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Maria Sakkari went toe-to-toe early on in her match against Iga Swiatek and was even up by a break but then her level abruptly collapsed as the Pole went on a huge eight-game winning run before completing a 6-3 6-2 win.
After not converting two break points in the first game, the Greek dropped her serve in the following game as the Pole went 2-0 up.
However, the former world No. 3 didn't get discouraged by early missed opportunities and she responded with back-to-back breaks to overturn the deficit and open a 3-2 lead.
But just when it started to look like Sakkari came to play and that she had a shot at being a real threat to Swiatek, she lost the next eight games as the Pole went 6-3 4-0 up.
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While the Greek managed to finally get on the board again in the fifth game of the second set, it was too late as the No. 2 seed held on to her serve for the rest of the match to complete a two-set win.
For Swiatek, this was her 14th consecutive in Doha as she is bidding to complete a four-peat at the tournament this week.
In her next match, the 23-year-old plays against the winner of the match between Linda Noskova and Yulia Putintseva.
Sakkari said some things changed for the better just before the Swiatek match
After overcoming Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the Doha first round on Sunday, the Greek said that she fixed some things and felt "a lot happier now."
"The pressure, it was a lot, being constantly chased and having to prove something to everyone," Sakkari told WTA Insider.
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"I feel the time off was great because I had time to think about a lot of things and see things differently because when you are on tour you never really relax and take time for yourself. It was great that I had that time just to see things differently."
Had the former world No. 3 beaten Swiatek in Doha, it would have definitely been a massive win for her and what she's trying to achieve this year.
