Qatar Open: Murray vs Sonego Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Qatar Open as Andy Murray takes on Lorenzo Sonego in the first round on Monday, February 20, 2023.

Andy Murray will resume competition at the Qatar Open, bidding to win his third title in Doha. But he faces a tough opener against Lorenzo Sonego who sits just one spot below him in the rankings. Who will prevail?

Andy Murray has been given a wild card at the Qatar Open, and truthfully it is fully merited. The Briton is a two-time former champion in Doha and played four finals in total, losing an epic to Novak Djokovic in 2017. Murray has started 2023 with a remarkable run to the third round of the Australian Open. I say remarkable in the sense that he had been through a lot in terms of his body, and still managed to win the longest match of his career against a player almost 10 years his junior. And that came on the back of another five-set win in the first-round against former top-10 player in Matteo Berrettini.

Lorenzo Sonego, for his part, will be aiming to improve on his 3-5 start to the season. Sonego lost his last two matches to Jannik Sinner in Montpellier and more recently to Auger-Aliassime in Rotterdam. The Italian has failed to win a match in each of his past two trips to the Qatar Open. So could he change it this time when he faces Andy Murray?

Andy Murray and Lorenzo Sonego have not played each other on the ATP Tour. Monday’s match at the Qatar Open will be their first official meeting. Murray has clearly played better tennis than Sonego this year. And for a player who has undergone hip surgery with barely anything left to prove, it is something to behold that he still has the desire and willingness to play at the highest level. We fancy the former World No. 1 to return to winning ways in Doha.