The Qatar Open has already seen a former top player return to winning ways in some style.
Doha is once again hosting the first WTA 1000 tournament of the season, but the likes of Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula and Naomi Osaka have withdrawn from the Qatar Open this year.
However, there are still lots of top names competing including Iga Swiatek, defending champion Amanda Anisimova, and Coco Gauff, who will be looking to move on from Australian Open disappointment.
Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina is the favorite to win the Qatar Open title, but one of the big stories of the tournament so far has come from a 41-year-old.
Vera Zvonareva wins her first WTA match in three years
Vera Zvonareva is a five-time Grand Slam doubles champion, but she also has a very decorated singles career.
Having reached two Grand Slam finals and a career-high ranking of world number two, Zvonareva has created a more than respectable career for herself on the singles court as well.
However, many had assumed that Zvonareva had retired after she appeared to step away from tennis in 2024 following a serious shoulder injury.
Who will win the 2026 Qatar Open?
The 41-year-old made a comeback at the end of last year, with Zvonareva making huge strides up the WTA rankings after playing an ITF tournament.
Although she had made a successful comeback, which includes reaching the Australian Open doubles semifinals, Zvonareva was still yet to win a main draw singles match on the WTA Tour since 2023.
That has all changed at the Qatar Open, as Zvonareva beat Zhang Shuai and Magdalena Frech to enter the main draw.
This is where the world number 584 would take on American Peyton Stearns for the first time.
Stearns reached the Italian Open semifinals last year and looked on her way to beating Zvonareva after winning the first set.
However, in the end it was the veteran who came through, with Zvonareva beating Stearns, 2-6 6-2 6-3.
This is Zvonareva’s first WTA main draw singles victory since October 2023, when she beat Ariane Hartono at the Jiangxi Open.
While it is another loss to a veteran for Stearns, who was also beaten by Venus Williams at the Washington Open last year.
Which WTA player would benefit the most from playing best-of-five sets?
Who is Vera Zvonareva playing next at the Qatar Open?
Zvonareva is a former champion at the Qatar Open, having won the singles title at the 2011 tournament.
However, this is the first time she has won a match in Doha since 2020, as she now looks ahead to her second round match.
This is where Zvonareva will play the winner of the match between Victoria Mboko and Marie Bouzkova.
Zvonareva has played Bouzkova twice before, with their head-to-head at 1-1, but she has never played against Mboko.
If Mboko is able to beat Bouzkova then her second round match against Zvonareva will have a 22 year age difference.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
