DUBAI: Unseeded Daria Kasatkina upset Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza 3-6, 7-6 (13-11), 6-1 on Friday with a dramatic fightback in their semifinal at the Dubai Championships.
After dropping the opening set and falling a break behind in the second, the 20-year-old Russian turned the tables, leaving the world number three gasping and completely out of the deciding set.
Kasatkina saved nine of 12 break points and broke Muguruza five times in a thriller lasting for more than two and a half hours.
In the second set the unseeded Kasatkina saved three Muguruza match points before coming good on her fourth set point.
In the third, Kasatkina, ranked 24th and winner of the Charleston title last spring, rode her rising momentum as the fight drained out of Muguruza.
“I was just trying to fight for every ball because Garbine, she’s playing unbelievable,” Kasatkina said.
“She’s very tough opponent. She’s hitting so hard, playing so fast. I was just trying to do whatever I could.
“Before the match I was really, really tired. When you’re going on court, adrenaline is coming.
“You start to run, blood start to run into your body, that’s it. You’re just focused on every ball. The tired is somewhere, going somewhere.”
Muguruza had been aiming to become only the fifth player to reach both Doha (last weekend) and Dubai finals in the same season.
“My game was fine. I feel I really struggled physically because I’ve been playing so many matches in a row. Today was very physical,” Muguruza said.
“At the third set I really noticed it because my legs were starting to get very fatigue. I think all the accumulation came up a little bit.
“I’m remaining positive, I managed to play a lot of matches, good ones, final and semifinal. I think it’s a great two weeks.”
Kasatkina will face either holder Elina Svitolina, the top seed, or Germany’s former No. 1 Angelique Kerber.
Daria Kasatkina upsets Garbine Muguruza to reach Dubai final
Daria Kasatkina upsets Garbine Muguruza to reach Dubai final
Sixth Dakar Rally win for Al-Attiyah as Benavides triumphs on two wheels
Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah won the Dakar Rally for the sixth time in the car category on Saturday as Argentina’s Luciano Benavides won by two seconds on two wheels, the narrowest margin ever.
Al-Attiyah, with Belgian co-driver Fabian Lurquin, had led overnight after taking his 50th career stage win and made no mistakes as he handed Dacia a first victory at their second attempt in the two-week event held entirely in Saudi Arabia.
The 55-year-old Qatari also won in 2011, 2015, 2019, 2022 and 2023.
Ford’s Nani Roma finished second, nine minutes and 42 seconds behind, and teammate Mattias Ekstrom was third after winning the final stage.
Last year’s winner Yazeed Al-Rajhi of Saudi Arabia withdrew in the opening week after mechanical problems.
Benavides had earlier taken the motorcycle title after American Ricky Brabec lost his way and saw victory slip through his fingers.
The KTM rider, whose older brother Kevin won the Dakar in 2021 and 2023, came home second in the 105-km stage in Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port of Yanbu, with Honda’s overnight leader Brabec 10th.
In a grueling endurance event spanning two weeks and 8,000km over rocky roads, through canyons and vast expanses of desert dunes, twice winner Brabec blew his chances with only a few kilometers remaining.
Spaniard Tosha Schareina finished third overall for Honda.
“From the start to the finish I never stopped dreaming, I never stopped believing,” said Benavides, who had trailed Brabec by three minutes and 20 seconds after Friday’s penultimate stage.
“I said to all my people around ‘I don’t know why but I still feel it’s possible, I still believe I can win and it’s going to go my way’.
“In the last three kilometers, Ricky took a wrong piste and I took a good one... I just saw the opportunity and I took it.”
American Skyler Howes was fourth overall for Honda, ahead of Australia’s 2025 champion Daniel Sanders on a KTM.
Sanders crashed on stage 10 but refused to retire and raced on despite a suspected broken collarbone.
