Dubai: World No1 Aryna Sabalenka, five-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek, and reigning Dubai champion Jasmine Paolini lead a star-studded line-up featuring the world’s top 10 WTA players ahead of the milestone 25th anniversary Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships’ women’s tournament.
Paolini’s incredible year has seen her tie the record for the highest-ranked Italian woman in WTA rankings history, with the world No 4 winning her second career title in Dubai, finishing runner-up at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and then triumphing with Italy in doubles at both the Paris Olympics and in Malaga.
Sabalenka, meanwhile, was recently voted WTA Player of the Year for the first time after winning four titles in 2024, including a second Australian Open and maiden US Open triumph. That impressive run has seen her reclaim the top ranking from Swiatek, who was beaten in straight sets by world No 3 Coco Gauff in Saudi Arabia’s season-ending tournament.
Premier destination on global stage
Ramesh Cidambi, Managing Director, DDF and Chairman of the tournament’s Organising Committee, expressed his excitement at welcoming the world’s top WTA players to Dubai once more.
“This year marks an important landmark as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the WTA Championships in Dubai,” Cidambi said. “The tournament’s elevation to permanent WTA 1000 status last year underlines the calibre of talent this competition consistently attracts and with the world’s top 10 players now confirmed to participate, Dubai continues to solidify its status as a premier destination on the global tennis stage.”
Another former Dubai champion, Barbora Krejcikova as well as world No 5 Qinwen Zheng, who made history by winning China’s first tennis singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics earlier this year, Daria Kasatkina, a finalist in Dubai in 2018, and Jessica Pegula, a semi-finalist here in 2023, will complete an impressive line up who will be competing at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium.
Incredible milestone
Tournament Director and Deputy Managing Director of DDF, Salah Tahlak added: “We are delighted to have so many of the world’s top women’s players competing in Dubai as we celebrate an incredible milestone in this tournament’s history. Our WTA event continues to grow every year and 2025 promises to be special.”
Meanwhile, a strong men’s line-up is primed for the 33rd edition of the ATP Tour tournament. The emirate’s long-standing tennis championships will again run as back-to-back competitions, with the WTA week getting under way on February 16, followed by the ATP event on February 24.
