Maria Sakkari opens her 2026 Qatar Open a campaign against wildcard Zeynep Sonmez in a first-round match. The winner earns a second-round meeting with sixth seed Jasmin Paolini. Sakkari enters ranked No. 49, while Sonmez sits at No. 79, still consolidating her first extended run at WTA main-draw level.<\/p>
From a form and run standpoint, Sakkari remains the more established player. But she exited in the second round at the Australian Open recently and hasn’t progressed beyond the second round in most 2025 season events as well. Her last final came at Indian Wells in 2024, and her most recent title dates back to Guadalajara 2023. Statistically, her 2025 run reflects solid but unspectacular efficiency with 63.3% first-serve points won and 41.8% return points won across 50 matches, with moderate break-point conversion at 41.3%.<\/p>