Tunisian star Ons Jabeur is now standing one step away from reaching her third QF at the Qatar Open. Jabeur made it to the QFs in the 2020 and 2022 seasons. It’ll be interesting to see if she can make a similar feat (if not better) in this season. However, standing on her way to QF is America’s Sofia Kenin. The 2020 AO champion took down two Americans in her previous two rounds. Sofia Kenin has previously struggled to perform in this tournament. Now, since she has got to an impressive start, her fans will be desperate to see her making a longer stay this time. Can she beat the former world number 2?
Sofia Kenin vs Ons Jabeur: Preview
Sofia Kenin started her 2025 season at the ASB Classic, but she could only make it to the R16 in that tournament! However, she managed to go a step further in her next tournament. Kenin reached the QF at Hobart International, but in that match, she was defeated by Australia’s Maya Joint in two sets. After her impressive performance in Hobart, she made two early exits from the Australian Open and the Abu Dhabi Open. In Doha, she defeated Ashlyn Krueger in the first match, and then in the second, she defeated her other compatriot Alycia Parks in a three-set thriller.
Tennis – WTA Premier 5 – Italian Open – Foro Italico, Rome, Italy – September 17, 2020 Sofia Kenin of the U.S. in action during her second round match against Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka Pool via REUTERS/Angelo Carconi
Ons Jabeur is in a much better form this year. She reached the QF in Brisbane and made it to the R16 at Adelaide International. Although she was beaten by America’s Emma Navarro in the third round of the 2025 AO, Jabeur made a strong comeback in Abu Dhabi. She reached the QF over there, before getting down to Elena Rybakina in a three-set epic encounter. Ons Jabeur is also on a two-match winning streak in Doha and she’ll be entering this match following her dominating 6-4,6-2 triumph over the Chinese star, Qinwen Zheng.
Interestingly, this is Jabeur’s first Top 10 win since Madrid 2024 and perhaps that’s it’s also her biggest of this season so far. How did she manage to overcome this hurdle, though? “A lot of believing in myself and preparing for this match definitely helped. I tried to stay as focused as I can. It’s very tough to play against her. She’s a champion. I hope I can continue playing even better in the future,” said Jabeur in her post-match interview.
Kenin vs Jabeur: Head-to-Head
Have these two faced each other before? Well, the answer is a big yes! In fact, this is going to be their ninth meeting on the Tour and currently, Sofia Kenin has a 6-2 lead over Ons Jabeur in the H2H record. Kenin’s previous three wins against Jabeur on the hard court were in 2019 and 2020. Can he beat the Tunisian yet again and extend the lead further?
2024 Rome R64: Kenin 7-5,2-6,6-4.
2021 Miami R32: Jabeur 6-4,4-6,6-4.
2020 US Open R32: Kenin 7-6(4),6-3.
2020 AO QF: Kenin 6-4,6-4.
2019 Mallorca R16: Kenin 6-2,2-0 (retd.)
2019 Hobart R16: Kenin 7-6(6),6-3.
2017 Indian Harbour Beach R16: Jabeur 6-3,6-1.
2016 Wesley Chapel R16: Kenin 6-4,6-1.
Prediction: Jabeur to win in three sets
Ons Jabeur has looked much more consistent in the last few tournaments. This is her 12th appearance in this tournament, but it’s her first R16 in Doha since 2022! Jabeur is desperate to end her title drought by clinching a title at this familiar event. She hasn’t won a title since the 2023 Ningbo Open. So, it’ll be interesting to see if she can seal the deal against Sofia Kenin and move a step closer to the title triumph in Doha. What a moment it’d be for all the Arabian fans!
Jabeur (35) is currently the highest-ranked Arab woman in the tennis world and if we take a look at her numbers from this season, she has a win-loss record of 10-4. On the other hand, Sofia Kenin (73) has managed to put up a win-loss record of 5-4 this season as of now.
Talking about their playing styles, Sofia Kenin loves playing an aggressive brand of tennis. Her variation in shots including her incredible drop shots makes her a truly special player on the women’s Tour. She loves playing from the baseline and can also hit winners with both her forehand and backhand. Sofia Kenin loves keeping his opponents guessing on whether her backhand is going to be cross-court or down the line. However, her biggest weapons are her insider-in-forehand and her back-hand-down-the -line.
Ons Jabeur also loves bringing variation to her game and she has a unique ability to hit some extraordinary shots from extraordinary positions on the court. She’s also good at disguising her opponents with her incredible slices and drip shots. Jabeur’s backhand drop shots from the baseline and her forehands up the line are truly a bliss to watch. Considering all these weapons, we feel Ons Jabeur will be quite lethal on this surface and she has been in good form recently as well. So, the Tunisian is the favorite in this epic battle in Doha!
The post WTA Qatar Open: Sofia Kenin vs Ons Jabeur; Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction appeared first on EssentiallySports.