Episode 7 of The Big T podcast assembled three hosts in one room for a wide-ranging recap after a busy week on tour. The conversation returned repeatedly to Karolina Muchova’s run in Doha, where she dropped just one set en route to the 1000-level title. For a stretch the tournament looked like Victoria Mboko’s to lose; the Canadian teen had defeated Mirra Andreeva and Elana Rybakina to reach the semifinals but could not handle Muchova’s all-court game in the final.

“I feel like she’s the biggest ‘What if?’ player on the women’s tour,” says BG of Karolina Muchova, the recently crowned champion in Doha.

Panelists noted Muchova’s unusual career profile. Despite three Grand Slam semifinals, a career-high ranking of No. 8 and a 338-163 record, this Doha trophy was only her second WTA-level title and her first since 2019. Coco Vandeweghe offered another comparison, arguing Muchova “really disrupts the big power game…we haven’t seen for at least a good eight years now, since Ash retired.”

The show also examined a rare statistical footnote: for the first time in 44 years three tournaments produced finals that paired the No. 1 seed vs. the No. 2 seed. From an American perspective the standout was Taylor Fritz vs. Ben Shelton. “It was exciting, the quality was great, the men were moving incredibly well,” she said. “I was very impressed.” Fritz had three match points on Shelton’s serve but could not convert; Gilbert predicted the win will breed confidence for Shelton. “When you get a tournament win like that,” said Gilbert of Shelton, “the next place that you go to…you get in a same situation, I’m going to find another win.”

Bank or Shank returned, with the hosts weighing tennis hypotheticals. On the statement that there is too much clay on the calendar Andrea Petkovic answered Shank. Coco Vandeweghe wasn’t buying what Andrea Petkovic was selling.

The episode also addressed player retirements and schedule strain. The 2025 season saw the highest percentage of mid-tournament withdrawals and retirements on record, with 25 percent more retirements on the ATP and 50 percent more on the WTA compared with 20 years ago. “There should be some sort of penalty for retiring, because you screwed the fans—you couldn’t have been that bad, you played the next week,” said BG. “You blame the tours more than you blame the tournaments,” says Vandeweghe, noting that both tournaments were elevated to mandatory 1000s. “It makes it impossible for the women to pick and choose what they want. If you don’t play these two 1000s, then you have to put the load at the end of the year.”

Hosts invited listener questions and flagged a listener moment: Good question, Lynn from Seattle. The answer is only a click away (44-minute mark).

Elena Rybakina withdrew early in the third set against Antonia Ruzic at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, handing the lucky loser a place in her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal. The reigning Australian Open champion called for the trainer after Ruzic broke her serve to open the third set. Following a consultation, where Rybakina said she was experiencing nausea, the top seed opted not to continue further. A GI illness was listed as the official reason for Rybakina abandoning the third-round clash.

Ruzic’s run to the last eight followed a string of tight victories. The 23-year-old came through deciding sets against Emma Raducanu and Anastasia Zakharova after falling in the opening round of qualifying to Rebecca Sramkova. She was one of seven lucky losers to enter the main draw as the tournament dealt with 10 withdrawals, including the WTA’s top-two ranked players Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, defending champion Mirra Andreeva set up a last-eight meeting with second-seeded Amanda Anisimova. Andreeva defeated Jaqueline Cristian, 7-5, 6-3, following Anisimova’s 6-1, 6-3 victory over Janice Tjen. The American claimed their lone meeting in the third round of the 2025 Miami Open.

The sequence of retirements and withdrawals reshaped the draw, providing opportunities for qualifiers and lucky losers to advance deep into the WTA 1000 event. Ruzic will now prepare for a quarterfinal against a seeded opponent after advancing when the top seed was unable to continue. The tournament’s next round will determine whether the lucky loser’s breakthrough continues or if established seeds reassert control of the draw.

Alexandra Eala produced the headline result of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships second round, defeating No. 6-seeded and No. 8-ranked Jasmine Paolini 6-1, 7-6 (5) in a match lasting an hour and 40 minutes.

Eala dominated the opening set, racing through it and later reaching a set and a break up as victory loomed. Paolini mounted a fierce reply in the second set, saving three match points while serving at 3-5 — two at 15-40 and a third at ad-out — then won three games in a row to lead 6-5. Eala held to force a tie-break, missed another match point at 6-4, but closed the match on her fifth match point with a forehand winner up the line. It was her 24th and final winner of the match.

“All of the emotions are coming because the tension was so high, especially during that second set, so I’m really happy to have gotten through,” Eala said after the win. “She’s a great opponent, obviously being Top 10 and a former champion here in Dubai, so to be able to compete at this level with her is a great achievement for me.”

Reflecting on the decisive moments, Eala added: “In the tie-break I was trying everything to keep myself in check. In the change of ends I was thinking about how this stadium is full of Filipinos, and I thought of how many of them were probably praying for me to win! So I knew that I had to give everything I had.”

The victory marks Eala’s third Top 10 scalp of her career; her first two came against Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek during her breakthrough run to the semifinals at another WTA 1000 event in Miami last year. All three wins over top players have come in straight sets, and her record against Top 10 opponents now stands at 3-2.

ALEXANDRA EALA VS TOP 10 PLAYERS: 3-2