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Ons Jabeur of Tunisia plays a forehand during her Women’s Singles fourth round match against Qiang Wang of China on day seven of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 26, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Fred Lee/Getty Images)
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Ons Jabeur of Tunisia plays a forehand during her Women’s Singles fourth round match against Qiang Wang of China on day seven of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 26, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Fred Lee/Getty Images)
Remember last year when Ons Jabeur said, “I truly feel that 2025 is going to be an incredible year?” Well, so far, she’s backing it up! Deep runs in Brisbane, Abu Dhabi, and Qatar… now it’s Dubai’s turn. First up, Peyton Stearns. Jabeur’s been a quarterfinalist here before, but hasn’t played Dubai since 2022. So, the big question: can she pick up where she left off and start strong?
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Ons Jabeur vs Peyton Stearns: Preview
Ons Jabeur’s 2025 season has seen a mix of results so far. She reached the quarterfinals in Brisbane but lost to Mirra Andreeva, and then fell in the third round of the Australian Open to Emma Navarro. Most recently, she was defeated by Jelena Ostapenko in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open.
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Tennis – WTA Premier 5 – Italian Open – Foro Italico, Rome, Italy – Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in action during her first round match against Coco Gauff of the U.S.|REUTERS
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Peyton Stearns’ 2025 season has been a struggle so far. She had a disappointing Australian swing, exiting early from tournaments in Brisbane, Adelaide, and the Australian Open. While she reached the round of 16 at the Winners Open, she lost to Lucia Bronzetti. She’ll come into the Dubai match after a straight-sets defeat to Elena Rybakina in the round of 32 at the Qatar Open.
Jabeur vs Stearns: Head-to-Head
Currently, the head-to-head scoreline between Ons Jabeur and Stearns is at 0-0.
Prediction: Jabeur to win in three sets
Ons Jabeur is in better form this year, so we’re keeping her slightly ahead in this contest. Apart from that, Jabeur’s previous result in this tournament will also add a bit of confidence before stepping onto the court to start her campaign in the 2025 edition. On the other hand, Peyton Stearns’ best record in Dubai has been reaching the second round in 2024. Now, if we take a look at the numbers, Ons Jabeur (32) has a win-loss record of 11-5 this season, while it’s just 3-5 for Peyton Stearns (46). What about their playing styles?
Well, Peyton Stearns has an aggressive baseline game, and she loves taking a fearless approach against higher-ranked opponents. Stearns loves playing on the hard courts and her booming forehand shots are something that Ons Jabeur needs to keep an eye on right from the initial phases of the match. She likes swinging her rackets freely, generating some serious power behind her shots. However, her biggest weakness in her game is her high number of double fault counts. Peyton Stearns needs to keep things tidy if she really wants to push this match to at least three sets.
On the other hand, Tunisian star, Ons Jabeur’s tactical prowess and incredible variation in her game make her a really special player on the women’s tour. She’s an expert in breaking down aggressive players. Jabeur can hit some extraordinary shots from quite an extraordinary position on the court. She loves disguising her opponents with her picture-perfect drop shots and slices! Apart from that, Ons Jabeur can also hit winners in a variety of ways, including backhand drop shots from the baseline or forehands up the line.
Stearns needs to stop Jabeur from playing her natural game. Can she force errors out of the in-form Tunisian? Looks a bit unlikely at the moment!
Written by
Edited by
Deepanshi Bajaj