Rybakina, Sakkari confirmed for Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open

Supplied

Ten of the WTA top 20-ranked players, including Elena Rybakina, Maria Sakkari and Barbora Krejčíková are set to compete at this year's Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.

Hosted in partnership with Mubadala and presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the tournament’s main draw entry list also includes British superstar Emma Raducanu, Tunisia’s World No. 6 Ons Jabeur and Brazil’s World No. 11 Beatriz Haddad Maia. 

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, expressed delight at "such a strong draw for this year’s event", adding it "promises to be a truly special tournament". 

Steven Simon, Chief Executive Officer, WTA, added he's "looking forward to another fantastic tournament". 

"We are hugely excited about heading back to the UAE and we know tennis fans in the country will create another memorable occasion," he added.

Currently ranked World No. 3, Rybakina claimed the Brisbane International title last weekend, defeating Belarus’ 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 No. 8, 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 Magda Linette, Sorana Cîrstea, Anastasia Potapova, Anhelina Kalinina and 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. 

Here's the full list of players: 

Emma Raducanu (Great Britain) – wildcard 
Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) 
Ons Jabeur (Tunisia) 
Maria Sakkari (Greece) 
Barbora Krejčíková (Czech Republic) 
Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil) 
Jeļena Ostapenko (Latvia) 
Liudmila Samsonova 
Daria Kasatkina 
Veronika Kudermetova 
Caroline Garcia (France) 
Magda Linette (Poland) 
Sorana Cîrstea (Romania) 
Anastasia Potapova 
Anhelina Kalinina (Ukraine)  
Jasmine Paolini (Italy) 
Emma Navarro (USA) 
Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) 

To purchase tickets for the tournament, click here.       

The tournament, in its second edition, will take place at the International Tennis Centre, Zayed Sports City, on February 3-11.

    

More from Sports News

  • Ireland beat India for first time in international cricket

    Abhishek Sharma's 19-ball fifty went in vain as world champions India were surprisingly beaten by Ireland for the first time in international cricket, slumping to a 34-run defeat in the first Twenty20 in Belfast on Friday.

  • Usyk vacates titles before 'last dance'

    Oleksandr Usyk said on Friday he had vacated his WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight championships to pursue a final fight.

  • England roar back in second test against New Zealand

    England roared back into contention on the second day of the third and deciding test against New Zealand with Ben Duckett's rapid century helping his side to 223-2 after three wickets for returning captain Ben Stokes helped to dismiss the visitors for 438 at a sizzling Trent Bridge.

  • Williams to face Australia's Joint in Wimbledon comeback

    American great Serena Williams will face Australian 20-year-old Maya Joint in the first round of her eagerly awaited return to Wimbledon, a potentially tricky tie for the seven-time champion playing at the tournament for the first time since 2022.

  • Australia reach World Cup knockouts, Turkey beat USA

    Australia booked their spot in the knockout rounds of the World Cup on Thursday after a cagey draw against Paraguay, who are set to qualify as a third-placed finisher, while Turkey beat USA 3-2, scoring the winner with virtually the last kick of the match.

News