The star-studded Qatar TotalEnergies Open field learned their projected paths to the Doha title this week. Top names like world No. 1 Iga Świątek, rising American Coco Gauff and defending Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina headline the WTA 1000 event.
As the top seed, Świątek received a first-round bye and will face either former Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko or Italian Martina Trevisan in her opener. Coco Gauff also earned a bye as the fifth seed and will meet either Belgian Elise Mertens or a qualifier next.
Meanwhile, seventh-seeded Rybakina starts against former world No. 2 Vera Zvonareva or Chinese youngster Zheng Qinwen.
Should the top trio navigate their starts smoothly, some blockbuster matches could await in the later rounds. Świątek could see US Open finalist Ons Jabeur as early as the quarter-finals, while Gauff is on track to meet Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic in the last eight.
As for Wimbledon winner Rybakina, her projected quarter-final clash with fifth-ranked Caroline Garcia would pit two of the WTA’s hottest performers against each other.
“The Doha draw is stacked, no easy matches as usual,” Garcia noted. “But I’m feeling good and ready for the challenge.”
With 900 ranking points available to the champion, Doha represents one last crucial opportunity for players to fine-tune their games before Indian Wells and Miami in March. After falling short of winning a title already in 2023, expect the tournament’s marquee names to bring some added motivation under the desert sun.
