Dubai becomes the center of the women's tennis universe in 10 days time.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Australian Open champion and No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka lead a field featuring 18 of the world's Top 20 for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
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Set for February 19-25, the annual WTA event will see the world's elite play for a total prize money package of $2.9 million.
“Over the past 23 years, our event has grown exponentially. From the beginning the goal was to attract as many of the top players as possible and this year’s line-up really highlights that the goal has been achieved,” tournament director Salah Tahlak said.
Here's a closer look at the top ranked female players competing in Dubai starting on February 19th:
1. Iga Swiatek: The Polish superstar is ranked World No.1 and has won three Grand Slam singles titles: The French Open in both 2020 and 2022, as well as last year’s US Open. She won eight titles in 2022, the most since Serena Williams won 11 in 2013, and she achieved the record century-long 37-match winning streak, going 135 days without losing. She wants to avenge the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships second-round defeat she suffered at the hands of Jelena Ostapenko.
2. Aryna Sabalenka: Aryna Sabalenka arrives in Dubai fresh from earning her maiden Grand Slam in a thriller at last month’s Australian Open. Previous to her Melbourne triumph, the Belarusian had never progressed past the semifinals at a major tournament. Her victory over Elena Rybakina, just months after advancing to the final four at the US Open for a second consecutive year, saw her climb to World No.2.
3. Jessica Pegula: The American holds a career-high World No. 3 singles and doubles ranking and has won two singles titles, five doubles titles, five WTA Tour doubles titles, seven ITF doubles titles, and a WTA Challenger doubles title. She has advanced to the singles quarterfinals of five Grand Slam tournaments, including the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open, and is now ranked No. 4 in the world.
4. Caroline Garcia: Garcia is ranked World No.5 and will return to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships as the WTA Finals 2022 champion. Starting last season having slipped to a lowly World No.79 as a result of various health and injury concerns, her performances in 2022 saw her shoot back up the rankings to finish the year once again inside the world’s top five. On Sunday, Garcia was Lyon runner-up to American Alycia Parks.
5. Coco Gauff: Only 18 years old, many believe that the American’s rise to the top of the world rankings is simply a matter of time. At the 2022 French Open, she not only reached the singles final, but the doubles final too. The youngest player to qualify for a singles competition since Maria Sharapova in 2005, she is ranked No. 6 in the world and looking upwards.
6. Maria Sakkari: The Greek-born World No.7 last year beat then-World No.3 Paula Badosa on her way to the Italian Open semi-finals and reached the last four of the French Open before falling to World No.1 Swiatek. Looking to build on such performances, she arrives in Dubai seeking a second WTA Tour title to add to the 2019 Morocco Open.
7. Daria Kasatkina: Kasatkina entered the WTA Top 10 in late 2018 and, after a few ups and downs, finished last year ranked World No.8. The 25-year-old returns to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships for a seventh consecutive year, looking to improve on her 2018 performance, which saw her reach the final.
8. Belinda Bencic: World No. 9 Bencic lifted the trophy in Dubai in 2019 after defeating defending champion Petra Kvitova in the final. Since then, the Swiss has taken her career record to seven singles titles – including a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics – and two wins in doubles. Bencic, who turned professional in 2012, was beaten by Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open last month.
9. Elena Rybakina: Elena Rybakina, the World No.10 and top-ranked tennis player in Kazakhstan, is the reigning Wimbledon champion and the first Kazakh to win a major championship. She also came close to winning the Australian Open final in a thrilling battle with Aryna Sabalenka, who secured her maiden Grand Slam title.
10. Veronika Kudermetova: The World No.11 seed reached the final of last year’s tournament where she was beaten in straight sets by Jelena Ostapenko. She did, however, claim the WTA Finals doubles championship alongside Elise Mertens. Kudermetova has a career-high singles ranking of World No.9 and a best WTA doubles ranking of No. 2.
Tickets for the 31st edition of the Championships are on sale now at dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com, starting from Dh55. Tickets are also available at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium Box Office between 9am and 9pm daily. Tournament organisers have urged fans to secure their seats through the official platform.
This month’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships will start with the 23rd staging of the WTA event from February 19 to 25, before the 31st staging of the ATP Tour 500 tournament from February 26 to March 4.
Photo credit: Getty for Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships