WTA 1000 Doha Open 2026: Where to watch, live streaming details, and TV schedule
Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula headlines list of top players who have withdrawn from the Doha Open.
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Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek, and Amanda Anisimova (via X/The Tennis Letter)
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The first WTA 1000 of the season will take place in Doha, Qatar. The Doha Open tournament has been held since 2001. This year’s edition will be played from February 8 to 14 at the International Tennis and Squash Complex. The main draw will feature 56 players, with Amanda Anisimova as the defending champion, having defeated Jelena Ostapenko in the final last year.
The Doha Open will be the first major event in the Middle East swing, with the Abu Dhabi Open already going on. After the Doha Open, the Dubai Tennis Championships will kick off, which will feature the top stars in the WTA. However, for the WTA 1000 tournament in Qatar, World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka pulled out on Wednesday (February 4).
The Belarusian star has opted not to play at the event as she’s yet to fully recover from the Australian Open final loss to Elena Rybakina. The 27-year-old was seeking her fifth Grand Slam on tour at the Melbourne Grand Slam, but failed to do so as she fell to Rybakina in three sets, making it her second consecutive Australian Open final loss.
She’s not defending many points at the Doha Open, as she was eliminated in the second round by Ekaterina Alexandrova last year. She holds a considerable lead at the top of the WTA rankings, with more than 3,000 points ahead of Iga Swiatek at World No. 2. Swiatek will be the top seed at the Qatar Open.
The 24-year-old won the title in 2024 but failed to defend it in 2025 after losing to Jelena Ostapenko in the semi-finals. She will be heading to Qatar after a disappointing campaign at the Australian Open. She crashed out of the tournament in the quarter-finals after losing to Rybakina in straight sets.
Nonetheless, more than five top 25 players have followed Sabalenka in withdrawing from the Doha Open. Jessica Pegula, former US Open champion Naomi Osaka, Madison Keys, Iva Jovic, and Marta Kostyuk have all announced that they would not feature at the WTA 1000 tournament, robbing the event of some serious star power in the women’s circuit.
The move will be a huge red flag to the tournament organizers that many players are willing to miss a 1000 event, regardless of the consequences. However, Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Jasmine Paolini, Mirra Andreeva, Belinda Bencic, and Elina Svitolina are set to be in action at the Doha Open.
Broadcast and live streaming details for the 2026 WTA Qatar Open
Coco Gauff will enter the Doha Open as the fourth seed. She has dropped to World No.5 in the WTA rankings after crashing out in the quarter-finals, losing to Elina Svitolina in straight sets. The tournament is the best place for her to get back to the top 3 as she crashed out in the second round last year.
Another player to watch out for is Svitolina, who reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open. She has endured just one loss in 2026, and that came against Aryna Sabalenka. She has the opportunity to prove herself and perhaps cement her place in the top 10. She already has one title to her name, and that came at the Auckland Classics.
Meanwhile, the top 20 stars, such as Emma Navarro, Victoria Mboko, and Karolina Muchova, are also eager to enjoy strong runs at the tournament, while Emma Raducanu is among the high-profile unseeded players.
Live Streaming Details
- India – Sony Sports
- Australia – Nine, Stan Sport
- New Zealand – Sky NZ
- USA – ESPN, Tennis Channel
- Brazil – ESPN Latin America
- Canada – TSN, RDS
- United Kingdom – TNT Sports, Discovery+
- France – TNT Sports
- Africa – SuperSport, beIN Sport
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