Elena Rybakina and Zheng Qinwen moved on via familiar but very different paths Tuesday in Doha — one riding the momentum of a Melbourne breakthrough, the other grinding her way back into rhythm — setting up a third-round meeting that carries both form and intrigue.
For Rybakina, her first match since lifting the Australian Open trophy was less about polish than confirmation. The World No. 3 wasn’t flawless, but the flashes of control and authority were unmistakable as she extended her winning streak to eight with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Wang Xinyu.
Doha: Scores | Draws | Order of play
After trailing 4-2 in the second set, the World No. 3 won the final four games to close out the victory over Wang in 1 hour and 20 minutes, sealing the win with one last break of serve. It’s her third straight win in as many meetings with Wang on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz, all of them in straight sets.
The result also marks a significant milestone for Rybakina: her 400th career match-win.
“That’s a nice statistic,” Rybakina said in her on-court interview. “It’s a lot of matches played. But yeah, it’s incredible. I’m just happy again that I can play and feel happy. I’m just enjoying every time I’m playing now on the court.”
There was a brief bit of doubt that this match would follow the same pattern as their previous encounters. After dropping the first set, Wang was the first to break for a 3-2 lead in the second. She consolidated in a seven-deuce game, saving four break points, but despite the missed chances, Rybakina didn’t waver.
She saved a break point of her own in the next game with a forehand winner, one of many second-serve points she won throughout the match. She won five of eight such points in the first set and finished 10 of 20 overall, which proved to be a key factor in the result.
Rybakina sealed the hold for 4-3 with a backhand winner for 4-3, punished a Wang second serve with another forehand winner to break for 4-4 and held again to take a 5-4 lead. One final forehand winner forced deuce and that was all she wrote.
The No. 2 seed will face Zheng in the third round after the former Olympic gold medalist defeated her second straight American opponent in Alycia Parks in her return to action. Rybakina is 2-1 against Zheng, though she lost their most recent meeting at the 2024 WTA Finals in three sets.
Zheng outlasts Parks for back-to back wins to open 2026
After a three-set win over American Sofia Kenin in the first round, Zheng followed it up with a 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-2 victory over Alycia Parks on Grandstand 1 — a match that stretched 2 hours and 48 minutes.
It was a straight-up gritty performance from Zheng.
She broke first for 3-2 in the opening set, but Parks responded (almost) immediately, winning a marathon game with six deuces and four break points before finally converting. After Parks held for 4-3, Zheng raced out to 40-0 in her next service game before the American rattled off four straight points to earn a break point. The game featured five more deuces and three break points for Parks before Zheng mustered the strength to hold for 4-4.
Zheng endured another rollercoaster service game after Parks held for 5-4. A double fault brought up deuce, and a subsequent Parks forehand winner set the American up with her first set point. Zheng saved that one, then fought off a second one with a backhand winner to bring up deuce No. 5 before she finally held to level at 5-all.
After Parks rallied to hold for 6-5 and Zheng finally enjoyed a routine service game, the set went to a tiebreak. Parks found herself in prime position up 4-3 with two serves to come, but Zheng won the last four points to take the opener in 80 minutes — the length of the entire Rybakina-Wang match.
Parks rebounded to win the second set, but Zheng was clinical in the decider. She broke in the opening game and never looked back. After facing 16 break points across the first two sets, she faced none in the third and won 80% of her first-serve points (12 of 15) and four of six second-serve points while landing more than 71% of her first serves.
Despite a strong performance in an incredibly physical match, the best news for Zheng came afterward.
“Not bad,” Zheng said in her post-match press conference. “I feel the same as yesterday when I finished. The elbow didn’t get worse, so I think it’s good news. Because after such a long match, especially two times [playing] three sets, my elbow can stay really healthy and I’m pretty happy about that.”
It’s an encouraging sign for the former World No. 4, as she prepares for a high-profile third-round matchup with Rybakina. She plans to bring maximum intensity.
“It’s going to be a very difficult match, because she has her confidence and I’m just starting to build my game up,” Zheng said. “But I will fight through every point and let’s see what happens in the next round.”
