Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships Players To Watch
Qinwen Zheng (29-1): With conditions being somewhat similar to the Australian Open, this is a pretty good bounce-back opportunity for Zheng. She made the final in Melbourne in 2024. The 2024 Olympic gold medalist is off to a miserable start this year, but elite players can figure things out pretty quickly. The reality is that Zheng’s ability to pummel the ball from the baseline makes her a dangerous opponent in quicker hard-court conditions, and she has now had a good amount of time to play her way into form and get comfortable in the new season.
Many will look at her loss to Ons Jabeur in Doha as a major disappointment, but the Tunisian is a Top 10 talent. But now that Jabeur is playing at a high level, there’s no shame in losing to her in slower conditions—especially when the Tunisian is a fan favorite. With that in mind, don’t get too carried away in thinking Zheng is struggling. She’s going to flip the switch soon, and a run here is definitely within reason.
Jasmine Paolini (42-1): Paolini lost 6-2, 6-2 to Ostapenko in Doha, a loss that seemed concerning at the time. But it aged better as the Latvian went deeper in the tournament, so it’s probably not something to be too worried about. The fact of the matter is that Paolini is the defending champion in Dubai, so we know her game translates very well here. Also, like Zheng, it’s only a matter of time before Paolini starts to look like a threat on tour again. You don’t go 42-21, win two titles and make two Grand Slam finals and then disappear the following year. This is about the time of the year in which the rust wears off and the players come out to play.
