The 2026 Australian Open champion confirms her participation in… "Dubai Duty Free Tennis"
DUBAI, 3 FEBRUARY / WAM / The organizing committee of the Dubai Duty Free Women’s Tennis Championship announced the confirmation of the participation of Russian Elena Rybakina, who recently won the Australian Open title, in the 27th edition of the tournament, one of the 1000 points category tournaments of the Women’s Tennis Association, whose competitions run from February 15 to 21 this year.
Rybakina, ranked third in the world, returns to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship, in which she was previously runner-up, and she has been residing in Dubai since 2024, which gives her participation a special dimension, especially after she regained the highest ranking in her professional career, after winning the Australian Open title, her second Grand Slam title.
The organizing committee confirmed that all eight players who qualified for the quarter-finals of the Australian Open will participate in the Dubai Championship, ensuring a high level of competition and reflecting the technical momentum witnessed in the first Grand Slam tournament this season.
Ramesh Sidambi, Director General of Dubai Duty Free and Chairman of the Championship Organizing Committee, said that the participation of elite female players ranked among the top twenty in the world, shortly after the Melbourne Championship, gives the public the opportunity to follow the most prominent names and strongest confrontations in the world of tennis, stressing that the tournament constitutes an important station to test the players’ readiness on the hard surface.
For his part, Salah Tahlak, Deputy Director General of Dubai Duty Free and Director of the Dubai Tennis Championships, said that Rybakina participated in the Dubai Championship 5 times during the past six years, and reached the final in her first participation in 2020, and the semi-finals in last year’s edition, indicating that she has a wide fan base in Dubai as a resident of the emirate.
This year’s edition will witness the participation of all eight players who have qualified for the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, including world number one Aryna Sabalenka, six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Svitolina, and world number four Amanda Anisimova, along with Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, ranked fifth and sixth in the world, two-time Dubai champion Elina Svitolina, and 18-year-old rising star Iva Jovic.
The participation of defending champion Mira Andreeva, the winner of the 2024 edition, Yasmine Paolini, the rising Canadian Victoria Mpoko, and the 2019 champion, Belinda Bencic, also adds more strength and diversity to the tournament’s competitions.
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