Sabalenka pulls out of Qatar TotalEnergies Open in Doha

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has pulled out of next week's Qatar TotalEnergies Open in Doha, citing a change in schedule.

The 27-year-old kicked off her WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz season with 11 consecutive wins, including a title in Brisbane, but fell short to Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final. In pursuit of her third career title in Melbourne, Sabalenka led 3-0 in the deciding third set but dropped six of the final seven games.

Sabalenka won the title in Doha in her debut in 2020, but has gone just 2-3 at this tournament since, including a loss to Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round last year.

With Sabalenka out, Iga Swiatek will be the top seed at the season's first WTA 1000 tournament. Other than Jessica Pegula, who also withdrew from the event, the rest of the Top 10 is in the field

Sabalenka is still scheduled to play the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, also a WTA 1000 tournament, the following week.

In addition to Sabalenka's withdrawal, World No. 34 Lois Boisson has pulled out of Doha with a leg injury. She'll also miss Dubai.

World No. 46 Emiliana Arango and World No. 57 Cristina Bucsa will replace Sabalenka and Boisson in the main draw.

Played on outdoor hard courts, the Qatar TotalEnergies Open will kick off on Sunday, Feb. 8 and run through Saturday, Feb. 14.