Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships – Top 5 Women’s moments

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2026 is just days away with the WTA 1000 event kicking off on Sunday February 15.

The tournament returns this year with one of the strongest line-ups in its history, featuring all of the world’s top 20 players. As we build up to the action, relive the top five moments from past ‘Women’s Weeks’ at the Dubai Championships.

Elina Svitolina made her mark on the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships with a historic run that began in 2017. That year, she captured the women’s singles title with a straight-sets victory over Caroline Wozniacki 6–4, 6–2 in the final. It was Svitolina’s biggest career title at the time and helped her break into the WTA Top 10 for the first time.

In 2018, Svitolina returned to Dubai as the defending champion and successfully defended her crown. She defeated Daria Kasatkina 6-4, 6-0 in the final and by defending her title, she joined an elite group of women, including Justine Henin and Venus Williams, who had won back-to-back Dubai titles before her.

In 2019 Svitolina aimed to make history as the first woman to win three consecutive Dubai titles. After cruising through the early rounds, she reached the semi-finals with all eyes on a potential hat-trick. However, her run ended there with an upset by Belinda Bencic, who went on to win the tournament. Despite not completing a three-peat, Svitolina’s 2017–2018 streak remains one of the most impressive in Dubai’s women’s tournament history.

Jelena Janković’s triumph in 2008 is remembered as one of the most physically and mentally demanding finals the tournament has ever seen, a match that perfectly reflected her relentless style of play. The Serbian arrived in Dubai in outstanding form, grinding her way through a tough draw that tested her endurance.

In the final, Janković faced Svetlana Kuznetsova, and what followed was a bruising, high-intensity contest. The match was filled with extended rallies, momentum swings and long games, with neither player willing to give ground. Janković’s fitness, defensive skills and mental strength proved decisive as she repeatedly absorbed Kuznetsova’s power and turned defence into attack at crucial moments.

Eventually, Janković emerged victorious, sealing one of the most hard-fought titles in Dubai history. The win was a landmark moment in her career, and played a key role in her rise to the world No.1 ranking later on in 2008.

The 2006 final between Justine Henin and Lindsay Davenport is widely regarded as one of the highest-quality matches ever played at the tournament.

Davenport arrived in Dubai as the top seed and the reigning world No.1, whilst Henin was seen as a tournament favourite following back-to-back wins in 2003 and 2004. The final itself lived up to the billing. Played at a relentless tempo, the match featured fierce baseline exchanges and moments of breathtaking shots.

Henin ultimately prevailed in three gripping sets, 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, the victory was significant not just for the trophy, but for what it represented. Beating the world No.1 in such a high-quality final reinforced Henin’s status as one of the game’s elite players and marked a defining moment in her ascent back to the top of women’s tennis.  

At the 2009 Dubai Tennis Championships, Venus Williams captured the women’s singles title with a 6–4, 6–2 win over Virginie Razzano in the final. This was her first Dubai singles title and marked the start of an incredible journey in Dubai for the tennis icon.

The following year carrying the pressure of being the reigning champion, she once again showed why she was one of the best players in the world. After reaching the final again, she overcame the rising Victoria Azarenka 6–3, 7–5, winning back-to-back titles in Dubai placed Venus in rare company and highlighted her ability to handle expectations at the highest level.

Venus’s ultimate triumph came in 2014 and was the most symbolic of them all. Five years on from her first victory at the tournament, Venus demonstrated remarkable longevity in an era increasingly dominated by younger players. She produced a commanding performance in the final, defeating Alizé Cornet 6–3, 6–0 to lift the trophy once again with the win reinforcing her status as one of the tournament’s great champions.

At just 17 years and 299 days old, Mirra Andreeva became the youngest player ever to win the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in 2025 and, crucially, the youngest WTA 1000 champion since the format began in 2009. Her title run in Dubai not only etched her name into the tournament record books but also catapulted her into the WTA Top 10 for the first time, making her the first teenager to reach that ranking milestone since Nicole Vaidisova in 2007.

After defeating Markéta Vondroušová in the second round, a Grand Slam champion, she continued her charge by stunning World No. 2 Iga Świątek 6–3, 6–3 in the quarter-finals. That win made her the youngest player to defeat Świątek on tour and set up a semi-final date with Elena Rybakina.

Andreeva held her nerve in a tough three-set battle against Rybakina, winning 6–4, 4–6, 6–3, to seal her place in the title match. With that victory, she became the youngest player to reach a WTA 1000 final and the youngest player in history to beat three Grand Slam champions at a single 1000-level event since Maria Sharapova did it in 2004.

In the final, Andreeva faced Denmark’s Clara Tauson, another rising star. Despite her young age, she played composed and aggressive tennis, winning convincingly to earn her first Dubai Championship.