Qatar Open Round-Up | Alexandra Eala falls early as Zheng Qinwen returns with comeback win

The first round of the Qatar Open continues, and Alexandra Eala was eliminated early by 18-year-old qualifier Tereza Valentova, who won 7-6(6), 6-1 and continues to rack up victories at the start of the season after reaching the third round at the Australian Open.

It was also the return of Zheng Qinwen, who overcame a tough debut against Sofia Kenin and managed to come back from a set down to advance to the second round with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory. The Chinese player was competing in just her second tournament in the last eight months — and her first since October.

Teenager Valentova (No. 48) continues in excellent form, securing her third consecutive victory at the Qatar Open after coming through qualifying. Including qualifiers and main draws, she now has eight wins and three losses across her last three tournaments, this time earning her first victory in a WTA 1000 main draw.

In the opening set, Valentova recovered from a break down at 2-4 and managed to take the set into a tie-break. Eala (No. 40) fought hard to save up to three set points against her in the tie-break, but ultimately the Czech player claimed the set 7-6(1).

In the second set, the match was completely in Valentova’s favour, as she secured two consecutive breaks and held flawless service games to win five games in a row. The Czech raced ahead to a 5-0 lead, with Eala not even reaching deuce in any of the games played. The Filipina managed to reduce the deficit before the end of the match with her serve, but Valentova showed no hesitation in closing out the victory 7-6(6), 6-1.

The 18-year-old made her debut in a WTA 1000 main draw on this occasion and did so with a win, taking another important step at the start of her career after reaching the third round in her Australian Open debut just a few weeks ago. She also secured a significant jump in the rankings and now sits at No. 40 in the live rankings — her first-ever appearance inside the top 40 so far. She will face compatriot Karolina Muchova in the second round, who comes off a straightforward win over Jaqueline Cristian (6-2, 6-3).

Zheng Qinwen returned to the courts after nearly five months away following her last appearance at the China Open, where she was forced to retire injured. By that point, she had already been sidelined for more than three months due to a nagging right elbow injury and subsequent surgery.

The return of the reigning Olympic gold medallist was highly anticipated, and she lived up to expectations, defeating former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 in two hours of play.

The Chinese player took longer than expected to fully recover physically, something that for now appears to be paying off with a positive result. She produced a strong level in the opening set, firing eight aces, landing 61% of her first serves and winning 82% of those points. However, a single early break in Kenin’s favour ended up deciding the set for the American, who took it 6-4.

However, Kenin was unable to maintain her service level in the following sets, nor withstand the constant pressure applied by her rival, especially on the second serve. Zheng remained dominant on serve for the remainder of the match, finishing with an outstanding 85% of points won on first serve and a total of 20 aces. Kenin, meanwhile, has now suffered five consecutive defeats and has just one win so far this season.

Zheng, for her part, secured her first victory (4-6, 6-1, 6-2) since October, climbed several positions in the rankings to No. 23, and now prepares for her second-round challenge against American qualifier Alycia Parks.

Mirra Andreeva claimed a straightforward victory over Polish player Magda Linette, 7-6(0), 6-1, and secured her place in the third round of the Qatar Open. The world No. 7 was looking to start strong in Doha, following her surprising fourth-round loss at the Australian Open.

The Russian begins as one of the favourites and comes in with a history of titles in the Middle East — considering that just one year ago she was the champion in Dubai. While Andreeva knows she is at a key moment of the season, she will defend her WTA 1000 titles in Dubai and Indian Wells in the coming weeks, and adding wins and advancing deep in Doha is essential to maintain a high ranking.

Despite a challenging first set, Andreeva managed to overcome Linette’s resistance with great consistency on serve: 79% first-serve in and 75% of them won — in addition to 4 aces and only 1 double fault. Andreeva faced several break points, but managed to come through in the key moments, saving 10/11 break points against her while converting 3/8 opportunities throughout the match. Andreeva even saved 5 set points against her when serving at 5-6 in the first set, sending everything to a tie-break. From that point, the Russian dominated, not conceding a single point in the tie-break and closing the first set 7-6(0).

In the second set, she quickly took control, securing two consecutive breaks and finishing the match 7-6(0), 6-1 to advance to the third round. Her next opponent could be a rematch against Victoria Mboko — whom she defeated in the Adelaide final just weeks ago — although the Canadian must first overcome veteran Vera Zvonareva.