A packed field will contest the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships starting on Monday, with six of the world's Top 10 players leading the draw for the WTA 500 event.
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus will start the event as the No.1 seed at the top of the draw. World No.2 Sabalenka, a Dubai quarterfinalist last year, will open against a qualifier.
The rest of the first quarter features eye-opening first-round matches. No.6 seed Iga Swiatek will face 2018 Dubai finalist Daria Kasatkina, and 2013 Dubai champion Petra Kvitova will take on another powerful player, Camila Giorgi.
A battle between unseeded Grand Slam champions also occurs in the first quarter, as 2020 Australian Open titlist Sofia Kenin will play 2017 Roland Garros winner Jelena Ostapenko. Kenin and Ostapenko have a level head-to-head at 1-1.
Revised Dubai main draw after Anett Kontaveit withdrew due to change of schedule.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 14, 2022
Elina Svitolina moves into Kontaveit’s vacated position. pic.twitter.com/p3CEHG4Cc5
The second quarter is led by No.3 seed Paula Badosa of Spain. Badosa, who became the fourth Spanish woman to crack the Top 5 of the WTA singles rankings this week, will play a qualifier in the first round.
2022 Dubai info: Draws, prize money, and everything you need to know
No.8 seed Ons Jabeur is also in the second quarter. The Tunisian, who became the first Arab woman to win a WTA singles title last season, will play wildcard Vera Zvonareva, a former World No.2.
Two-time Dubai champion Simona Halep also factors into this quarter, and she will take on Alison Riske in the first round. An all-American opener between Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula resides in this section as well.
Dubai vibes 😃@DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/1L3YB59SRp
— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) February 12, 2022
Defending champion Garbiñe Muguruza can be found in the third quarter. The No.4 seed from Spain clinched her first of her three 2021 titles here, before also winning in Chicago and at the season-ending Akron WTA Finals in Guadalajara. She will play a qualifier in the first round.
Practice under the sun.
— Garbiñe Muguruza (@GarbiMuguruza) February 11, 2022
Entreno bajo el sol ☀️.@WTA @WTA_Espanol @DDFTennis
📸 @JJlovesTennis pic.twitter.com/qXl8LfsOPU
In the bottom quarter lies No.2 seed and last year's runner-up Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic. Krejcikova made her first final of the season in Dubai last year before claiming her first three WTA singles titles later in the season, including Roland Garros.
Krejcikova will take on French wildcard Caroline Garcia, a former Top 5 player, in the first round. Krejcikova leads the head-to-head 2-1, having most recently defeated Garcia in straight sets in this year's Sydney quarterfinals.
Also in the bottom quarter is No.9 seed Danielle Collins, who will start against a qualifier or lucky loser.
2022 Australian Open finalist Collins was originally slated to play Muguruza, but was moved into a seeded position after the withdrawal of No.5 seed Maria Sakkari due to a change in schedule.