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ABU DHABI: The Women’s Tennis Association’s Middle East swing kicks off its three-week stint in the Gulf on Monday with the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.
Defending champion and top seed Elena Rybakina headlines a stellar field at Zayed Sports City that also includes Tunisian fan favorite Ons Jabeur, recent Australian Open semi-finalist Paula Badosa, last year’s Abu Dhabi finalist Daria Kasatkina, and British wildcard Emma Raducanu.
Here are the main talking points surrounding the action in the UAE capital this week:
Rybakina debuts new coaching partnership
After parting ways with coach Goran Ivanisevic post-Australian Open, World No.5 Rybakina has a new figure in her corner in Abu Dhabi in the form of ex-Association of Tennis Professionals player Davide Sanguinetti.
Stefano Vukov is still part of Team Rybakina but is currently provisionally suspended pending an investigation for an alleged breach of the WTA Code of Conduct. This means he cannot be credentialed at any sanctioned tournament.
Rybakina lost to eventual champion Madison Keys in the Australian Open fourth round last month and says she suffered a back problem during her time in Melbourne.
The Kazakhstani big hitter went straight to Dubai after the opening Grand Slam of the season and underwent treatment for her back before a week’s training with Sanguinetti and Vukov.
“It's really nice to be back,” she told Arab News in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. “I feel like it’s really like a second home for me, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, it’s really nice. I always spend my preparation here and I spend a lot of time here. I’m just really happy to be back and I’m looking forward to start(ing) here.”
Rybakina has a bye in the first round and awaits one of two qualifiers — Sonay Kartal or Katie Volynets.
Blockbuster openers
The draw revealed several juicy opening matchups with three-time Grand Slam finalist Jabeur taking on former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, seeded No.7 in Abu Dhabi.
In a clash between two Grand Slam winners, 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu will square off with 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, who have both accepted wildcards into the tournament.
Other exciting first rounds include a meeting between recent Australian Open quarterfinalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, who made her way through qualifying to claim a place in the main draw.
Jabeur took four months off at the end of 2024 to recover from a shoulder injury and returned to action in Australia in January. She made the quarterfinals in Brisbane and the third round in Melbourne and is pleased with her competitive level this early in her comeback.
“It was nice to have a long break. I think mentally and physically it helped me a lot to be back to normal, to have the motivation back, the pleasure of playing tennis back. I feel like, surprisingly, the level was good. I’m not very good at taking long breaks and come back stronger. So it was nice to see that the level is back,” said the 30-year-old.
Badosa out to build on strong start
Spanish No.2 seed Badosa reached a maiden Grand Slam semifinal in Melbourne last month and is hoping to keep up the momentum that has propelled her back into the top 10 for the first time since October 2022.
After almost retiring last year due to a stress fracture in her back, the 27-year-old has made a remarkable recovery and has won 30 of her last 39 matches on tour.
Speaking of her biggest takeaways from Australia, Badosa said: “I think emotionally how I handled everything, how I managed the pressure, the expectations also, because I think I was coming from a very good preseason, a very good end of the season, so you always have big expectations, I had big expectations of myself. So dealing with all that. I think also the level I gave there, I’m really happy with it and hopefully I can continue that momentum.”
Badosa has a bye in the opening round and will commence her Abu Dhabi journey against Magdalena Frech or Linda Noskova.
Former champ back from maternity leave
Swiss Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic lifted the Abu Dhabi trophy two years ago then walked away from the tour seven months later when she became pregnant.
She gave birth to daughter Bella in April 2024 and returned to competitive tennis last October, playing some lower-level tournaments.
Bencic competed in her first WTA-level event post-maternity leave at the United Cup last month and reached the fourth round of the Australian Open shortly after.
Still climbing back up the rankings, Bencic is currently 157th in the world. She will hope to capitalize on her fond memories in Abu Dhabi from two years ago when she faces Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia in her first round on Tuesday.
Japanese teen set for tour-level debut
Barely 10 days ago, 17-year-old Wakana Sonobe became the first Japanese player to win the Australian Open girls’ singles title and just the second to win a Grand Slam junior singles crown.
This past weekend, she accepted a wildcard into the qualifying draw of the WTA 500 in Abu Dhabi and posted two impressive victories over Hailey Baptiste and Cristina Bucsa to claim a spot in the main draw.
The talented lefty will now make her WTA main draw debut when she takes on China’s Yuan Yue in the opening round on Monday.