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Rybakina joins star-studded field at Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open

The second edition of the tournament takes place at the International Tennis Centre, Zayed Sports City, from February 3-11

Published: Tue 9 Jan 2024, 6:42 PM

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Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan hits a return during the final against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at the Brisbane International. — AFP

Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan hits a return during the final against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at the Brisbane International. — AFP

A star-studded field has been announced for this year’s Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open with 10 of the WTA top 20-ranked players, including Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, Greece’s Maria Sakkari and Czech Republic’s Barbora Krejčíková set to compete in the tournament.

The second edition of the tournament takes place at the International Tennis Centre, Zayed Sports City, from February 3-11.


Hosted in partnership with Mubadala and presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the tournament’s main draw entry list has now been revealed, with the latest names joining British superstar Emma Raducanu, Tunisia’s World No. 6, Ons Jabeur and Brazil’s World No. 11 Beatriz Haddad Maia, who are already confirmed to be taking part.

Jeļena Ostapenko, Liudmila Samsonova, Daria Kasatkina, Veronika Kudermetova and Caroline Garcia, all ranked in the WTA top 20, will also be gunning for glory in Abu Dhabi, ensuring a highly competitive field for the eagerly awaited WTA 500 event, which was won last year by Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic.

Nigel Gupta, Tournament Director at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, said: “We are delighted to announce such a strong draw for this year’s event, and with 10 of the world’s top 20 players competing, it promises to be a truly special tournament.

“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, Chief Executive Officer, 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."

Currently ranked World No. 3, the highly rated Rybakina claimed the Brisbane International title last weekend, 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 number eight 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. Alongside compatriot Katerina Siniakova, she has 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 2024 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open include Poland’s Magda Linette, Romania’s Sorana Cîrstea, Anastasia Potapova, Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina and Italy’s Jasmine Paolini.

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, the 2021 US Open winner.



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