Taking place between 1-7 February, the Abu Dhabi Open on the WTA 500 is the first tournament post the Australian Open and sees the top names facing off for a main stop before Dubai, Doha among others on the Middle East swing.
Belinda Bencic is defending champion having won the title last year. She saw off Ashlyn Krueger 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 last time around and will be looking to produce again this time around. Elena Rybakina is top seed alongside Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Barbora Krejcikova using a protected ranking, Clara Tauson and Emma Navarro are also among the top names with Emma Raducanu leading the way in Transylvania Open also taking place in the same week.
Entry List Abu Dhabi Open
| POS | PLAYER | NAT | RANK |
| 1 | ELENA RYBAKINA | KAZ | 5 |
| 2 | EKATERINA ALEXANDROVA | 10 | |
| 3 | BARBORA KREJCIKOVA | CZE | PR10 |
| 4 | BELINDA BENCIC | SUI | 11 |
| 5 | CLARA TAUSON | DEN | 14 |
| 6 | EMMA NAVARRO | USA | 15 |
| 7 | LIUDMILA SAMSONOVA | 17 | |
| 8 | VICTORIA MBOKO | CAN | 18 |
| 9 | MARKETA VONDROUSOVA | CZE | PR18 |
| 10 | ELISE MERTENS | BEL | 19 |
| 11 | LEYLAH FERNANDEZ | CAN | 22 |
| 12 | JELENA OSTAPENKO | LAT | 23 |
| 13 | QINWEN ZHENG | CHN | 24 |
| 14 | PAULA BADOSA | ESP | 25 |
| 15 | DAYANA YASTREMSKA | UKR | 27 |
| 16 | SOFIA KENIN | USA | 28 |
| 17 | BEATRIZ HADDAD MAIA | BRA | PR30 |
| 18 | MCCARTNEY KESSLER | USA | 31 |
| 19 | MAYA JOINT | AUS | 32 |
| 20 | ALEXANDRA EALA | PHI | 49 MDWC |
When is the draw confirmed for Abu Dhabi Open?
The draw is confirmed before the tournament begins on February 1 likely between January 29-31st and will be confirmed here as and when.
When is the schedule confirmed for Abu Dhabi Open?
The schedule will be confirmed the day before the tournament starts on January 31.
Predictions
Samuel Gill, Head Editor for TennisUpToDate.com sees Victoria Mboko as the champion in Abu Dhabi.
Victoria Mboko I see as the champion in Abu Dhabi. She has been incredible in the past 12 months and see this as a platform in which she will thrive.
Elena Rybakina or Belinda Bencic too I see as the potential champions with Bencic sealing the win last year. This was a main stop on her run back towards her best last year and I see Bencic having another good week here.
*** Victoria Mboko
** Elena Rybakina
* Belinda Bencic
Lucas Michael, Editor for TennisUpToDate.com sees Elena Rybakina as the champion.
All eyes will be on the action in Abu Dhabi with a whole host of talent looking to take the coveted title. From experience to youth to some of the highest ranked players in the world, the WTA 500 event has it all.
The favourite has to be Elena Rybakina. If the 2024 champion’s serve is at its best throughout the event, there is a chance that no one will be able to come close to the WTA Finals champion. The reigning champion Belinda Bencic will have something to say about it. The Swiss star was on fire at the start of the year, with her progress severely halted with an agonising round two defeat in the Australian Open.
Another player who endured an early exit in the Grand Slam was Ekaterina Alexandrova. This tournament is the perfect place for players to get back up on their feet and re-focus on winning matches and climbing up the rankings.
Other players to keep an eye out for is debutant Victoria Mboko, who reached a final in Australian before running into the world number one in Melbourne. She has proven that her form is good at the start of the year, with players like Leylah Fernandez and Paula Badosa looking to properly get their season underway with a good result.
For the title in Abu Dhabi, anyone from the list could turn up and produce the scintillating goods. However, I just cannot look past Rybakina.
*** Elena Rybakina
** Belinda Bencic, Victoria Mboko
* Ekaterina Alexandrova, Leylah Fernandez, Clara Tauson
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