February is home to the Middle East Swing on the Hologic WTA Tour, where three notable tournaments take place over the next three weeks.

The WTA 500 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open kicks things off in the region, with main-draw play starting this coming Monday, Feb. 3.

Following that will be back-to-back WTA 1000 events: the Qatar TotalEnergies Open in Doha (starting Sunday, Feb. 9), and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships (beginning Sunday, Feb. 16).

Here are the defending champions and finalists from last year's action:

Abu Dhabi (WTA 500): Elena Rybakina def. Daria Kasatkina
Doha (WTA 1000): Iga Swiatek def. Elena Rybakina
Dubai (WTA 1000): Jasmine Paolini def. Anna Kalinskaya

And now, here are the key facts surrounding the 2025 Middle East Swing:

Week 1: Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open (WTA 500)

Main-Draw Start Date: Monday, Feb. 3
Singles Final: Saturday, Feb. 8 at 5:00 p.m.
Doubles Final: Saturday, Feb. 8 at 2:30 p.m.
Qualifying Dates: Saturday, Feb. 1 - Sunday, Feb. 2
Main-Draw Ceremony: Saturday, Feb. 1 
Draw Size: 28 singles players (incl. 6 qualifiers, 4 wild cards and 4 byes for the Top 4 seeds), 16 doubles teams
Time Zone: Gulf Standard Time (GMT +4, EST +9)
Tournament Ball: Dunlop – Fort All Court TS SS

Middle East Swing: Entry list information

The Middle East swing begins in the U.A.E. with the return of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open. The hard-court event will be the fourth WTA 500 single-elimination draw of the season, following WTA 500 events in Brisbane, Adelaide and Linz. Here are key storylines to watch for:

  • World No. 5 and defending champion Elena Rybakina tops the entry list. Rybakina's run to last year's Abu Dhabi title was part of her hot start to the 2024 season -- by the end of Abu Dhabi, Rybakina had already won two titles (also Brisbane) and held an 11-2 win-loss record.
  • Last year's runner-up Daria Kasatkina will also return to Abu Dhabi. Kasatkina was spectacular at WTA 500 events in 2024, winning two WTA 500 titles (Eastbourne and Ningbo) and reaching four additional finals at this tournament level last year. 
  • Also on the entry list, Paula Badosa will head to Abu Dhabi with a regained Top 10 status. The former World No. 2 made her first Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open and rose to No. 10 in the PIF Rankings -- her first appearance in the Top 10 since October 2022.
  • Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, who has set women's tennis records for an Arab player, will begin her Middle East campaign in Abu Dhabi. Former World No. 2 Jabeur, a three-time Grand Slam finalist, is seeking her first title since 2023.
  • Grand Slam singles champions in the field include Rybakina (2022 Wimbledon), Jelena Ostapenko (2017 Roland Garros) and Marketa Vondrousova (2023 Wimbledon). Vondrousova received a main-draw wild card.
  • Other wild-card recipients include former World No. 4 Caroline Garcia, rising American Ashlyn Krueger and Wakana Sonobe. Last week, 17-year-old Sonobe became the first player from Japan to win the Australian Open junior girls' singles title.

Abu Dhabi ranking points and prize money
First round: 1 point | $11,300
Round of 16: 60 points | $15,700
Quarterfinals: 108 points | $28,695
Semifinals: 195 points | $59,000
Finalist: 325 points | $101,000
Champion: 500 points | $164,000

Must See

Week 2: Qatar TotalEnergies Open (WTA 1000)

Main-Draw Start Date: Sunday, Feb. 9
Singles Final: Saturday, Feb. 15 at 6 p.m.
Doubles Final: Saturday, Feb. 15 at 3:30 p.m.
Qualifying Dates: Friday, Feb. 7 - Saturday, Feb. 8
Main-Draw Ceremony: Friday, Feb. 7 at 2 p.m.
Draw Size: 56 singles players (incl. 8 qualifiers, 4 wild cards and 8 byes for the Top 8 seeds), 28 doubles teams
Time Zone: Arabia Standard Time (GMT +3, EST +8)
Tournament Ball: Dunlop Fort All Court Tournament Select

Middle East Swing: Entry list information

Iga Swiatek won her third consecutive Doha title last year -- the first time that has happened in the tournament's history. If Swiatek wants to make it four straight this year, she will have to navigate through a field that contains 18 of the world's Top 20 players.

More info to come following Week 1 of the Middle East swing..

Week 3: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships (WTA 1000)

Main-Draw Start Date: Sunday, Feb. 16
Singles Final: Saturday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.
Doubles Final: Saturday, Feb. 22 at 4:30 p.m.
Qualifying Dates: Friday, Feb. 14 - Saturday, Feb. 15
Main-Draw Ceremony: Saturday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m.
Draw Size: 56 singles players (incl. 8 qualifiers and 4 wild cards), 28 doubles teams
Time Zone: Gulf Standard Time (GMT +4, EST +9)
Tournament Ball: Dunlop Fort All Court Tournament Select

Middle East Swing: Entry list information

This is the milestone 25th edition of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. This year, Jasmine Paolini will attempt to defend the highest-level title of her career, in a field that contains 19 of the world's Top 20 players.

More info to come following Week 2 of the Middle East swing...