The 22nd edition of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open kicks off the WTA 1000 season next week. Two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek returns to the desert looking to take the title for a third consecutive year. 

Here's what you need to know about Doha:

When does the tournament start?

The Qatar TotalEnergies Open is the first WTA 1000 tournament of the 2024 Hologic WTA 1000 season. The tournament is played on outdoor hard courts at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex in Doha, Qatar. The Dunlop Australian Open ball will be used. 

Doha features a 56-player singles draw and a 28-team doubles draw. 

Main-draw play begins on Sunday, Feb. 11.

When are the finals?

The singles and doubles finals are set for Saturday, Feb. 17. The doubles final will be played at 3:30 p.m., with the singles final to follow at 6 p.m.

Swiatek - 2023 Doha final

Karim Jaafar/AFP via Getty Images

Who are the defending champions? 

Swiatek is the two-time defending champion in Doha. Her title run two years ago kicked off a 37-match, six-tournament win streak. Last year, she defeated Jessica Pegula 6-3, 6-0 in the final. 

In doubles, Pegula and partner Coco Gauff defended their title as well. The Americans beat Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 2-6, 10-7. 

Who is playing?

Eighteen of the Top 20 are in the Doha draw. The lone holdouts are Australian Open champion and World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka (change of schedule) and No.4 Pegula (neck injury). 

Four-time major champion Naomi Osaka, with a special ranking at No.46, is also a direct entry.

Top 10 seeds:

1. Iga Swiatek
2. Coco Gauff
3. Elena Rybakina
4. Ons Jabeur
5. Zheng Qinwen
6. Marketa Vondrousova
7. Maria Sakkari
8. Karolina Muchova
9. Jelena Ostapenko
10. Barbora Krejcikova

What does the draw look like?

For a full analysis of the draw, click here. 

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What are the points and prize money on offer?

First round: 10 points/$14,800
Second round: 65 points/$20,650
Round of 16: 120 points/$36,454
Quarterfinal: 215 points/$72,965
Semifinal: 390 points/$158,944
Finalist: 650 points/$308,320
Champion: 1000 points/$523,485

Top Storylines

Swiatek seeks her first 2024 title: The tour's title leader over the past two seasons, Swiatek returns to fertile ground looking to get on the board. She is running an eight-match win streak in Doha. 

Gauff's deep streak: Coming off a strong January, where she defended her Auckland title and made her first Australian Open semifinal, Gauff has quietly built an impressive streak. She has now made the semifinals or better at her past six tournaments. That's the longest active streak of anyone on tour. 

Ostapenko in top form: There's a colorable argument to be made that the hottest player on tour might be Jelena Ostapenko. She has played four events this season and has made either a singles or doubles final in all of them. 

With singles titles in Adelaide and Linz, she is the only two-time winner on tour this year. And after pulling out of Abu Dhabi, the Latvian comes into Doha well-rested. 

Osaka searching for a win: The former No.1 was under no illusions that her comeback from maternity leave would be easy. But after losing her past three matches, all to high-quality opponents in Karolina Pliskova, Caroline Garcia and Danielle Collins, Osaka needs a confidence boost.