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With Caroline Wozniacki out, Qatar Total Open field shifts toward Simona Halep

By Harry Floyd

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 11: Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark serves during a practice session ahead of the 2019 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 11, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 11: Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark serves during a practice session ahead of the 2019 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 11, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images) /
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Action in Doha is underway at the 2019 Qatar Total Open. The tournament will, however, be without former world number one Caroline Wozniacki.

Illness forces former world number one Caroline Wozniacki to withdraw from this year’s Qatar Total Open. The Danish tennis star was set to take on Czech qualifier Karolina Muchova before it was announced that she has a viral illness and will no longer be playing. Australian veteran Samantha Stosur is the big winner following the news.  Despite losing her final qualifying match, she replaces Wozniacki in the main draw.

Stosur won two matches in qualifying before falling in three sets to Anna Blinkova who went on to shock the seventh seeded Anastasija Sevastova in her opener. The main draw gains a former US Open champion with Stosur joining the field.

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A Wozniacki absence also spells potential big gains for the likes of Simona Halep and other top players. Halep enters the Qatar Total Open as the top seed. She is behind just the surging Naomi Osaka and Petra Kvitova in the women’s singles rankings. A strong performance in Doha could set up Halep to begin her quest back to world number one.

Last year, it was Wozniacki and Halep trading off the top spot in women’s tennis for much of the first half of the tour. Then, the WTA Tour witnessed several other challengers in Osaka, Kvitova, Angelique Kerber, and eventual WTA Finals champion Elina Svitolina.

Early winners at the Qatar Total Open include Carla Suárez Navarro, Alison Riske, and Lesia Tsurenko. Tournament action moves on without Wozniacki. Also withdrawing from play due to a leg injury is current world number 19 Caroline Garcia.

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Halep should be considered the favorite right now at the Qatar Total Open. She takes on Tsurenko who will be coming off of an opening round win. The Romanian tennis star looks to begin her ascent to the top ranking in the sport yet again with a strong performance in Doha. With Wozniacki out of the mix, the tournament is Halep’s to lose.

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