World No1 Aryna Sabalenka is looking to conjure up some more magic at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships this week after convincing even herself that she might be able to do things others cannot.
The three-time Grand Slam winner and the top-seed at this week’s WTA 1000 event was one of eight players to receive a first-round bye. Yet following Saturday’s draw she could face Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round for a second successive week. The in-form Alexandrova toppled Sabalenka in Doha last week, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) and Sabalenka is already eyeing revenge.
Speaking to media inside the Jumeirah Creekside Hotel, which sits adjacent to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, 26-year-old Sabalenka said she could hardly believe her eyes when she saw the draw. “No joke,” she said. “Right before I saw the draw, I was like: ‘Will be cool if I would go up against Alexandrova one more time. Then the guys sent me the draw and I was like ‘Oh my God. Am I a magician or something? How can I predict that? Can I see the future?”
While Alexandrova’s victory in Qatar improved her record against two-time Australian Open champion Sabalenka to 4-4, for the two to meet again, World No26 Alexandrova will first need to overcome Veronika Kudermetova, a qualifier this week but a defeated finalist in Dubai in 2022. Sabalenka, for her part, has yet to progress past the quarterfinals in eight previous attempts.
“Whenever we play a tournament, we always want to win,” the Belarusian added. “I’m doing everything I can to prepare myself as well as possible to be able to compete at the highest level here. I really hope that one day I’ll be able to win this tournament.”
Meanwhile, World No3 Coco Gauff, who also fell in the second round in Doha after losing to Marta Kostyuk 6-2 7-5, made the most of the early defeat by arriving early in Dubai, where she has spent the week balancing tennis with tourism. As well as training hard at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, she also set aside some time to explore a little of the emirate with her mother Candi, taking in the aquarium and other sights at Dubai Mall.
“I took the next day off, then came here and I’ve just been practicing – playing a lot of practice set points,” said Gauff, the US Open 2023 champion, who also spent Valentine’s Day with her mum. “It was super fun. We just went to the Mall and ate dinner. She’s here with me. She can’t spend it with my dad, so I felt like I had to be the one taking her out because I’m taking her away from her Valentine.”
Gauff, a semi-finalist in Dubai two years ago, will meet a fellow American in her opening match after New Jersey-born Amanda Anisimova drew Georgia-born McCartney Kessler. Gauff, having already summited Burj Khalifa, is looking to successfully come out on top of another Dubai landmark this week as the city’s WTA tournament celebrates its milestone 25th anniversary.
For all 56 players, however, the route to the top will require plenty perseverance with a field featuring 36 of the top 40, 17 of the top 20, and nine of the top 10 – including World No2 Iga Swiatek. The five-time Grand Slam winner reached the Dubai final in 2023 and the semi-final last year. Returning for a fifth consecutive year, she said she feels increasingly more comfortable in the city and is looking forward to playing in front of a strong, multicultural crowd. She faces either Victoria Azarenka or Anhelina Kalinina in the second round.
“Every year, I have a nicer experience because it feels more like home,” said Swiatek. “I also really enjoy playing here in front of the fans – many people are coming from different countries to see the tournament. Dubai is making women’s tennis more popular, so playing in this city and this environment is something pretty exciting. I’m happy to be here.”
The 25th edition of the annual WTA 1000 event takes place one week before the men’s ATP event at the same venue. The women’s competition will run between February 16 and 22, before the 33rd staging of the ATP Tour 500 tournament from February 24 to March 1. Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is owned and organised by Dubai Duty Free and held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Tickets are available online at Ticketmaster and dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com and directly from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium Box Office from 9am-9pm daily.
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