Elena Rybakina To Lead Elite Field At Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is set to host this season’s standout women players, with all eight Australian Open quarterfinalists, including newly crowned champion Elena Rybakina, confirmed for the WTA event from 15th to 21st February, followed by the ATP 500 men’s tournament from 23rd to 28th February.

Rybakina arrives in Dubai carrying fresh momentum after defeating defending Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in Saturday’s final, adding a second major title to the 2022 Wimbledon crown and entering the tournament as World No. 3 and a former runner-up at the same venue.

The women’s draw in Dubai gains extra attention this year as it gathers every Australian Open quarterfinalist, including World No. 1 Sabalenka, six-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiątek, World No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, American duo Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, two-time Dubai champion Elina Svitolina and 18-year-old Iva Jovic.

Organisers highlight how the field links the season’s opening major with Dubai’s hard courts. Ramesh Cidambi, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free and Chairman of the Organising Committee, said, "The participation of the entire top 20 so soon after Melbourne gives fans a chance to see the sport’s biggest names together in one place. For the players, we provide another proving ground and an immediate chance to test themselves on a hard court against the very best once again."

Rybakina’s connection with Dubai strengthens the narrative further, as the 24-year-old has lived in the city since 2024 and has played the Championships five times across the past six seasons, reaching the final on debut in 2020 and the semi-finals last year, and now returns as a Grand Slam winner once again.

Salah Tahlak, Tournament Director and Deputy Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free, said, "Elena has competed at our tournament in Dubai five times in the past six years, reaching the final on her debut in 2020 and progressing to the semi-finals last year. As a Dubai resident, she always enjoys a lot of ‘home’ support here, and I’m sure that will only grow after this past weekend’s fantastic victory."

The depth of the WTA week extends beyond Rybakina and the Australian Open quarterfinalists, with defending Dubai champion Mirra Andreeva returning, while 2024 winner Jasmine Paolini, Canadian player Victoria Mboko and 2019 title-holder Belinda Bencic also join the field, adding further strength across the draw from first round to final.

With leading names converging on Dubai almost immediately after Melbourne, and both the WTA event and the ATP 500 men’s tournament scheduled across the second half of February, organisers anticipate a sustained run of high-level matches that maintains global interest in the city’s tennis calendar.

With inputs from WAM