WATCH: Aryna Sabalenka in splits over cat forcing her to halt play against Ekaterina Alexandrova at Qatar Open

A feline visitor adorably interrupted the second-round match between Aryna Sabalenka and Ekaterina Alexandrova at the 2025 Qatar Open. The hilarious moment left a huge smile on the Belarusian's face.

The two women were engaged in an enthralling topsy-turvy contest, where the Russian came back from a set down to shockingly oust the top seed 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5). Following her victory, Alexandrova will face Elise Mertens in the next round. Interstingly, third seed Coco Gauff also exited the WTA 1000 event today opening up the top half of the draw.

However, during the second set, a special visitor decided to get the best seats in the house for the heated contest. A cat entered the court as Alexandrova was getting ready to serve, and as soon as Sabalenka laid her eyes on the multi-colored feline, she was left with a huge smile on her face. What made the incident funnier was the fact that the feline escaped the security with some fine poise.

Watch the hilarious incident below:

Tennis has seen many instances of animals and insects interrupting the game but interestingly, this is not the first time a cat has stopped the play. During Venus Williams' first-round match against Diana Shnaider at the Miami Open last year, a black and white cat decided to get the best seats in the house to watch the seven-time Grand Slam champion in action.

After admitting she went into depression following her Australian Open heartbreak, things have gone from bad to worse for the Belarusian as she has now suffered a shocking early exit.

"I've been depressed for a little bit after that tough loss" - Aryna Sabalenka gets candid about her Australian Open heartbreak

Aryna Sabalenka - Source: Getty

Ahead of the tournament, Aryna Sabalenka made an honest admission about being in depression following her defeat to Madison Keys in the final of the 2025 Australian Open. The World No. 1 was looking to complete a three-peat following her heroics in 2023 and 2024. However, she did manage to take some positives from her journey.

“I’ve been depressed for a little bit after that tough loss in the finals. Looking back, I did everything I could. I left everything I had on the court. Even though I lost that match, I still think it was a great start,” she mentioned.

During her post-match press conference following her Melbourne heartbreak, Aryna Sabalenka stated that though she was proud of reaching the final, "Nobody remembers the finalist".