Top four reunited for first time since Australian Open

DUBAI — World No.1 Iga Swiatek and Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka lead the draw for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, which begins on Sunday, Feb. 18. US Open champion Coco Gauff and No.4 Elena Rybakina round out the Top 4 seeds.

Dubai 2024: Draw | Scores | Schedule

With Sabalenka set to play her first tournament since January, Dubai marks the first time the Hologic WTA Tour’s Top 4 will compete at an event since the Australian Open. The top eight seeds have received byes into the second round.

Defending champion Barbora Krejcikova withdrew from the tournament due to a back injury.

Top Half

A finalist last year, Swiatek returns to Dubai off another strong performance in Doha, where she completed yet another successful title defense. She leads the top half of the draw along with No.3 seed Gauff, No.5 seed Ons Jabeur, and No.6 seed Zheng Qinwen.

Swiatek will face either Sloane Stephens or a qualifier in her second-round opener. Looming as a potential third-round opponent is two-time Dubai champion Elina Svitolina, who opens against her compatriot, Anhelina Kalinina.

Gauff is looking to rebound from a disappointing second-round exit in Doha last week. It was the American’s first loss before the quarterfinals at a tournament since Wimbledon last year. She will open against either Elise Mertens or Lesia Tsurenko.

Also floating in the top half of the draw is No.9 seed Jelena Ostapenko. The Latvian has already tallied two titles this year in Adelaide and Abu Dhabi. A champion in Dubai two years ago, Ostapenko opens against a qualifier, with the winner to face either Paula Badosa or a qualifier.

Notable first-round matches:

[10] Daria Kasatkina vs. Marta Kostyuk
[16] Caroline Garcia vs. [WC] Ashlyn Krueger

Bottom Half

After a well-deserved three weeks of rest, World No.2 Sabalenka is primed to get back to action in Dubai. She leads the bottom half of the draw along with No.4 Rybakina, No.7 seed Marketa Vondrousova and No.8 seed Maria Sakkari.

Sabalenka will face either Donna Vekic or Wang Xinyu in the second round. The winner will play either Australian Open semifinalist Dayana Yastremska, Veronika Kudermetova, Sorana Cirstea or Sofia Kenin in the third round.

Rybakina emerged from another strong week in Doha to become the winningest player this year, overtaking Ostapenko for the most wins on tour. A finalist in Dubai in 2020, Rybakina will face either Victoria Azarenka or Arantxa Rus in her opener.

Notable first-round matches:

Emma Navarro vs. Katerina Siniakova
[11] Beatriz Haddad Maia vs. Jasmine Paolini
Mirra Andreeva vs. Peyton Stearns
Sofia Kenin vs. Sorana Cirstea
Donna Vekic vs. Wang Xinyu