Coco Gauff needs a strong week in Dubai to get her 2026 season back on track.
After losing in the Australian Open quarterfinals, Gauff struggled to bounce back in Qatar.
Failing to win a match in Doha, Gauff lost to Elisabetta Cocciaretto, 4-6, 2-6, in her opening match.
Heading over to Dubai, the two-time Grand Slam champion will compete as the number-three seed in a weakened field following Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek’s withdrawals.
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However, even though the world number one and two are missing, Gauff has been given a horrific draw at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Coco Gauff could have a tough start against Jelena Ostapenko in Dubai
After losing her second-round match in Qatar, the last thing Gauff wanted was a tricky opener at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Unfortunately for the 21-year-old, that’s exactly what she’s got.
Gauff will play either Jelena Ostapenko or Anna Kalinskaya in the second round of the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships.
Ostapenko and Kalinskaya are both in better form than Gauff, having impressed at the Qatar Open.
- Jelena Ostapenko – Reached Qatar Open SF
- Anna Kalinskaya – Reached Qatar Open QF
If she were to advance to round two, Gauff may have a slightly easier match against her countrywoman Emma Navarro.
The former Grand Slam semifinalist has struggled as of late, winning just three matches in 2026.
Coco Gauff’s Dubai Tennis Championships draw
| Round | Highest-ranked potential opponent | Potential seeded opponents |
| 2R | Jelena Ostapenko (24) | – |
| 3R | Emma Navarro (18) | [14] Emma Navarro |
| QF | Jasmine Paolini (8) | [6] Jasmine Paolini, [10] Linda Noskova |
| SF | Elena Rybakina (3) | [1] Elena Rybakina, [7] Elina Svitolina, [9] Belinda Bencic, [15] Karolina Muchova |
| F | Amanda Anisimova (4) | [2] Amanda Anisimova, [4] Jessica Pegula, [5] Mirra Andreeva, [8] Ekaterina Alexandrova, [11] Victoria Mboko, [12] Clara Tauson, [13] Liudmila Samsonova, [16] Iva Jovic |
Then, in the quarterfinals, Gauff could meet Jasmine Paolini or Linda Noskova.
Czechia’s Noskova is a force to be reckoned with, and the American has already played Paolini several times during her career.
She leads their head-to-head, 4-3, but lost two WTA 1000 matches against the Italian in 2025 (Cincinnati Open – QF, Italian Open – F).
Gauff could even play Filipina Alexandra Eala in the quarterfinals.
Eala is unseeded in Dubai, but with the fans on her side, you wouldn’t bet against her making a deep run.
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It’s in the semifinals that things get really tricky for Gauff, though.
Elina Svitolina and Elena Rybakina are the top seeds she could play.
Gauff lost to Svitolina at the Australian Open just last month, and of course, it was Rybakina who won the title down under.
The reality is that she wouldn’t enter either match as a clear favorite.
Then, in the final, Gauff could play her fellow American, Amanda Anisimova.
Anisimova won two WTA 1000 titles in 2025 and reached two Slam finals, establishing herself as one of the best players in women’s tennis.
After a shaky start to her 2026 campaign, Anisimova will be determined to make a statement in Dubai and add another WTA 1000 trophy to her collection.
There are certainly some big obstacles in Gauff’s way, but how well has she played in Dubai throughout her career?
Coco Gauff’s Dubai Tennis Championships record
Gauff has played 12 matches at the Dubai Tennis Championships since her debut in 2021, and boasts a solid, yet uninspiring 7-5 record.
- 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships 2R [LOSS] vs McCartney Kessler
- 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships QF [LOSS] vs Anna Kalinskaya
- 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships 3R [WIN] vs Karolina Pliskova
- 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships 2R [WIN] vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto
- 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships SF [LOSS] vs Iga Swiatek
- 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships QF [WIN] vs Madison Keys
- 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships 3R [Walkover] vs Elena Rybakina
- 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships 2R [WIN] vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich
- 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships 1R [LOSS] vs Jessica Pegula
- 2021 Dubai Tennis Championships QF [LOSS] vs Jil Teichmann
- 2021 Dubai Tennis Championships 3R [WIN] vs Tereza Martincova
- 2021 Dubai Tennis Championships 2R [WIN] vs Marketa Vondrousova
- 2021 Dubai Tennis Championships 1R [WIN] vs Ekaterina Alexandrova
She came closest to the title in 2023, reaching the semifinals, where she lost to Poland’s Iga Swiatek.
Gauff did lose her opening match in Dubai a year ago, though, to McCartney Kessler.
Only time will tell if she can avoid the same fate in 2026.
This year’s Dubai Tennis Championships will begin on Sunday, February 15.
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