Sorana Cirstea defeated pre-match favourite Markéta Vondroušová 6-2, 6-7, 6-2 in the Dubai quarter-final on hard court on 22 February 2024, an upset that saw the Romanian overturn the odds at 2.32 against Vondroušová's 1.68. After losing the opening set convincingly, Cirstea rallied to force a second-set tie-break, which she won to level the match. The third set proved decisive, with Cirstea's momentum carrying her through to a commanding victory. The result represents a significant scalp for Cirstea in a Masters 1000 event and halts Vondroušová's progress in Dubai.