Gracheva defeated in final qualifying round of Doha Masters 1000

The first WTA Masters 1000 of the season kicks off next week in Qatar.

The world's best players are in Doha, where Iga Swiatek will attempt to defend the title she won last year from Elena Rybakina.

Caroline Garcia is the only Frenchwoman taking part in the Qatari tournament. Benefiting from a wild card, she will face Yuan Yue in her opening match.

If successful, she could meet up with Jasmine Paolini, world number 4, while Varvara Gracheva failed to make it past the qualifying round.

After a first-round victory over Anna-Karolina Schmiedlova (6-4, 6-1), the 24-year-old fell to Aoi Ito (6-2, 6-4) and will not be joining the main draw.

Ranked 70th in the world, the eighth-placed finalist at the last French Open won just one match on the main circuit in 2025, in the first round of the Australian Open against McNally.