DUBAI, February 4, 2025 (Press Release)
The world’s top 10 women’s players will take centre stage at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships this month, as the WTA event celebrates its 25th anniversary. Since its inception in 2001, the women’s tournament at the Championships has proved a regular showcase of world-class tennis, with legends such as Monica Seles, Serena Williams, and Justine Henin gracing the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium over the years. Elevated to permanent WTA 1000 status last season, this year’s edition is poised to be an unforgettable landmark event, with a star-studded line-up that going into the Australian Open included all 40 of the world’s top 40.
Headlining the field is World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who returns to Dubai for the ninth time in her career. The now three-time Grand Slam champion added two more majors to her resume in 2024, winning a second Australian Open in January before clinching a maiden US Open title in September. Sabalenka reclaimed her spot of World No. 1 at the end of last year, overtaking Iga Swiatek, who will also be returning to the Championships this month.
Swiatek, now second in the world rankings, became a five-time Grand Slam champion in 2024, claiming her fourth Roland Garros title in early June. The Pole made it to the semi-finals in Dubai last season, where she was upset in straight sets to qualifier Anna Kalinskya, ranked outside the top 50 at the time. Swiatek and Sabalenka, atop the WTA rankings and with multiple majors to their names, will both be aiming to capture their first Dubai title.
This year will also see the return of a player who beat them both on the biggest stage as recently as last month. American Madison Keys won her first Grand Slam at the Australian Open and did so by defeating Swiatek in the semi-final before springing a surprise against Sabalenka in the final to stop the Belarusian’s quest for three successive titles in Melbourne. The victory saw Keys return to the Top 10 for the first time since 2020 and she will arrive in Dubai looking to build on the quarter-final appearance she managed in 2023 when she lost to compatriot Coco Gauff.
Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, is ranked No.3 in the world and is set to return to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships for a fourth time. After a difficult season for the American, in November Gauff became the youngest player to win the WTA Finals since Maria Sharapova in 2004. Still only 20 years old, and with two major finals and 10 career singles titles under her belt already, Gauff will hope to improve on last year’s quarter-final exit in Dubai. US compatriots Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro, World No. 6 and No. 9 respectively, will also feature at the emirate’s WTA 1000 event, which runs from February 16-22.
Last year’s winner in Dubai, Jasmine Paolini, will begin her title defence looking to build upon her best season to date. Paolini had a breakout year in 2024, securing a first WTA 1000 title, finishing runner up at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and winning a gold medal in doubles at the Paris Olympics. The 29-year-old, who is currently World No.4, will need to emulate her Dubai campaign of last season to secure back-to-back titles for the first time in her career. Just behind Paolini in the rankings is Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion who lost to Keys in Melbourne in the Round of 16. She returns to Dubai for a fifth time, seeking to go one step further than in 2020 when she reached the final but lost to Simona Halep.
Off the back of a remarkable 2024, World No. 8 Qinwen Zheng will also be making her way back to the emirate this month. The 22-year-old made history at the Paris Olympics last summer by securing China’s first gold medal in tennis singles, defeating Croatian Donna Vekic in straight sets on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Zheng added three titles to her collection last year and made the final of both the Australian Open and the WTA Finals. After a shock second round exit in Melbourne, Zheng will look to regain her impressive 2024 form at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, in what will be her third consecutive appearance at the tournament.
Rounding off the top 10 seeds at this year’s event is Paula Badosa, who marks her fourth appearance at the event this year. With four career singles titles, the 27-year-old reached her first Grand Slam semi-final last month in Australia, defeating American Gauff in straight sets. The now World No. 10 has never progressed past the first round in Dubai, so will be keen to rewrite her story in the sunshine here.
“This year’s WTA 1000 tournament is once again filled with the world’s best players, as our reigning champion Jasmine Paolini returns to defend her crown,” said Ramesh Cidambi, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free and Chairman of the tournament’s Organising Committee. “This is a landmark tournament for WTA week as we celebrate the 25th anniversary, which precedes the 33rd ATP week, so it is great to have so many of the world’s top 40 confirmed to participate.”
Tournament Director Salah Tahlak, who also serves as Deputy Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free, added: “The WTA event’s significance on the global tennis calendar continues to grow, underlined by the tournament being awarded permanent WTA 1000 status in 2024. It is fitting that we have so many of the world’s top female players competing in this year’s landmark 25th edition.”
With so many narratives and the best of the best in action, this year’s 25th anniversary Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is sure to be an event not to be missed. Tickets for the event, which 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, are available now at dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com
