At 19 o'clock in the evening of February 13, Beijing time, the WTA1000 race in Doha will continue. China's Zheng Qinwen, who received a first-round bye, will make her debut against Poland's Linate, who is ranked 53rd in the world. This is Zheng Qinwen's first return to the court after reaching the final of the Australian Open. With not too many points to keep, Zheng will hopefully continue to break the rankings if she can go far enough in the tournament. In addition, Wang Xinyu and Zhu Lin will also make their debut tonight.
Zheng Qinwen made it all the way to the final at the Australian Open at the beginning of the year, and although he lost to Sabalenka, Zheng Qinwen became the second Chinese player to reach the Grand Slam singles final after Li Na. This time in Doha, Qatar, Zheng Qinwen, as the No. 5 seed in the tournament, enjoyed a bye in the first round. In the second round, she faced 32-year-old veteran Linate. In the first round, Rinath defeated qualifier Nanao Hibino of Japan.
Linate's career-best ranking was 19th, and he has a lot of strength. But as he got older, Rinath's form also declined. But for Zheng Qinwen, she should not be taken lightly. In the only meeting between the two sides at the 2022 Miami 1000, Linate defeated Zheng Qinwen 2-0. After 2 years, Zheng Qinwen's strength and experience have been greatly improved, and he has become the dominant party. If Zheng wins the tournament, she will move to No. 6 in the world and continue to set a new personal best ranking.
In addition, Wang Xinyu will face former world No. 1 Azarenka, who is currently ranked 31st in the world, and as China's second-highest-ranked player, world No. 41 Wang Xinyu is not without opportunities. Zhu Lin, who failed to defend her title in Hua Hin, will face No. 3 seed Rybakina in the second round. Although the opponent is strong, Zhu Lin has beaten Rybakina at the 2019 Australian Open, and there is a chance in this match.