QATAR TOTAL ENERGIES OPEN

February 13, 2026

Maria Sakkari

Press Conference

K. MUCHOVA/M. Sakkari

3-6, 6-4, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Maria, despite today's results, how proud are you of your performance this week and reaching the semis here?

MARIA SAKKARI: Yeah, it's tough because it would have been great to just make it to the final. But I'm very, very happy that after a very long time I managed to have a great week in a very big tournament like this one.

So I'm very proud of myself, very proud of the way I've developed my game this week, and just looking forward to many good results this year.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You were up a set and a break, but it was really tight all match. Just wondering if you feel she changed something after 2-0 down in the second, or if you maybe went down a notch.

MARIA SAKKARI: I think obviously I think I got a little bit tight. It's always easy to get nervous when you're up a set and a break. It happens all the time, it's a very common thing. Maybe a little nervous, so then I was not really going after my shots as much as in the first set and up until that point.

She obviously started playing really well, going for her shots, and being more aggressive. I still think that the level was great for the first two sets. Then obviously my intensity and my energy probably went down a little bit too much, and hers went up. Yeah, I think that a win like yesterday is always very tough to, especially in three sets, it's tough to carry the momentum and just be fresh the next day. I think the more I do it this year, the more used to it I'm going to get.

Q. Iga and Aryna have announced that they're both withdrawing from Dubai. Just curious if that surprises you, and how tough is the turnaround from Doha to Dubai after a strong week here? Do you feel like you have that energy, momentum to go through the whole Middle East swing?

MARIA SAKKARI: Right now I have no energy at all (laughing). I need food. I need fuel. I didn't know that, actually. That's very surprising, but at the same time it's not. As I mentioned I think a few days ago, we decided that we're going to play a more reduced calendar. Not that that means that I'm going to play 10, 12 tournaments a year, but we're not going to chase stupidly points and tournaments.

I think, on their level, I mean, it's the No. 1 and No. 2 in the world, they can basically be more selective with what they play. I don't know if it's injury or fatigue related, but probably they thought that it's the right thing to do for them.

It's a very quick turnaround. I mean, especially for me not to have a bye, I have to travel tomorrow morning and potentially play, hopefully, actually, I hope the supervisor puts me on Monday (laughing).

Q. I know you talked about it in other media sessions how last year was a difficult season for you, and you've obviously had a pretty strong start to 2026. Where have you seen the most evolution in your game getting back to what you were in the rankings?

MARIA SAKKARI: Sorry, what was the last, the second bit of the question?

Q. From compared to last year and getting back to where you were, where have you seen the biggest evolution in yourself as a player?

MARIA SAKKARI: Okay. I think I would say mostly on the style we decided to play. Just being a very aggressive player, but also at the same time solid, if that makes sense. I feel like if you try to make balls now days, you're done. Everyone plays big and fast, and you need to, you know, develop and just become a more aggressive player. But of course I cannot be ultra aggressive like an Ostapenko or Aryna or someone that is bigger, taller, and has, you know, a bigger coverage because of their height. But going to the net is also something that we always want to do in the matches and I think it's been working really well so far.

Q. To that point about players wanting to be more aggressive, I feel like we hear like Iga and Coco both talk about feeling that they want to step up their game. Do you feel that stress around the locker room, that players maybe don't feel as confident to rely on their athleticism, given that the power level has gone up at the top?

MARIA SAKKARI: I think when these players talk about being more aggressive, it doesn't mean that they're going to, they're not going to use their athleticism. They're still going to use it, because that's an advantage, and not many girls have it, because not many girls can move the way the girls you mentioned move. That's something that it can take you far, because the more you last, the more balls you can chase, the more chance you have to win a point. So I think it's just how these girls that you mentioned are trying to just evolve and improve as players.