Dubai Tennis Championships 2026: Women’s Singles Draw Preview and Prediction featuring Elena Rybakina, Amanda Anisimova, Coco Gauff, and Mirra Andreeva

The second WTA 1000 of the season, the Dubai Tennis Championships, started on February 15. Mirra Andreeva will be entering the tournament as the defending champion. Last year, she defeated Clara Tauson in the final.

Two big names are missing from the draw. World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, who also skipped the Qatar Open, won’t be playing in Dubai. World No.2 Iga Swiatek, who lost to Maria Sakkari in the Doha quarterfinals, also pulled out.

Tournament Details

• Tournament: 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships
• Defending Champion: Mirra Andreeva
• Date: February 15- February 21
• No. of Entrants: 56 (Singles)
• Venue: Aviation Club Tennis Centre, Dubai
• Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
• Total Prize Money Pool: $4,088,211

Top seeds at the Dubai Tennis Championships 2026

• Elena Rybakina
• Amanda Anisimova
• Coco Gauff
• Jessica Pegula
• Mirra Andreeva
• Jasmine Paolini
• Elina Svitolina
• Ekaterina Alexandrova
• Belinda Bencic

First quarter

Elena Rybakina, who finished as runner-up in 2020 (lost to Simona Halep), will be playing as the first seed. Emma Raducanu, who finished the Winners Open as the runner-up, is also a part of this quarter.

Because Belinda Bencic was sick, she skipped the Qatar Open. She is one of the few players to have won the Dubai Open. Paula Badosa and two-time Dubai Open champion Elina Svitolina are part of the second half of this quarter.

Quarterfinal prediction: Elena Rybakina vs. Elina Svitolina

Second quarter

Coco Gauff will headline the second quarter. The third seed will start her campaign against Jelena Ostapenko or Anna Kalinskaya.

Gauff could meet Emma Navarro in the fourth round, and in the quarterfinals, she could face Linda Noskova or Jasmine Paolini. The Italian ace won this title in 2024 by defeating Kalinskaya.

Quarterfinal prediction: Coco Gauff vs. Jasmine Paolini

Third quarter

Ekaterina Alexandrova could face fourth seed Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals. But before that, Alexandrova could end up facing last year’s runner-up, Clara Tauson, in the fourth round.

Pegula is projected to lock horns with Iva Jovic in the fourth round. Maria Sakkari and Sofia Kenin can also make deep runs.

Quarterfinal prediction: Ekaterina Alexandrova vs. Jessica Pegula

Fourth quarter

The fourth quarter featured two-time Grand Slam finalist Amanda Anisimova. The second seed is projected to meet defending champion Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals.

Another contender for the title, Victoria Mboko, is also a part of this quarter. The Canadian ace lifted the home WTA 1000 title last year and was defeated in the final of the Qatar Open by Karolina Muchova.

Quarterfinal prediction: Victoria Mboko vs. Amanda Anisimova

Semifinals

In Rybakina versus Svitolina, the reigning Australian Open champion would be the favorite to win. Gauff is expected to win if she meets Paolini in the semifinals.

Jovic and Tauson are other favorites to reach the last four. Mboko has been enjoying a good form and could beat Andreeva. But it’s also difficult to ignore Anisimova despite her opening-round exit at the Qatar Open.

Semifinal prediction:

• Coco Gauff vs. Elena Rybakina
• Jessica Pegula vs. Victoria Mboko

Final

Rybakina and Mboko are the favorites to reach the final. They have so far faced each other three times, with the Kazakh ace winning on two occasions, including in their last meeting in the quarterfinals of last year’s Japan Open.

The lone win that the 19-year-old registered was in the semifinals of last year’s Canadian Open. Mboko later reached the final and defeated four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka to win the first WTA title of her career. This year, she has so far lost two finals. Before losing to Muchova in Doha, she was defeated by Andreeva in the final of the Adelaide International.

• Final prediction: Victoria Mboko vs. Elena Rybakina
• Winner prediction: Victoria Mboko

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