Maria Sakkari and Zheng Qinwen will take on each other in the first round of the 2023 WTA Qatar Open on February 14.
Maria Sakkari will carry on with her excruciating wait for a second career triumph. She was just a few games away from advancing to the Linz finals when she was defeated by Petra Martic, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. She has won 15 of her last 20 games, including a WTA Finals semifinal and a WTA 1000 final in Guadalajara. She is still in good form. The No. 7 in the world, who hasnโt claimed a championship in almost four years, has achieved eight semifinal-level or better finishes since the year 2022 began. One of them happened in Doha, where she won in straight sets over Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula before losing to Iga Swiatek in the semifinals. In her last three trips to Doha, she has taken home at least two victories.
Zheng Qinwen played in her first quarterfinal and semifinal of the season to start off her Middle Eastern tour. To make up for her losses in the second round at Adelaide 1 and 2, the Australian Open, and against Daria Kasatkina, she defeated Jelena Ostapenko, Rebecca Marino, and Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets (saving three set points against the Latvian). Her second successful top 10 victory came last week when she defeated Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-2. The Chinese player, who turned 18 just four months ago, has started an unstoppable ascent. With a WTA 500 final in Tokyo, a WTA 1000 quarterfinal in Toronto, and a fourth-round appearance at Roland-Garros, she has risen to the top 30.
Maria Sakkari vs Zheng Qinwen | Match details |
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Date | February 14, 2023 |
Surface | Hard |
Tournament | Qatar Open |
Stage | Round of 32 |
Time (India) | 9 pm |
Time (Qatar) | 6:30 pm |
Opponent | Score |
---|---|
Petra Martic | 6-3, 3-6, 4-6 (L) |
Donna Vekic | 6-3, 7-6 (W) |
Varvara Gracheva | 6-4, 6-2 (W) |
Nuria Parrizas-Diaz | 6-1, 7-6 (W) |
Zhu Lin | 7-6, 1-6, 6-4 (L) |
Opponent | Score |
---|---|
Liudmila Samsonova | 4-6, 6-1, 4-6 (L) |
Daria Kasatkina | 6-1, 6-2 (W) |
Jelena Ostapenko | 7-6, 6-1 (W) |
Rebecca Marino | 6-3, 6-3 (W) |
Bernarda Pera | 6-4, 6-4 (L) |
Maria Sakkari has a 1-0 lead. When she faced the Greek player in the 2022 Australian Open second round, Zheng Qinwen had just reached her first WTA quarterfinal and semifinal and was poised to break the top 100. The Chinese player should now put up a more difficult fight after losing 6-1, 6-4 the first time they met.
Maria Sakkari and Zheng Qinwen will take on each other in the first round of the 2023 WTA Qatar Open on February 14.
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