Doha: The second seed and defending champion, Iga Swiatek, who aims for a historic fourth consecutive title in Doha, will begin her campaign against either former world No. 3 Maria Sakkari or a qualifier as the QatarTotalEnergies Open 2025 begins on Sunday, February 9 at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex in Doha.
Top seed and 2020 champion Aryna Sabalenka, meanwhile, is set to face either former US Open champion Emma Raducanu, who is competing as a wild card, or the recently crowned Linz champion Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Over $3.6 million of total prize money is at stake, with the singles champion claiming $597,000 and 1000 precious ranking points, at the 23rd edition of the seven-day WTA 1000 tournament which ends on February 15.
Meanwhile, the sixth seed, Jessica Pegula, will encounter the winner of a first-round match between former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova and Elina Svitolina. Additionally, the seventh seed, Zheng Qinwen, will commence her tournament against either three-time major finalist Ons Jabeur or McCartney Kessler, who has recently secured her first two Hologic WTA Tour titles within the last seven months.
Furthermore, the third seed, Coco Gauff, will compete against either Marta Kostyuk or wild card Zeynep Sonmez. The fourth seed, Jasmine Paolini, is set to face either former WTA Finals champion Caroline Garcia (also competing as a wild card) or Yuan Yue, while the eighth seed, Emma Navarro, will open against either former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez or a qualifier.
Notably, the fifth seed, Elena Rybakina, is the only player among the top eight seeds who will not face a former top 20 player in her opening match; however, both Dayana Yastremska, who has a career-high ranking of No. 21 and recently reached the Linz final, and Peyton Stearns present formidable challenges for last year’s runner-up.
All the top-eight seeds have been given a first-round bye and will only be in action from the second round.
For over 20 years, the Qatar Open has been a showcase of the brightest stars in women’s tennis. This outdoor, hard-court tournament has a list of legendary champions both past and present. From Martina Hingis, Maria Sharapova, and Victoria Azarekna, to Aryna Sabalenka, Demi Schurrs, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Iga Swiatek – this WTA 1000 event has represented the pinnacle of tennis stardom since its debut in 2001. The Qatar Open has been hosted at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha since 2008.
