Coco Gauff used media day at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open to discuss more than tennis, revealing she finished Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights between her run to the Australian Open quarterfinals and her return to Doha. The 1847 novel and Emerald Fennell’s upcoming film adaptation starring Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie prompted a blunt read and a clear reaction from the American.

“I’m really curious how they’re going to do the movie, because I saw that they’re marketing it as the greatest love story, and after reading it, it’s not a great love story,” Gauff said. “So I don’t really know if this is about to be like, I feel like it’s just going to be the director’s take on the movie, based off the marketing. We’ll see.

“It was a good book, but it definitely is not the greatest love story. It’s a lot of toxicity and abuse going on in that book.”

The experience apparently nudged Gauff toward more classic reads. “I’ve never read a book in the 1800s before, so I had to reread a couple pages sometimes to understand the English. But I think it was good, I think I’ll do it some more to challenge myself.” She also showed off a Heated Rivalry hat she received as a gift at the end of the press conference.

On court in Doha, Gauff is entered in both singles and doubles, the latter alongside Victoria Mboko. As the No. 4 seed she remains focused on her tournament preparation but allowed room for other parts of the winter calendar.

“My friend’s boyfriend is on the Seahawks, so I’m rooting for the Seahawks strictly because of her,” she said, casting her lot with Seattle ahead of their meeting with the New England Patriots.

Gauff also flagged the Super Bowl halftime show as her viewing priority. “I’m excited to see Bad Bunny perform. Hopefully Cardi B can come out. So, I’m more interested in the halftime show this year, just because I don’t really have a dog in the fight for the Super Bowl. I’ll probably be sleeping, and I’ll just watch the halftime show in the morning.”

Iga Swiatek shared a clip from Familiada, the Polish take on Family Feud, that placed her at the top of a public survey of the country’s most successful athletes. The clip showed Swiatek receiving 26 votes, ahead of Robert Lewandowski, who was listed second.

Ahead of her return to the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, Swiatek addressed the item at Media Day. “It’s hard to answer that one, honestly,” she said, adding context to how the survey compared athletes from different sports. The organizers’ ranking prompted a wider online conversation. “There was a big discussion on the internet,” she added. “I was surprised I was first and Robert was second, so that’s what was a little funny because to me, he’s still a legend. It’s a funny show, so we can all laugh about it.” The draft also notes Lewandowski as a two-time winner of FIFA’s Best Men’s Player Award.

Away from the television clip, Swiatek has kept her focus on the court. She reached the Australian Open quarterfinals and has been preparing for the Middle East swing, where she has enjoyed success in prior seasons. The three-time Doha champion said she has been working on her serve, forehand, and footwork while adjusting to the tournament’s slower conditions. “You can’t wait for the ball to come to you here.”

Swiatek also spent time off court exploring the city with rival Amanda Anisimova. The pair visited the Museum of Islamic Art. “These museums are so fresh and you can see that they’re new and in beautiful places next to the water. We took some nice photos and saw some nice pieces of art.”

The Familiada clip offered a light moment during a week otherwise devoted to match preparation and tuning the game to Doha conditions. Swiatek’s comments blended humour about the survey with a clear focus on the technical work ahead of the tournament.

Victoria Mboko continued her string of three-set battles at the start of 2026, producing back-to-back wins in Adelaide to advance toward the semifinals. “Maybe I can try to find some straight-set wins soon.” The 19-year-old has now played five matches this year and all five have gone the distance. She is 4-1 in deciders to begin the season.

Mboko split her opening two matches at the United Cup before arriving at the WTA 500 in Adelaide. On Wednesday she saved a pair of match points to beat Anna Kalinskaya and keep her run alive. The following day she produced her biggest result of the stretch by defeating the defending champion, No. 2 seed Madison Keys, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

In the final set Mboko did not face a break point and won half of her return points to pull away from the reigning Australian Open champion. “She hits a pretty strong ball, and all I was thinking in that moment was just to try to stay low and try to redirect as much as I could, and try to either make her miss first or have a good opportunity to take control,” Mboko assessed during a press conference Thursday.

The world No. 17 is seeking a third career trophy. She captured her maiden WTA title on home soil last August at the 1000-level event in Montreal and finished 2025 with a title in Hong Kong. Local hopeful Kimberly Birrell, the player Mboko defeated at the start of that seven-match run, awaits in the semifinals.

As the eighth seed, Mboko can move into the Top 15 by winning the title this week. “I’m expecting a big fight tomorrow. She also has the crowd advantage, so that’s good for her,” she said. “But I’m going to just go in the match like I do every other match, and just stay right in there, try to play my game, and just have fun on court.”

Mboko reflected on the rapid change in her career over the last year. “I kind of had to adjust and adapt very quickly from playing ITFs to suddenly playing on the WTA tour full. Often playing top players, you have to get used to all of that,” she reflected. “So I’m glad I can kind of get a deep run in this tournament, and try to set the tone for the start of this year.” At this time a year ago she was ranked No. 337.