The first WTA 1000 of the season is set to get underway next week at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Dubai kicks off a busy and high-stakes spring hard-court season, which will continue with back-to-back WTA 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami in March.
By the numbers: Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami kick off WTA 1000 season
Here's what you need to know about the 2023 edition of Dubai:
When does the tournament start?
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is the first WTA 1000 event of the 2023 season. The tournament features a 56-player singles draw and 28-team doubles draw. It is played on outdoor hard courts at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium. The Dunlop Australian Open ball will be used.
Main draw play begins on Sunday, Feb. 19.
When are the finals?
The singles and doubles finals will be played on Saturday, Feb. 25. The doubles final will begin at 5:00 p.m., followed by the singles final at 7:00 p.m.
Who are the top seeds?
The main draw features 18 of the Hologic WTA Tour's Top 20, led by No.1 Iga Swiatek. The Top 8 seeds will receive byes into the second round.
Top 8 Seeds:
1. Iga Swiatek
2. Aryna Sabalenka
3. Jessica Pegula
4. Caroline Garcia
5. Coco Gauff
6. Maria Sakkari
7. Daria Kasatkina
8. Belinda Bencic
Who are the defending champions?
Jelena Ostapenko won Doha last year when it was hosted as a WTA 500. The Latvian captured her fifth career title by defeating Veronika Kudermetova 6-0, 6-4.
Kudermetova bounced back to win the doubles title with Elise Mertens, defeating Ostapenko and Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 6-3.
The last time Dubai hosted a WTA 1000, Garbiñe Muguruza captured the title by defeating Barbora Krejcikova 7-6, 6-3. Alexa Guarachi and Darija Jurak took home the doubles title, defeating Xu Yifan and Yang Zhaoxuan 6-0, 6-3.
What does the draw look like?
Main draw in Dubai (WTA 1000), where Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka are the top seeds.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 18, 2023
Notable 1Rs:
Rybakina-Andreescu
Badosa-Samsonova
Pliskova-Vondrousova
Pavlyuchenkova-Azarenka
Fruhvirtova-Collins#DDFtennis pic.twitter.com/tXKxOrkfqT
What is the prize money and ranking points on offer?
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships features a prize pool of $2,788,468.
Round 1: 1 point/$12,848
Round 2: 60 points/$17,930
Round of 16: 105 points/$31,650
Quarterfinals: 190 points/$63,350
Semifinals: 350 points/$138,000
Finalist: 585 points/$267,690
Champion: 900 points/$454,500
Key storylines
Sabalenka, Rybakina back in action: The protagonists of the best Australian Open final in recent years took a well-deserved break after Melbourne and are set to return to competition in Dubai. Australian Open champion Sabalenka is the No.2 seed in Dubai and bidding to make it past the quarterfinals for the first time. 2020 finalist Rybakina is seeded at No.9.
Swiatek, Pegula, Bencic the hot hands: No.1 Iga Swiatek and No.4 Jessica Pegula looked sharp in Doha, where they are set to face off for the second time this season in Saturday's final.
Along with Sabalenka, No.9 Belinda Bencic is the tour's early title leader, having captured her second two weeks ago in Abu Dhabi. The Swiss comes into Dubai on a six-match win streak after withdrawing after the Round of 16 in Doha due to fatigue.
Haddad Maia, Samsonova chasing Top 10 debuts: With 900 points up for grabs in Dubai, No.12 Beatriz Haddad Maia and No.15 Liudmila Samsonova, who will rise after Doha, have a big opportunity to close in on their respective Top 10 debuts. It may not happen in Doha, but deep runs will put them in a strong position to break the barrier during the Sunshine Double in March.
