Controversial Qatar Open QF scheduling for Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula & others infuriates tennis insider

The "tricky" court conditions in the courts of Qatar don't seem to be the only issue for players, as tennis insider Jose Morgado lashed out at a controversial scheduling plan. He claimed it could affect quarterfinalists including Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, and Elena Rybakina in an unpredictable manner.

Jessica Pegula is preparing for her quarterfinal showdown against Ekaterina Alexandrova. However, the latest scheduling plan prompts an unusual twist in the semifinal matchups.

Typically, the winner of QF 1 faces the winner of QF 2. However, this time, the QF 1 winner is set to play against the winner of QF 4, instead.

Tennis journalist Jose Morgado appeared baffled by the scheduling error in Doha. He shared a picture of all four quarterfinal showdowns via his X (formerly Twitter) handle and mentioned that the event was taking an unexpected turn.

"What on Earth is this scheduling in Doha? Winner of QF1 faces the winner of QF4 in semifinals," he wrote.

As the update gained attention on social media, many fans criticized the authorities for the unexpected change.

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Iga Swiatek addresses major concerns in Doha, refers to court conditions as 'tricky'

Iga Swiatek at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open - Day Four - Source: Getty

Following her second-round victory over Maria Sakkari on Monday, February 10, Iga Swiatek voiced her concerns about the consistency of court conditions in Doha and said (via Eurosport):

"I think the conditions here are pretty tricky, and I was patient enough to just keep focusing on my game. Every year it’s different, every year there is a different story, so it’s hard to compare and hard to find one thing that worked exactly," Swiatek told the media in a press conference at the Qatar Open.

In addition, the Pole also discussed her mindset and strategy as she looks to clinch her first title this year.

"It doesn't always depend on you if you win titles or not. You just have to put 100% effort and commitment, and you'll get your chances if you play well and if you work hard. For sure, it will be nice to win some tournaments, but it's never helpful to think about it before. You have to focus on every match specifically and do it step by step, so I'm going to try to do that again," she added.

Swiatek defeated Linda Noskova to set up a quarterfinal clash against Elena Rybakina on Thursday. As per the scheduling twist, the winner of this match is expected to face the winner between Ons Jabeur and Jelena Ostapenko.