four set points in an epic second-set tiebreak to seal the straight-sets win, on Tuesday, WTA reports.

Bidding for a spot in the quarterfinals of a WTA event for the first time since that effort in Miami, Osaka will next face World No.37 Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine, who was a 6-3, 6-2 winner against No.4 seed Ons Jabeur.

Tsurenko won nine straight games from 3-1 down in the first set against World No.6 Jabeur to score her first Top 10 victory in five years.

Jabeur, meanwhile, told reporters after the match that she was plagued by small problem in her right knee throughout the 81-minute affair, similar issues that affected her last week in a 6-3, 6-4 quarterfinal loss to Beatriz Haddad Maia.

"Definitely much better than last week, but it's still there, unfortunately. It will not heal in two or three days, but I'm doing my best to heal it, and I think it's going to be very positive for the next weeks, said Jabeur.