Poland's Iga Swiatek during a pre-event ceremony in Doha.
Doha, Qatar: The first round of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open begins at Doha’s famed multi-sport venue, Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex today, bringing together a high-end field as the WTA Tour shifts focus to its first 1000-level event of the season.
The 2026 edition brings seven of the world’s top 10 players to Doha, with former champion Iga Swiatek leading the pack of high-profile contenders, alongside defending champion Amanda Anisimova, Grand Slam winner Coco Gauff and 2024 finalist Elena Rybakina.
Swiatek leads a demanding top quarter that also includes Jasmine Paolini, Linda Noskova and former champion Elise Mertens. She could face an immediate challenge from Sorana Cirstea, who arrives in Doha fresh from winning the Transylvania Open title yesterday, overcoming Britain’s former US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the final in front of her home crowd.
The 35-year-old will be brimming with confidence when she opens her Doha campaign against Indonesian wildcard Janice Tjen, with a potential second-round meeting against Swiatek at stake.
Last year’s champion Anisimova heads the second quarter after a solid start to the season and faces stiff competition from Australian Open semi-finalist Elina Svitolina, Emma Navarro, Karolina Muchova, Filipina teenager Alexandra Eala and former champion Karolina Pliskova.
American teen Gauff will be looking to prove a point after an early exit here last season, and leads a packed third quarter that also features Ekaterina Alexandrova, Clara Tauson and Liudmila Samsonova, last year’s runner-up Jelena Ostapenko and Raducanu.
Ostapenko’s Round of 64 match against Paola Badosa was cancelled due to the latter’s withdrawal following a hip injury yesterday, and she will be replaced by qualifier Anastasia Zakharova today.
World No. 2 Rybakina and the newly crowned Australian Open champion lead the bottom quarter and will aim for a better show after reaching the quarter-finals in Doha last year. If she succeeds, she may face Mirra Andreeva, who had beaten the Khazakh star last season, in the quarters in Doha this time.
Several top-20 players begin their Doha campaigns today, setting up a strong first round. Tenth seed Victoria Mboko of Canada faces Czech Marie Bouzkova, while 13th seed Liudmila Samsonova meets Polish lucky loser Magdalena Frech. Former Grand Slam finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova takes on 16th seed Elise Mertens in one of the standout matches, while 14th seed Karolina Muchova plays Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian.
Speaking to Qatar News Agency, Qatar Tennis, Squash, Padel and Badminton Federation President Nasser bin Ghanim Al Khelaifi noted that the Qatar TotalEnergies Open remains one of the most important events on the women’s tennis calendar, as Doha hosts the championship for the 24th time. He noted that the event has firmly established itself as a leading stop on the global tour, attracting the world’s top players each year and underlining Doha’s status as a key destination for elite women’s tennis.
As a WTA 1000 event, the Qatar TotalEnergies Open carries major rewards for the players. The tournament carries a total prize purse of $4,088,211, with the singles champion set to earn 1,000 ranking points, in addition to a lucrative cash award.
