Iga was named Asia's Kvitova challenger, with Gauff dubbed the battle that ignited massive traffic; netizens humorously commented on Dubai withdrawals.

If questioned about the most adored female tennis player at present, many would probably pick the 20-year-old Filipina Iga as a standout!

How hot is Iga’s popularity these days? As a newcomer who recently debuted, the Doha tournament organizers directly gave the opening match on the central court to this Filipina girl; the WTA even featured her prominently on Dubai’s official website, instantly outshining Jovic and Senmez, who are also known as the "three rising stars" in terms of traffic, making her the new pride of Asian women's tennis in the eyes of the public.

Of course, Iga’s current acclaim is well deserved. Whenever she plays, the crowd is always lively; plus, after knocking down world No. 6 Borrani in Dubai, her on-court performance has further boosted her popularity.

Iga has already advanced to the quarterfinals in Dubai, and if she manages to defeat the American Gauff next, her popularity could explode beyond imagination! Therefore, this match is called by fans and netizens as the Filipina’s "traffic explosion battle," making people very eager to see what will happen in the end!

Nowadays, when people talk about this sweet-looking and highly approachable girl, they frankly say that Iga is only one tournament win away from igniting her commercial value; this title might not need to be a Grand Slam or a 1000-level event, perhaps just a 250 or 500-level trophy with some prestige would suffice. The reason is that the Filipina’s current popularity seems to guarantee that once she wins this title, she will swiftly become a favorite of sponsors, with endorsement deals pouring in, potentially becoming the new queen of Asian sports marketing without much difficulty.

In fact, Iga’s current standing in the tennis world is not only due to her own efforts but also likely owes something to an indirect boost from Swiatek.

Last year at the Miami 1000 event, when the then-unknown Iga faced world No. 1 Swiatek, many expected the Polish star to easily give a lesson to this recent Nadal Tennis Academy graduate and her young fan; unexpectedly, it was Swiatek who ended up learning from Iga, making Iga famous overnight. Moreover, after defeating Australian Open champion Keys later, many began to see the Filipina as an extraordinary talent destined for a bright future.

Entering the 2026 season, although Iga is still chasing her first professional title, many believe her popularity has already surpassed Asian peers like Rybakina, Naomi Osaka, and Zheng Qinwen, with a reputation comparable to any current top-ten player worldwide. Some even call her “Asia’s Kournikova” to highlight her soaring popularity and box office appeal.

Certainly, backing from the Philippines and the entire Southeast Asian market is another major factor accelerating her rapid rise. The fact that the Dubai 1000 draw ceremony invited this Filipina to be present clearly indicates how important the Southeast Asian market behind her is.

Apart from Iga, the other hot topic in Dubai is a meme among fans and netizens called “unfair labor distribution.” This issue arises from the unbelievable wave of withdrawals during this year’s 1000-level tournament.

Before the tournament even started, many top players including Sabalenka and Swiatek had already announced their withdrawals. People expected this to stop once the matches began, but it turned out to be quite the opposite.

Krejcikova, Kasatkina, and Bencic withdrew before their matches due to injuries, allowing their opponents Anisimova, Andreyeva, and Bencic to comfortably advance to the round of 16; meanwhile, Pegula, Jovic, Tauson, Rinnet, and Mertens’ paths to the last 16 were jokingly said by fans to be entirely earned by their own efforts.

Thus, when the round of 16 lineup was still undecided, some joked that this year’s Dubai 1000 was a tournament where some players fought desperately to advance while others simply cruised to victory, dubbing it the “most unfair labor incident” of this Middle East event — same tournament, but vastly different levels of effort, truly a case of different fates for different people.

As the tournament nears its end, fans and netizens hope the ongoing withdrawal wave will finally stop. The numerous pullouts have already greatly weakened the competition’s intensity this year; if the withdrawals continue until the finals, the Dubai tournament director would surely lose his mind. Earlier, the unexpected withdrawals of stars Sabalenka and Swiatek without any injury or illness had already angered the director, who threatened fines and point deductions. If the chaos continues, he might no longer have the energy to be upset about Sabalenka and Swiatek’s withdrawals and could very well be overwhelmed by the repeated setbacks.

However, some joke that now even the top seed Rybakina suddenly joined the withdrawal trend, and the tournament director probably doesn’t know how many times he has lost his mind by now.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Starry Sky of the Moon River)