Karolina Muchova ended a long wait for a second WTA title by defeating Victoria Mboko 6-4, 7-5 to win the Qatar TotalEnergies Open. The victory carried extra weight: the world No. 19 had not lifted a trophy since the 2019 Korea Open and had suffered four straight runner-up finishes in the interim.

“I would say I nearly forgot the winning feeling, because it’s been really quite a while,” Muchova confessed after defeating Victoria Mboko, 6-4, 7-5 in the final. “To get reminded of it, actually, I was pretty nervous before the match. I’m like, ‘Okay, how am I going to deal with it, how am I going to manage it.’ And then when you actually make it, and I dealt with that pressure I think very good in today’s match, I was just relieved, and the intensity of the feeling of winning, it’s just so nice.”

Famed for a natural, free-flowing style, Muchova has repeatedly reached the latter stages of major events since her lone title in 2019. Her resume includes back-to-back US Open semifinals in 2023 and 2024 and a run to the 2023 Roland Garros final. Those deep runs have come alongside periods affected by injury that sidelined her for extended stretches and complicated attempts to add trophies.

“Last time I played [a final] I really thought I played good that week, and then I lost pretty easily,” she said of a 2024 China Open defeat to Coco Gauff. “So I’m like, then you question yourself a little bit. Like, ‘Can I do it?’ Because, you know, obviously I hear it all around. Everyone’s like saying I only have one title.

“It’s not that I would take it personally, or that it would describe my tennis or me as a person, but I really wanted to prove that to myself that I still have it in me and that I can win. So, I would say I was just very proud how I handled myself today.”

Fit to begin the 2026 season, Muchova is projected to move to No. 11 in the WTA rankings after Doha, three spots shy of her career-high of No. 8. With the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships beginning next week she allowed only a brief pause for celebration. “In tennis everything goes so fast,” said Muchova. “I think sometimes we forget to stop and reflect on the good weeks, or small wins, big wins. My next tournament starts tomorrow! So, it’s really tough. But I would just like to stop for a little bit and enjoy it with my team, and just go somewhere tonight with them and have a good time and maybe reflect a little more.”

That celebration will feature at least one thing in particular.

One year after his first major ATP breakthrough — winning the Buenos Aires title at 18 — Joao Fonseca returned to the same clay event as defending champion and No. 3 seed and suffered an early exit. He lost in the opening round to Alejandro Tabilo, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, a defeat that extended a three-match losing streak and renewed questions about his physical readiness.

“If I say no, I’d be lying, so yes, I certainly felt a bit more pressure,” Fonseca said after the match. “I felt tense from the beginning of the match. I tried to bring intensity, motivation, eagerness, even sought support from the crowd, but it wasn’t my day. There was a lack of conviction and confidence…”

“I tried everything to motivate myself,” he added. “I was pissed off with my legs, which weren’t moving the way they needed to. My body wasn’t helping me hit the right shots I wanted.”

A lower back injury troubled Fonseca at the end of last season and affected the start of 2026. He withdrew from his scheduled Australian Open tune-ups in Brisbane and Adelaide, then fell in the first round in Melbourne to Eliot Spizzirri in four sets.

“I was born with a back problem and suffered a stress fracture five years ago,” he told Brazilian press after pulling out from Brisbane. “Some days I feel more pain than others. It’s an injury that never fully disappears, but one I have to learn to manage day to day.

“Over the last few days, I’ve felt like I was improving a bit, but it’s hard to say if I’ll be at 100 percent.”

According to his team, the chronic condition is called lumbar hypolordosis, also known as flat back syndrome, in which the lower spine has lost its natural curve. “João has a straightened spine and suffered a stress fracture five years ago, when he was still a juvenile. Thus, the lower back is the most sensitive area of his body and, because he is a high-performance athlete, it requires constant care,” says a statement provided to GE (Globo Sports). “Soon, João will be back to the tournaments, 100 percent recovered. The mentality of the team is always to preserve the athlete’s health, aiming for a long-term career.”

Medical notes in the report say flatback can reduce mobility and increase the risk of ongoing pain and secondary injuries. Treatment commonly involves physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medication, injections and pain management aimed at posture and symptom control.

Fonseca now turns his focus to the ATP 500 Rio Open on home soil. “They say ‘Joao is going to be the next Guga, the next Alcaraz’, I’m writing my own story and doing everything at my own pace,” Fonseca said. “What I can do on my part is work really hard on my mentality and my physique.”

Zheng Qinwen begins her 2026 season at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open on Monday, marking her first tournament appearance since a first-round exit at Wimbledon and just one event played since that loss. The former world No. 4 spent much of 2025 managing an elbow injury that forced her to miss last year’s US Open and this year’s Australian Open, where she was not fit to compete.

“I feel great to be back on the tour,” Zheng said on Saturday. “I especially missed the tournaments and the competition. I missed the way you have to put your blood into a match.”

Her most recent outing came at the China Open in Beijing, where she retired in the third round against Linda Noskova. After withdrawing from the first major tournament of the season, Zheng outlined the demands of Grand Slam level play and her recovery timeline.

“Although my recovery is progressing well and my offseason has gone smoothly, to play a Grand Slam requires players to maintain an extreme competitive condition,” Zheng explained after withdrawing from the first major tournament of the season. “Currently, I have not yet reached my best condition that I have set for myself.”

Before the elbow problem, Zheng produced strong results on clay, reaching the semifinals at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. At Rome she recorded a notable win over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on her run to the semifinals. She was the runner-up at the Australian Open in 2023.

“It’s been a while,” Zheng said. “I never thought this injury would take me so long and a surgery. It was much longer than I thought. But I’m back and in better shape. I just hope I can do well at this tournament and give my best on court.”

Zheng’s return in Doha will be watched for signs of how close she is to the form that carried her to deep runs at major events and big clay tournaments in the season before the injury.