Dubai: World No 5 Elena Rybakina will headline a stellar field featuring Grand Slam champions, Olympic medallists and the game’s rising stars as the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open returns this season as a WTA 500 event at the International Tennis Centre, Zayed Sports City from January 31 to February 7.
The 2024 Abu Dhabi champion has polished her game in a golden era of women’s tennis after historic Wimbledon success in 2022 set the Kazakh on her path to greatness. Rybakina has subsequently made it to the final of the Australian Open, won multiple WTA 500s and 1000 titles and rounded off her ascent by winning the 2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh with victory over World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets.
“Last year I really liked Abu Dhabi,” Rybakina said. The city is just behind tennis incredibly and getting to the semi’s was a great way to start 2025. All of which means that this year, I’m back with the intention of going all the way once more. It’s going to be very competitive, but that’s what makes it fun.”
She will be accompanied by Belinda Bencic as the Swiss star seeks to maintain her perfect winning record at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open. The Swiss Olympic gold medallist won in 2023 and 2025, the sole player not to have lost a match at the tournament.
Former World No 2 Paula Badosa adds to the elite line-up. The Indian Wells champion adds some offence and energy to a draw that should have great matches on any day.
Remarkable ascent
The tournament’s investment in the future is signified by the presence of two emerging stars for 2025. Follow the live scores of the Day 2 Fed Cup 1 WTA International, Tennis Event. They are joined by Filipina star Alexandra Eala back in Abu Dhabi for the first time since her debut in 2024. The former US Open girls’ champion has improved steadily since — and is the highest-ranked Filipina in tour history.
It’s backed up by the best that the Czech Republic has to offer in multiple Grand Slam-winning singles and doubles players Barbora Krejcikova and 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova. The tournament also benefits from a deep field that includes Americans Emma Navarro, Denmark’s Clara Tauson and Canada’s Leylah Fernandez.
That line-up also includes former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, a 2025 Abu Dhabi doubles winner alongside Ellen Perez, but the Latvian will seek singles success this year. Chinese star Qinwen Zheng, Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska and Sofia Kenin who is the 2020 Australian Open champion, complete a strong top-20 representation.
There is also Ekaterina Alexandrova, Liudmila Samsonova, Elise Mertens, Beatriz Haddad Maia and 2019 US Open Junior finalist McCartney Kessler, not to forget Australia’s very own Maya Joint and there will be quality play in every match of the draw.
Nigel Gupta, the Tournament Director at MARI, said: “Our 2026 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open line-up epitomises everything that this event is increasingly about – an explosive blend of Grand Slam champions and Olympic medallists with the sport’s most thrilling up-and-comers.
The presence of world No 1 Elena Rybakina on both the continents brings some serious star power, alongside Belinda Bencic coming back to defend her third title and exciting up-and-coming stars like Victoria Mboko and Alexandra Eala, demonstrating our continued mission to celebrate today’s champions and tomorrow’s stars. So far, this one is looking to be our strongest edition yet.”
Brought to you by MARI in collaboration with Mubadala and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, this event – part of the WTA Tour’s series of stand-out early-season tournaments – has quickly become synonymous not just with top-quality tennis action, but also with a commitment to youth development, community involvement and fan experience.