Unlucky draw for Zhang Shuai as she faces the top seed in the first round in Dubai!

The last four contenders in the 2026 WTA1000 Doha women's singles have been confirmed. Following the exits of top seeds Swiatek and Rybakina, 10th seed Mboko stands as the highest-ranked player left. She is set to face last year's finalist Ostapenko for a spot in the championship match.

In the upper half semifinal, Sakari will take on the tournament's 14th seed Muhova. Notably, Sakari ended a four-match losing streak against Swiatek, which surprised many fans. However, the Greek star trails in her head-to-head record against Muhova, making this semifinal a chance for revenge.

Although many top seeds have exited the Doha women's singles this year, the semifinal lineup remains impressive, featuring rising star Mboko and Grand Slam champion Ostapenko. Sakari and Muhova are also well-known players familiar to fans.

Meanwhile, the WTA1000 Dubai tournament, another major event in the Middle East season, is about to start its women's singles qualifying rounds. As the sole Chinese player in the qualifiers, veteran Zhang Shuai has drawn an unlucky lot, facing the top seed of the qualifiers—American Battiste—in the first round. The winner between them will compete against the victor of Rudic and Schramkova for a valuable main draw spot.

As a 1000-level event qualifier, this year's Dubai qualifying draw is quite strong. The top eight seeds are Battiste, Valentova, Qatar, Stearns, Kochareto, Freschi, Jakmo, and Shera. Additionally, well-known players like Potapova, Sasnovich, and Vekic are also in the draw.

For Zhang Shuai, breaking through the Dubai women's singles qualifiers will be challenging, especially since her first opponent Battiste has been performing well on hard courts recently, reaching the semifinals in Abu Dhabi. However, Zhang's greater experience could make for an exciting match for the fans.

Among the main draw entrants in this year's Dubai women's singles, the current world No.1 Sabalenka, who previously withdrew from Doha, has officially returned. Meanwhile, Andreyeva will begin her title defense. The top eight in the latest main draw list are Sabalenka, followed by Swiatek, Rybakina, Anisimova, Gauff, Pegula, Andreyeva, and Paolini.

China's rising star Zheng Qinwen has also gained direct entry into this event based on her world ranking. Zheng made her comeback in Doha this year, winning two matches before narrowly losing a tough three-set battle against Rybakina in the third round.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Barbie)