Peyton Stearns vs Qinwen Zheng Preview & Prediction | 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships | First Round
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Qinwen Zheng continues her return to the tour in Dubai against Peyton Stearns.
Ranking points: WTA 1000
Start date/time:
Venue: Aviation Club Tennis Centre, Dubai, UAE
Surface: Outdoor hard
How to watch on TV: UK – Sky Sports Tennis / USA – Tennis Channel
How to watch online: UK – Sky Go / USA – Tennis Channel
Tickets: Visit this link for the latest Peyton Stearns vs Qinwen Zheng ticket information
Peyton Stearns vs Qinwen Zheng prediction
Peyton Stearns enters the tournament as a lucky loser. She won her first qualifying match against veteran Vera Zvonareva but then lost to Elena-Gabriela Ruse in three sets. Stearns did beat Sofia Kenin and Petra Marcinko to make the third-round of the Australian Open before a loss to Amanda Anisimova, which remains her best result of the campaign so far.
She faces Qinwen Zheng in round one, as the 2024 Olympic champion continues her comeback from injury. Zheng made her return in Doha last week after months out with an elbow problem which required surgery. She showed all her battling qualities as she got through consecutive three set matches against Sofia Kenin and Alycia Parks, and also took Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina to a decider as she lost in the round-of-16.
Zheng showed a strong level on her return and has enough quality to get past Stearns and advance to the second-round.
Peyton Stearns vs Qinwen Zheng tip: Qinwen Zheng to win
