Marta Kostyuk and Ekaterina Alexandrova pull off huge upsets, sending Gauff and Sabalenka crashing out.

The Qatar Open witnessed absolute carnage as two of the tournament’s biggest stars—Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka—suffered shocking early exits on Tuesday. Marta Kostyuk stunned world number three Gauff in straight sets, while world number one Sabalenka was edged out in a marathon battle against Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Gauff, playing for the first time since her Australian Open quarter-final loss to Paula Badosa, struggled with inconsistency and double faults. Kostyuk took full advantage, sealing a dominant 6-2, 7-5 victory. The Ukrainian capitalised on Gauff’s unforced errors and a disastrous service game that saw the American fire seven double faults.

“Coco is an incredible fighter,” Kostyuk admitted. “But I stuck to my plan and took my chances.”

Gauff showed signs of a comeback in the second set, briefly leading 4-2, but Kostyuk’s resilience forced more errors from the third seed, who ultimately folded under pressure. Gauff handed the match away with two consecutive double faults, sending Kostyuk through to the third round.

Meanwhile, Sabalenka’s return to Qatar ended in disaster as Alexandrova shocked the world number one with a gruelling 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 victory. The Russian, fresh off a WTA title win in Linz, proved too tough for the reigning Australian Open finalist.

A bizarre moment interrupted the second set when a stray cat wandered onto the court, pausing play momentarily. Sabalenka laughed off the distraction, but Alexandrova stayed focused and forced a deciding set. The tie-break was nerve-wracking, with Alexandrova edging it 7-5 to complete a stunning upset.

Elsewhere, ninth seed Paula Badosa was sent packing by Amanda Anisimova in another surprise result, losing 6-4, 6-3. Meanwhile, Elena Rybakina made a winning start, cruising past Peyton Stearns 6-2, 6-4, despite nearly blowing a 5-0 lead in the second set.

Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur also made headlines, dismantling Chinese seventh seed Zheng Qinwen 6-4, 6-2. It marked Jabeur’s first top-10 victory since last year’s Madrid Open, showing signs of resurgence after an injury-plagued season.

Other notable results saw Jasmine Paolini dispatch Caroline Garcia in straight sets, while Jessica Pegula survived a tense battle against Elina Svitolina. Czech youngster Linda Noskova secured a spot against three-time champion Iga Swiatek after easing past Yulia Putintseva.

As the tournament progresses, the exits of Gauff and Sabalenka have thrown the draw wide open, setting the stage for more surprises in Doha.