The 2026 Qatar Open got underway with interesting results on the opening day of the women’s draw.
The world’s top tennis players will light up the courts in Doha for the 34th consecutive year, as the two-week-long Qatar Open headlines February’s sporting action in the country.
The tournament will be split into two parts, with the women’s draw starting the action before the men’s competition takes over from February 16. The first day of action at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex on Sunday has already seen a good few surprise results, setting up an interesting bracket heading into the Round of 32.
Two seeded players fell on the first day as 13th-seed Liudmila Samsonova lost the third set tiebreaker against Magdalena Fręch in the tournament-opener, while Diana Shnaider was defeated by American qualifier Alycia Parks. The lower-ranked player emerged victorious in four other matches, including between 50th-ranked Peyton Sterns and 584th-ranked Vera Zvonareva.
After another day of first round play, the stars will step onto the court on Tuesday, which happens to be Qatar National Sports Day.
The headline names include No. 1 seed Iga Świątek, recently-crowned Australian Open winner Elena Rybakina, Qatar Open defending champion Amanda Anisimova and Olympic Gold medalist Jasmine Paolini, who is part of the No. 1 pair in the doubles draw alongside fellow Italian Sara Errani. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is among the noteworthy absentees.
Other players to watch include French Open holder Coco Gauff, teenage starlet Mirra Andreeva, Ukrainian star Elina Svitolina, who is seeking her first title since 2018, and British youngster Emma Raducanu, who is fresh after reaching the final of the recently-concluded Transylvania Open.
The Qatar Open will feature both singles and doubles action on the outdoor hard courts. The women’s draw competition will culminate with semifinals on February 13 and finals on Saturday, February 14.
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