Australian Open stars ready for Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open

No fewer than five Australian Open finalists, including two Grand Slam champions, are heading to the UAE for the first-ever Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.

The first Grand Slam of the 2023 tennis season was the thriller across all events – with the women's’ competitions hotly contested by the world’s very best.

The players now switch their attention to Abu Dhabi and the WTA 500 event to be held at the International Tennis Stadium, Zayed Sport City, from February 5-12.

Women’s singles Australian Open finalist Elena Rybakina will be one of the favourites for the tournament following her performance in Melbourne.

The reigning Wimbledon champion was in impressive form with standout wins against world No.1 and top seed Iga Swiatak, along with the 13-seed Danielle Collins, who also features in the Abu Dhabi draw, before narrowly losing out to Aryna Sabalenka in three sets in the final.

There will also be a number of doubles specialists on display – with India’s Sania Mirza expected to get a lot of local support in Abu Dhabi.

Mirza has six Grand Slam doubles titles to her name, and was a finalist again at the Australian Open, where she partnered Rohan Bopanna in the mixed doubles.

“I can’t wait to play in the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open for the first time. The UAE has become my second “home” and can’t wait to be able to finish my career here over the next month,” she said.

Mirza was pipped to the title in Australia by Brazil’s Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos, with Stefani also appearing in Abu Dhabi.

Another player to look out for is Barbora Krejčíková.