The withdrawal of Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek from the competition in Dubai has dealt a significant blow to the organizers of the WTA 1000 event. Both players, the current top two in women’s tennis rankings, had indicated they would not be adhering to the tight calendar. Swiatek cited a change in plans, expressing her desire to focus on training, while Sabalenka admitted she still does not feel ready to compete, despite having trained in Dubai as recently as Thursday evening.
With this development, Jelena Rybakina takes the top seed position for the first time in a tournament of this caliber. It is noteworthy that since 2019, there has only been one instance where both Sabalenka and Swiatek were absent from a 1000-level event, which occurred in the fall of 2023 in Guadalajara. That tournament was unique due to its timing shortly after the US Open.
The absence of Swiatek opens the door for Rybakina to potentially rise to the world number two position, trailing only behind Sabalenka, assuming she advances to the finals in the United Arab Emirates. Currently, Rybakina is just 280 points behind Swiatek in rankings. However, she achieved a further round in Dubai last year, reaching the semifinals and accruing 390 points, while Swiatek was eliminated in the quarterfinals, earning just 215 points. As it stands, points from Swiatek’s previous performance will be replaced by lower points from her third-round effort in Rome.
Rybakina has a relatively favorable draw in the early rounds; she receives a bye in the first round and will face either Tatjana Maria or a qualifier in the second round, which she is expected to handle easily. However, in subsequent rounds, she could confront Karolina Muchova, who has already disrupted Rybakina’s winning streak earlier this year in Brisbane. Muchova’s participation could depend on her performance in the Doha finals today.
In the potential quarterfinals, Rybakina might meet Belinda Bencic or Elina Svitolina, while her semifinal opponents could include Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini, Jelena Ostapenko, or Linda Noskova.
On the other half of the draw is defending champion Mirra Andreeva, along with Jessica Pegula, Qinwen Zheng, Victoria Mboko, and Amanda Anisimova. Notably, Magda Linette is the only Polish player confirmed to compete in the main draw in Dubai, set to face Lulu Sun, and should she win, would meet eighth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Additionally, Magdalena Frech is vying for a place in the main draw with a match against Varvara Gracheva in the qualifiers, with a chance to enter the main event as a “lucky loser” should she lose.
The main WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai kicks off on Sunday, with the finals scheduled for the following Saturday. Rybakina has also participated in an exclusive photoshoot with the trophy, capturing the attention of fans and media alike.