Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open: WTA top seeds Raducanu, Jabeur, Maia to participate

This year, the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open tournament features 10 of the Women’s Tennis Association’s top 20-ranked players

by Gulf Business

January 10, 2024

Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open: WTA top seeds Raducanu, Jabeur, Maia to participate

Image: Supplied

This year’s Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open features 10 of the Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) top 20-ranked players, including Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, Greece’s Maria Sakkari and Czech Republic’s Barbora Krejčíková, in the second edition of the tournament, which takes place at the International Tennis Centre, Zayed Sports City, from February 3-11.

Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic won the tournament last year.

Hosted in partnership with Mubadala and presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the tournament’s main draw entry list has been revealed, with British player Emma Raducanu, Tunisia’s World No 6 Ons Jabeur and Brazil’s World No 11 Beatriz Haddad Maia, confirmed.

Players such as Jeļena Ostapenko, Liudmila Samsonova, Daria Kasatkina, Veronika Kudermetova and Caroline Garcia, all ranked in the WTA top 20, will also participate in the WTA 500 event.

Nigel Gupta, tournament director at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, said: “with fantastic talents such as Ons Jabeur, Beatriz Haddad Maia and Emma Raducanu confirmed, there was already a huge sense of excitement ahead of the event.

“This additional list of players undoubtedly adds to the anticipation, with tennis fans in Abu Dhabi and the UAE having the opportunity to watch some of the best players in the world compete for the title in less than one month’s time.”

Steven Simon, CEO, WTA, added: “The field for this year’s Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open is packed full of talent and we are looking forward to another fantastic tournament.

“Abu Dhabi was the perfect location for last year’s inaugural event, which produced some fantastic entertainment both on and off court.

“We are hugely excited about heading back to the UAE and we know tennis fans in the country will create another memorable occasion.”

Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open: Top seed spotlight

Raducanu rose to prominence in 2021 when she won the US Open at the age of 18 having entered the main draw as a qualifier. She defeated Canada’s Leylah Fernandez in the final.

The victory ensured Raducanu became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam tournament in the Open Era, securing the title without dropping a single set throughout the competition.

The 21-year-old said: “I’m looking forward to competing at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open in February alongside a very strong field.

“The first edition of the event was a big success and I’m sure this year’s tournament will be equally as exciting.

“I can’t wait to come back and perform in front of the Abu Dhabi tennis fans again.

Raducanu will be part of a 28-player field competing at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, with 18 direct acceptances through the entry list and six places available through qualification. There are also four wildcard entrants, which include the Kent-born star.

Six players will be added to the draw through qualifying, while there are three additional wildcard slots available after the first of those was awarded to Raducanu.

Currently ranked World No 3, Rybakina won the Brisbane International title recently, defeating Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets to become the first WTA champion of 2024. She won the first Grand Slam of her career at Wimbledon in 2022.

World No 8, Sakkari, won a WTA 1000 title at last year’s Guadalajara Open, defeating America’s Caroline Dolehide in the final, while in 2021 she reached the semi-finals of both the French and US Opens, becoming the first Greek female to reach the last four of a Grand Slam tournament.

Also ranked in the WTA top 10 is Krejčíková, who claimed the French Open in 2021. She and Katerina Siniakova secured doubles titles at all four Grand Slams, along with Olympic gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She also won three consecutive mixed doubles titles at the Australian Open in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Other players confirmed to feature at the tournament include Poland’s Magda Linette, Romania’s Sorana Cîrstea, Anastasia Potapova, Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina and Italy’s Jasmine Paolini.