Taking a deep dive into the draw & betting market ahead of the Doha blockbusters.
The WTA Qatar TotalEnergies Open 2026 will be played between February 8-14 at the capital city of Doha. It is a professional tennis competition on the men’s and women’s circuit, out of which the WTA tournament is contested as a 1000 event. It is played on the outdoor hard courts of the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex where several top tier battles are contested.
Every year, the Qatar Open is held in the month of February after the first Grand Slam of the season. The women’s event will be played in the second week, after which the ATP-500 is set to kick off. The first edition was held way back in 2001 as a Tier III event. Iga Swiatek remains the most decorated female athlete in Qatar – with three consecutive successes between 2022 and 2024. In the women’s doubles category, several former champions are tied at two trophies each.
World No. 4 Amanda Anisimova is the defending women’s singles champion at the 2026 Qatar Open. She romped to a 6-4 6-3 victory against Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko in the final of the previous season. Meanwhile, veteran pairing of Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini reigned supreme in women’s doubles. The current Olympic champions beat Wu Fang-hsien and Jiang Xinyu 7-5 7-6(10) to become the title holders.
WTA Qatar Open 2026 Draw Analysis
With World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka pulling out after a hectic Australian Open campaign, three-time champ Iga Swiatek starts as the top seed in Doha. Having received a bye in Round-1, the Polish superstar has a ginormous test in the Round of 32 against either Sorana Cirstea or Janice Tjen. Provided she can get through to the pre-quarterfinals, Swiatek’s next big challenge will be in the last eight vs Jasmine Paolini. Defending champion Amanda Anisimova and No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina complete her potential path to the championship.
Merely a week after lifting the crown in Melbourne Park, Elena Rybakina has a potential blockbuster tie against Zheng Qinwen or Diana Shnaider in the Doha Round of 16. The 26-year-old is likely to oppose Mirra Andreeva in the quarters and Coco Gauff in the semis. If she can navigate her way into the final, Swiatek or Anisimova could stand across the net. Speaking of the American third seed, former Grand Slam finalist Karolina Pliskova is a potential opening opposition. Anisimova will then face Karolina Muchova, Elina Svitolina, Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina en route to the finish line.
A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.
My message to the readers is not to be shy to express themselves – regardless of whether it is playing, talking or writing about sport. And if you’re a fan of Roger Federer, Lionel Messi and/or Stephen Curry – I’m your guy.
