America’s Peyton Stearns has moved into the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships for the second consecutive year. She’s now all set to face the Olympic gold medalist, Qinwen Zheng in the R32. Stearns has never won a match against the Top 10 in her career before. Can she upset the Chinese superstar in this mega duel on Wednesday? Zheng’s form in the 2025 season has been a major concern for her fans of late. It’ll be interesting to see if she can turn things around for herself in Dubai!
Qinwen Zheng vs Peyton Stearns: Preview
Before the 2025 AO, Zheng said, “I’m right now Top 5, but still far away from my goal.” However, her performance in the last few tournaments has pushed her further down in the rankings. She was beaten in the second round of the AO this year, by German star, Laura Siegemund by 6(3)-7,3-6. This early exit of the 2024 AO finalist was like a bolt from the blue for all the tennis fans.
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After that disappointing result, Zheng said, “Not much to say because I tried to do what I could during this match, but I feel maybe today is not my day.” She was next seen in action at the Qatar Open, but even there she was toppled by Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in the R32 by 4-6,2-6. However, the 22-year-old Chinese star will have the opportunity to make a strong comeback in Dubai where he reached the QF last year. Can she beat her American opponent in R32?
via Imago Image Credits: Imago
Well, we need to wait a bit to get the answer! But talking about Peyton Stearns’ form this season, she looked pretty ordinary in the Australian swing. While she did manage to reach the R16 of the Winners Open, her performance in Doha was disappointing again she went down to Elena Rybakina by 2-6,4-6 in the R32. She has, however, started her campaign well in Dubai by beating Ons Jabeur in straight sets and her incredible performance earned her high praise from her Tunisian opponent.
Zheng defeated Jabeur by 7-6(5),6-4 in the R64 match and Jabeur was all praise for the young American. “Peyton is a really good player. We practice a lot together, more last year and the year before, but yeah, she’s a tough opponent. She has a lot to improve for sure, but I see her in a much better ranking than this…She handled moments very well during the match and hope she can make it very far,” the Tunisian said.
Even Stearns herself said that she was “super happy” to seal the deal against someone like Ons Jabeur. So the 23-year-old has overcome one obstacle already! Now, it will be interesting to see if she can repeat a similar performance against Zheng.
Zheng vs Stearns: Head-to-Head
Qinwen Zheng and Peyton Stearns have never faced each other before on the Tour. So, currently, their head-to-head record stands at 0-0! Zheng will be keen to make a strong comeback after a disappointing outing in Doha, on the other hand, a victory in this match could help Stearns reach her career-high ranking of number 43. There’s a lot at stake in this epic encounter!
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Prediction: Zheng to win in straight sets
Both these players have struggled a little bit with their form this season. However, these are early days. Qinwen Zheng (8) currently has a win-loss record of 1-2, while it’s 4-5 for Peyton Stearns (46). Considering Zheng’s experience in big matches and her impressive run in the 2024 season, she might have an edge in this match.
Talking about their playing styles, Qinwen Zheng is an aggressive baseliner. She has a powerful serve and equally strong forehand in her armory. She can also generate a heavy topspin from both wings.
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For Stearns, it’d be extremely crucial to stop the Chinese play her natural game. The American is one of the most promising players on the women’s tour at the moment! Her fearless approach against higher-ranked opponents makes her a real threat. She loves playing on the hard courts too and that’s because her strong forehand shots are really effective on this surface. However, the biggest concern for her is the high number of double-fault counts!
While Zheng is the strong favorite, Stearns might have her moments in the match as well. However, the prediction is for Zheng to seal the deal in straight sets.