Ashleigh Barty walked into the Doha quarterfinals without striking a shot.
The world No. 1 advanced to the last eight when scheduled opponent Elena Rybakina withdrew with an abductor injury. Barty will play either Australian Open finalist Garbiñe Muguruza or Dayana Yastremska for a spot in the semifinals.
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The 20-year-old Rybakina, who leads the WTA with a 21-4 record, was coming off back-to-back finals in St. Petersburg and Dubai when she strained her abductor in her 7-6 in-the-third-set win over Alison van Uytvanck yesterday.
"Hello guys, I'm sorry but I have to withdraw from Doha," Rybakina said in a video announcement. "Because I have a small strain in my leg and I don't want to get it worse."
Svetlana Kuznetsova also took a walkover into the quarterfinals when Amanda Anisimova withdrew from their scheduled round of 16 clash due to gastroenteritis.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Kuznetsova will play either fourth-seeded Belinda Bencic or Yulia Putintseva, who toppled defending champion Elise Mertens, for a final four spot.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve