2026 Schedule Update | Belinda Bencic targets title defence in Abu Dhabi Open as young talents Mboko and Eala set to make debut

The Abu Dhabi Open will once again see a stacked lineup with the reigning champion Belinda Bencic making a return to the event taking place from January 31 - February 7. She will be joined by some strong competition, with young talents Victoria Mboko and Alexandra Eala set to make their debuts in the tournament.

With the 2026 tennis season set to commence within the next few days, the top WTA players are planning ahead their season, looking to pick out the perfect tournaments for them to compete at as they seek out glory. The season will start Down Under with the Australian Open the main highlight. After that, attention will turn to the Middle East with a number of highly anticipated tournaments set to commence.

Most notably are the two WTA 1000 events, the Qatar Open and Dubai Duty Free Championships. Beforehand, players will be wanting to get into the best shape possible for what they hope deep, rewarding runs in these two gruelling tournaments.

At the start of 2025, Bencic was outside of the top 450 after becoming a mother for the first time. The talented Swiss tennis player had already achieved a lot in the sport, having won two WTA 1000 titles while also lifting the Billie Jean King Cup for her nation in 2022 and winning gold in the Tokyo Olympics. After making her way back into competing in the sport, she has made enormous progress, showcasing her immense talent on the court.

This began by winning this title last year, getting the better of Ashlyn Krueger in a triumphant campaign. At the end of the year, she also tasted success in the Pan Pacific Open as she rose to an incredible 11th in the world to cap off what was a meteoric rise back into the top end of the tennis rankings.

She is set to return to the WTA 500 event as the reigning champion, and will be determined to win back her crown. The last time she came back to defend this title was back in 2024 after her success in 2023 when Liudmila Samsonova was defeated in three sets. 

Both Mboko and Eala have had breakthrough campaigns in 2025, cannoning themselves up the rankings to go from talented prospects to regular title challengers on the WTA Tour. They will be looking to continue their progress as they debut in the Abu Dhabi Open.

Mboko gained 333 places last year, largely thanks to a stunning title in the Canadian Open. The 19-year-old was seeded for the following US Open, and is now firmly in the top 20 after triumph in the Hong Kong Open.

“Breaking into the top 20 has been an incredible journey, and I’m really excited to be making my debut in Abu Dhabi," she stated ahead of her debut. “I’ve heard amazing things about the tournament, the facilities and the fans, and I’m looking forward to testing myself against such a strong field at the start of the season.”

Eala was also relatively unknown but after a brilliant run to the Miami Open semi-final, she is very much on the radar of many tennis fans. The Filipino broke into the top 50 while also winning her first WTA title, breaking a whole heap of records and barriers for her country. After what she hopes is a positive start to the season, the 20-year-old will look to challenge the likes of Bencic and Mboko as the Abu Dhabi Open lineup starts to look more stacked.