Match Details

Fixture: (7) Qinwen Zheng vs Peyton Stearns

Date: February 18, 2025

Tournament: 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships

Round: Second round (Round of 32)

Venue: Aviation Club Tennis Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Category: WTA 1000

Surface: Hard (Outdoor)

Prize Money: $3,654,963

Live Telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Sky Sports

Qinwen Zheng vs Peyton Stearns preview

Seventh seed Qinwen Zheng will face USA’s Peyton Stearns in the first round of the Dubai Open Championships 2025 on Tuesday (Feb. 18).

The Paris Olympics gold medalist, Zheng has a 1-2 win-loss record in 2025. She ended the 2024 season by reaching the final at the WTA Finals.

22-year-old Zheng was beaten in the second round of the Australian Open last month, where she had reached the final in 2024. Zheng disclosed after the loss against Laura Siegemund that she was not fully fit.

She played her second tournament of the season in Doha last week, where she was beaten by the former World No. 2 Ons Jabeur in straight sets 6-4, 6-2.

Interestlingly, 23-year-old Stearns defeated Ons Jabeur in the first round in Dubai, who had beaten Zheng in Doha. Stearns won 7-6(6), 6-4 against the Tunisian, to improve to a 6-5 record in the main draw matches on the WTA Tour in 2025.

The American has not won two matches in the main round of any WTA event this season yet, so she would be hoping to do it by beating Zheng on Tuesday.

Qinwen Zheng vs Peyton Stearns head-to-head

Qinwen Zheng and Peyton Stearns have never met on the WTA Tour before.

Qinwen Zheng vs Peyton Stearns odds

(Odds will be added when available)

Qinwen Zheng vs Peyton Stearns prediction

Qinwen Zheng, who reached her career high ranking of World No. 5 after reaching the final at the WTA Finals, dropped more than 1000 points after losing in the second round at the Australian Open. Her ranking could drop further if she loses against Stearns on Tuesday.

Zheng is making her third appearance in Dubai. She had reached the second round in 2023, when she gave walkover to Liudmila Samsonova due to an injury. Last year, she lost in the quarterfinals against Iga Swiatek in straight sets, so she has a 3-2 win-loss record in Dubai.

World No. 46 Stearns could reach her career high ranking of No. 43 again with a win against Zheng. Stearns had made her debut at the Dubai Open last year, when she defeated the Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva in the first round.

Stearns lost to the 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in three sets in the second round last year. Stearns could play the winner of Vondrousova and Andreeva in the third round if she manages to beat Zheng.

Pick: Zheng to win in three sets.