In our Qatar TotalEnergies Open preview, we noted that Ons Jabeur is a player to watch in Doha this week. The only issue is that Jabeur has to face Qinwen Zheng in the Round of 32.
An issue, but not an impediment to backing her. For the 30-year-old crushed McCartney Kessler in her opener, winning 6-2, 6-0 in just 57 minutes. She’s now 9-4 since the start of the season, and fresh off a run to the quarterfinals in Abu Dhabi.
Jabeur is in fantastic form at the moment. Meanwhile, Zheng hasn’t played a match since the Australian Open, where she lost in the second round. Form is favoring Jabeur in a big way here, making it worth backing Jabeur at plus-money odds.
Zheng is 2-0 against Jabeur, but it’s difficult to consider either encounter when handicapping this match. In 2022, Jabeur had to retire after losing the first set 6-1 when the two played in Toronto; then, in 2023, Zheng earned a 6-2, 6-4 win under a closed roof at the US Open. Those were ideal conditions for a power player like Zheng, as she didn’t have to battle the elements and was able to simply out-muscle Jabeur. She won’t be able to do that in Doha. This tournament plays extremely slow, and it can be very windy. Zheng isn’t going to be able to just pound the ball with flat strokes and cruise to a win. Adjustments will need to be made, and variety will be important. That’s why Jabeur is going to like her chances.
