Just a few days removed from Elena Rybakina’s Australian Open triumph, the stars of the WTA Tour are back in action.
Three events are taking place this week: the Abu Dhabi Open (WTA 500), the Ostrava Open (WTA 250), and the Transylvania Open (WTA 250).
With 500 ranking points up for grabs, some big names have made the trip to the Middle East for the Abu Dhabi Open.
Which WTA player would benefit the most from playing best-of-five sets?
Those include Jelena Ostapenko, Paula Badosa, and fan favorite Alexandra Eala.
The defending champion, Belinda Bencic, was also scheduled to compete, although she has now withdrawn from the event.
Belinda Bencic withdraws from the Abu Dhabi Open with illness
2025 Abu Dhabi Open champion and world number nine Bencic pulled out of the tournament hours before her opening match against Sonay Kartal.
The tournament’s official Instagram account had promoted Bencic’s opening match earlier in the day, which suggests her withdrawal was a last-minute decision.
After impressing at the United Cup, Bencic lost in the second round of the Australian Open to Nikola Bartunkova.
Many expected her to bounce back in Abu Dhabi, at the event she won 12 months ago.
Belinda Bencic’s route to the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open title
- 2025 Abu Dhabi Open 1R [WIN] vs Rebecca Sramkova, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
- 2025 Abu Dhabi Open 2R [WIN] vs Veronika Kudermetova, 6-0, 6-0
- 2025 Abu Dhabi Open QF [WIN] vs Marketa Vondrousova, 7-5, 6-3
- 2025 Abu Dhabi Open SF [WIN] vs Elena Rybakina, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
- 2025 Abu Dhabi Open F [WIN] vs Ashlyn Krueger, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1
Receiving a wild card into the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open main draw, Bencic won her first title since returning from maternity leave.
Missing out on the chance to defend her title, Bencic is set to drop 500 points from her tally and will fall out of the world’s top 10 as a result.
Whether she will be fully fit in time for the next tournament on her schedule, the Qatar Open, remains to be seen.
Who will win the 2026 Qatar Open?
The 2026 Qatar Open is scheduled to begin on Monday, February 9.
Who has replaced Belinda Bencic at the Abu Dhabi Open?
Bencic won’t play Kartal in the second round of the 2026 Abu Dhabi Open, but who will?
Mexico’s Renata Zarazua, a lucky loser, took her place.
Kartal and Zarazua have never met before, but the Brit is the favorite, given their respective rankings.
- Sonay Kartal – 61st
- Renata Zarazua – 92nd
The winner of their second-round match will play Czech qualifier Sara Bejlek in the quarterfinals.
What’s happened at the Abu Dhabi Open so far?
Several big stories have emerged from the first few days of the 2026 Abu Dhabi Open.
As usual, Eala has dominated the headlines.
The Filipina won her first-round matches in singles and doubles (with Janice Tjen), much to the enjoyment of her many fans.
There were some trickier results for the more experienced players on tour, though.
Former French Open champion Ostapenko lost in the second round, while Spain’s Badosa lost her first-round match.
It’s been a better tournament for the Americans, as Hailey Baptiste and McCartney Kessler both reached the quarterfinals.
Only time will tell who will emerge with the trophy, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
The 2026 Abu Dhabi Open women’s singles final will take place on Saturday, February 7.
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