The 2021 WTA season will launch in Abu Dhabi this week, featuring an array of talent.
The WTA 500 event, kicking off on January 5th, will host 64 players and run through until January 13thbefore players will look towards the Australian summer of tennis.
The event will take place at Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre and is the inaugural professional edition of the event. In previous years, Abu Dhabi has hosted an annual exhibition tournament and therefore had not contributed to player’s ranking points.
Four of the world’s top 10 players will compete in the event. Those players include reigning Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, World No. 5 Elina Svitolina, World No. 6 Karolina Pilsvoka and World No. 10 Aryna Sabalenka.
Former French Open champions will also be well represented with Garbine Muguruza and Svetlana Kuznetsova also looking to clinch the inaugural Abu Dhabi title.
Rounding out the star-studded field are Maria Sakkari, Nadia Podorska and Ons Jabuer, all fighting for their chance to start 2021 in an ideal manner.
Former World No. 4 Belinda Bencic elected to withdraw from the event in recent days and dedicate her time to the practice court.
Australia’s very own Ajla Tomljanovic will also compete. Tomlijanvoic knows her way around the courts in Abu Dhabi as she was runner-up at the exhibition tournament back in 2019.
Teen sensation Coco Gauff as well as rising stars Elena Rybakina, Elise Mertens and Marketa Vondrousova will also take part in the event.
With such a strong field of competitors, Abu Dhabi will give us a good indication of who’s ready to take on the challenge of the Australian summer.
Aref Al Awani, General Secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, told the WTA website that “we are delighted to welcome to Abu Dhabi WTA’s 2021 kick-off event, the Abu Dhabi WTA Women’s Tennis Open.”
“Abu Dhabi is a global capital of world sport and the presence of top tennis players from around the world at this time only strengthens that position and reinforces our esteemed reputation.”
The Abu Dhabi Sports Council announced "our only sponsor right now is WTA. The tournament is not played for commercial reasons but to offer players jobs.”
The tournament’s draw ceremony will be the 4th of January at 7pm local time.
A full list of entries can be found below.
1. KENIN, SOFIA (USA) 4
2. SVITOLINA, ELINA (UKR) 5
3. PLISKOVA, KAROLINA (CZE) 6
4. SABALENKA, ARYNA (BLR) 10
5. MUGURUZA, GARBIÑE (ESP) 15
6. RYBAKINA, ELENA (KAZ) 19
7. MERTENS, ELISE (BEL) 20
8. VONDROUSOVA, MARKETA (CZE) 21
9. SAKKARI, MARIA (GRE) 22
10. KONTAVEIT, ANETT (EST) 23
11. BRADY, JENNIFER (USA) 24
12. MUCHOVA, KAROLINA (CZE) 27
13. PUTINTSEVA, YULIA (KAZ) 28
14. ANISIMOVA, AMANDA (USA) 30
15. JABEUR, ONS (TUN) 31
16. VEKIC, DONNA (CRO) 32
17. ALEXANDROVA, EKATERINA (RUS) 33
18. WANG, QIANG (CHN) 34
19. KUZNETSOVA, SVETLANA (RUS) 36
20. PAVLYUCHENKOVA, ANASTASIA (RUS) 38
21. FERRO, FIONA (FRA) 42
22. GARCIA, CAROLINE (FRA) 43
23. OSTAPENKO, JELENA (LAT) 44
24. KUDERMETOVA, VERONIKA (RUS) 46
25. PODOROSKA, NADIA (ARG) 47
26. SHVEDOVA, YAROSLAVA (KAZ) 47 SR
27. GAUFF, CORI (USA) 48
28. HERCOG, POLONA (SLO) 49
29. MLADENOVIC, KRISTINA (FRA) 50
30. SIEGEMUND, LAURA (GER) 51
31. CORNET, ALIZÉ (FRA) 53
32. SEVASTOVA, ANASTASIJA (LAT) 54
33. TIG, PATRICIA MARIA (ROU) 56
34. WATSON, HEATHER (GBR) 58
35. SINIAKOVA, KATERINA (CZE) 59
36. BLINKOVA, ANNA (RUS) 61
37. PERA, BERNARDA (USA) 62
38. PEGULA, JESSICA (USA) 63
39. VAN UYTVANCK, ALISON (BEL) 64
40. KREJCIKOVA, BARBORA (CZE) 65
41. SORRIBES TORMO, SARA (ESP) 66
42. HSIEH, SU-WEI (TPE) 67
43. TOMLJANOVIC, AJLA (AUS) 68
44. BADOSA, PAULA (ESP) 70
45. CIRSTEA, SORANA (ROU) 71
46. KASATKINA, DARIA (RUS) 72
47. RUS, ARANTXA (NED) 74
48. ZHU, LIN (CHN) 74 SR
49. KOVINIC, DANKA (MNE) 77
50. WANG, YAFAN (CHN) 78 SR
51. DIYAS, ZARINA (KAZ) 80