The Middle East Swing on the Hologic WTA Tour continues next week with the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, the first of two straight WTA 1000 events on the calendar.
Main-draw action begins on Sunday, Feb. 9, with 37 of the Top 40 players in the PIF Rankings headed to Doha for the 23rd edition of the outdoor hard-court event.
Over 3.6 million dollars of total prize money is at stake, with the singles champion claiming $597,000 and 1000 precious ranking points.
Three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek will attempt to extend her winning title streak, while World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will try to reclaim the title she captured in 2020.
Here’s what you need to know about the Qatar TotalEnergies Open:
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 (including 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
Some notable storylines to keep an eye on:
- Iga Swiatek became the first player to win three straight Doha titles last year, and a fourth would put her in rarefied company. Since the year 2000, Swiatek could become only the second player to win a WTA event in four consecutive years after Caroline Wozniacki in New Haven (2008-2011).
- Before Swiatek, the last player to win back-to-back Doha titles was Victoria Azarenka in 2012-2013. Former World No. 1 Azarenka has a 22-4 career win-loss record in Doha, and she is scheduled to make her ninth appearance at the event this year.
- World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is attempting to win a Middle East Swing title for the third time in her career. She has previously won 2020 Doha and 2021 Abu Dhabi in the region.
- Will players from the Czech Republic excel in Doha again? Three Czechs have won the Doha title in the last 10 years: Lucie Safarova (2015), Karolina Pliskova (2017) and Petra Kvitova (2018 and 2021). As a potential bellwether, two Czechs made it into this week's Abu Dhabi quarterfinals: Marketa Vondrousova and Linda Noskova.
- Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, the highest-ranked Arab player in tennis history, will be back for her 10th main-draw appearance at this event. The former World No. 2's career-best showings in Doha are quarterfinal runs in 2020 and 2022.
Doha ranking points and prize money
First round: 10 points | $16,900
Second round: 65 points | $23,500
Round of 16: 120 points | $41,600
Quarterfinals: 215 points | $83,470
Semifinals: 390 points | $181,400
Finalist: 650 points | $351,801
Champion: 1000 points | $597,000
Here are the defending champions and finalists from last year's action in the Middle East Swing:
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
To wrap up, it's never too early to start thinking about the second WTA 1000 event of the Middle East Swing, the 25th edition of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Main-draw play in Dubai begins on Sunday, Feb. 16. Here are more fast facts from Dubai:
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 (including 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
More Dubai info to come next week ...
