DUBAI: With only days to go until the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships get under way, a throng of the elite 64-player field — including last month’s Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and World No.1 Iga Swiatek — are already arriving in the emirate ahead of Saturday’s main draw when they will discover their pathways to the $2.9 million prize purse.
Dubai’s annual WTA 1000 event is set to take place from Feb. 19-25, with the draw scheduled for 1pm on Feb. 18 at the Majlis inside Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium.
The official entry list includes nine of the world’s top 10 women and five Grand Slam winners in Sabalenka, Swiatek, two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka, last year’s Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, and 2018 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko, who won in Dubai last year.
The draw will be conducted in the presence of Colm McLoughlin, executive vice chairman and chief executive officer at Dubai Duty Free; Ramesh Cidambi, chief operating officer at Dubai Duty Free; and Salah Tahlak, tournament director of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.