Tennis fans are familiar with match disruptions due to rain or bad light, but an unusual incident at the Qatar Open on Tuesday brought play to a halt, even in an indoor setting.
A surprise cat guest delightfully disrupted Aryna Sabalenka’s second-round match against Ekaterina Alexandrova at the 2025 Qatar Open, bringing a big smile to the Belarusian player’s face. The quick-thinking cat evaded capture by a steward and made a swift escape, darting behind an advertising board and disappearing from view.
Tennis has a history of unexpected animal interruptions, and cats seem to be particularly fond of the sport. This isn’t the first time a feline has halted play, as a black and white cat famously crashed Venus Williams’ match against Diana Shnaider at the Miami Open last year, claiming the best seat in the house.
Aryna Sabalenka got knocked out from the Qatar Open
The Women’s world number one player Aryna Sabalenka was stunned in a second-round upset at the Qatar Open on Tuesday. In a thrilling match that lasted over two hours, Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia handed world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka a stunning 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) defeat in the Qatar Open second round.
This was Sabalenka’s first match since her Australian Open final loss to Madison Keys in January. Alexandrova carried her winning momentum from last week’s title win in Linz into the Doha tournament. Aryna Sabalenka returned to the Qatar Open for the first time since 2022, a tournament she won in 2020, marking her comeback to the first WTA 1000 event of the season.
