Baptiste Reaches First WTA Semifinal in Abu Dhabi
France’s Diane Parry defeated Poland’s Magda Linette 6-2, 6-4 to advance to the semifinal round of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open on Thursday, .
Parry’s opponent in the semifinal will be Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who advanced after Belinda Bencic withdrew from the tournament due to illness, according to reports from the event.
However, the biggest surprise of the day came with Diane Baptiste’s upset victory over Samsonova, securing her place in her first career WTA semifinal. Baptiste, 24, has been in impressive form, reaching her first WTA 500 quarterfinal earlier in the tournament.
The atmosphere at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open has been electric, with packed Stadium Court providing a significant boost to the players. Filipina star Alexandra Eala experienced this firsthand, staging a remarkable comeback against Aliaksandra Sasnovich in a nearly three-hour match to secure her quarter-final spot. Eala fought back from 4-0 down in the deciding set, fueled by the enthusiastic support of the crowd, particularly the Filipino expats in the region.
“The support is really great (in Abu Dhabi),” Eala said following her victory. “I’ve been in a lot of positions before with a lot of people, but this year has really stepped up a notch. With every match I play in these environments, I’m learning to have fun and enjoy it. What’s special here is seeing the crowd get excited, and knowing Notice so many Filipino expats in the region who come together for moments like this. It’s a platform for them to celebrate and share in something they’re excited about. I’m really grateful for that support.”
Other players advancing on Thursday included Ekaterina Alexandrova, who defeated Dayana Yastremska in straight sets, and Sara Belem, who produced an upset over former finalist Jelena Ostapenko. Sonay Kartal also secured her place in the next round, defeating Renata Zarazua, who entered the tournament as a lucky loser following Bencic’s withdrawal.
The 2025 WTA Tour has already seen Aryna Sabalenka finish the year as world No. 1 for the second time in her career. Sabalenka won four tournaments during the season, including the US Open, and was runner-up at the Australian Open and French Open. She also secured the title of prize money leader with $15,008,519 and points leader with 10,870 points.
Other award recipients for the 2025 season included Madison Keys, who won the Australian Open; Coco Gauff, who took the French Open title; Iga Świątek, who won Wimbledon; and Katerina Siniaková and Taylor Townsend, who were named doubles team of the year. Amanda Anisimova was recognized as the most improved player, and Victoria Mboko was named newcomer of the year.
The 2025 WTA Tour calendar included the four Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA 1000, WTA 500, and WTA 250 tournaments, as well as the Billie Jean King Cup, the United Cup, and the Hopman Cup.
