One of the first-round matches at the 2026 Qatar Open will feature a clash between two former Top 5 players in the world, Sofia Kenin and Zheng Qinwen.
Kenin is a past Australian Open champion and was ranked as high as No. 4 in the world, whereas Zheng was once a runner-up at the Australian Open and reached No. 5 in the WTA Rankings.
Sofia Kenin vs. Zheng Qinwen Match Details
Date: Feb. 9, 2026
Tournament: Qatar Open 2026
Round: First Round (Round of 64)
Venue: Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, Doha, Qatar
Surface: Outdoor hard
Category:Â WTA 1000
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, TSN, RDS, Sky Sports
Kenin vs. Zheng Head-to-Head
The head-to-head series is 1-0 in favor of Zheng, who won her only match against Kenin, 7-6 (5), 6-3 at the Japan Open in 2024.
Kenin has won only one match in 2026, which was against Elena Gabriela Ruse in the first round of the Brisbane International. However, she was not able to advance any further, losing to Ekaterina Alexandrova in the next round.
Since then, she has had three successive first-round exits at the Adelaide International, the Australian Open, and at the Abu Dhabi Open, losing against the likes of Maya Joint, Peyton Stearns, and Liudmila Samsonova.
This is the first time Zheng has made a competitive entry on the Tour in 2026, as the Chinese player has been sidelined due to injury for the last few months. Her last event was the China Open back in September last year, where she had to retire against Linda Noskova in the third round.
Overall, she had a 20-12 win-loss record in 2025, with semifinal finishes at the Italian Open and at the Queen’s Club Championships qualifying as her best results.
Kenin vs. Zheng Prediction
Kenin has won four hard-court titles in her career, with her best result coming at the 2020 Australian Open. The American player has a 55% win rate on the surface in her career.
Meanwhile, Zheng has won two hard-court titles from seven finals. The Chinese player has also played other high-profile hard-court matches in her career, including a Major final (2024 Australian Open), a WTA 1000 final (2024 Wuhan Open), and the 2024 WTA Finals.
As far as the Qatar Open is concerned, this is the sixth time Kenin is playing at the event, with her previous best being a third-round appearance in 2025, where she lost to Ons Jabeur.
Zheng, on the other hand, is playing at her fourth Qatar Open. The Chinese player has only one victory to her name at the event, which came against Magda Linette back in 2024.
More: Sofia Kenin vs Peyton Stearns Preview: Head-to-Head, Prediction, for Australian Open 2026
Kenin has not been in great form, as she has won only one match to date this year. However, it remains to be seen how Zheng is faring in a competitive environment after having recovered from the injury.
The match has the potential of being a scrappy one, with both players trying to find their form, but the head-to-head advantage gives the slight edge to Zheng.
Pick: Zheng to win in three sets
