Elena Rybakina is arguably the player to beat at the Qatar Open, which is her first tournament since winning the Australian Open.
Rybakina won the Australian Open thanks to a superb final display over WTA number one Aryna Sabalenka, claiming her second Grand Slam title.
Sabalenka has withdrawn from Qatar, leaving Iga Swiatek as the top seed and Rybakina as the second seed.
The Qatar Open is the first WTA 1000 tournament of the season, and also features Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova, although there have been plenty of other withdrawals.
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Elena Rybakina can back up Australian Open title at Qatar Open
Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys are out of Qatar, which certainly favors those taking part in the event in Doha.
The draw has now been confirmed, and a lengthy stay is on the cards for Rybakina, who goes straight into round two with a bye.
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There, she could face Wang Xiyu, followed by a potential meeting with Diana Shnaider or Qinwen Zheng, who is just back from injury.
The level would likely be raised in a quarterfinal with Mirra Andreeva, but the Russian certainly hasn’t been as lethal as she can be in recent times.
The same can be said of Coco Gauff, who the Kazakhstan star could meet in the semifinals of the WTA 1000 event in Doha.
Rybakina wouldn’t meet Swiatek until the final should both make it that far, with Anisimova and Jasmine Paolini representing other potential opponents at that stage.
Elena Rybakina’s two superb runs entering the Qatar Open
It is by no means the most straightforward draw for Rybakina, but she should be quietly confident of overcoming all that is put ahead of her in the early stages.
She is physically and mentally in a fantastic place right now, although one negative is that she has put a target on her back.
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The rest of the WTA players will be out to upset the Australian Open champion in Qatar, knowing that a win against Rybakina would be huge in more ways than one.
But momentum is fully on her side, typified by her five finals won in a row, and a 10-match winning streak against top 10 players.
Both runs should serve the player well in her upcoming tournament, along with the fact that Rybakina has climbed to world number three after her success in Melbourne.
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