DOHA: Five former champions and several former world number ones will get down in the opening round of 20th WTA Qatar Open, which begins in Doha today.
The WTA 1000 series is making its debut at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex.
With eight of the world’s top 10 players, including top seed and World No: 2 Sabalenka receiving first-round byes in the 56-player draw, the first round action will see a number of exciting face-offs.
Defending champion Petra Kvitova will be targeting her third title at the premier event after regaining her form last week in Dubai, where she defeated Sabalenka before narrowly losing in a decisive third-set tiebreaker against Jelena Ostapenko.
The two-time Major winner takes on Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu as she looks to improve on her impressive record in Qatar. Kvitova, who won the Doha title in 2018 and last year, is one of the most successful players in the Qatar event, winning 14 of her 15 matches.
However, there won’t be a repeat of last year’s final this week as Kvitova is placed on a collision course with her counterpart in the 2021 title-clash – No.5 seed Garbine Muguruza of Spain in the third round.
Muguruza is a two-time Doha finalist, falling to Kvitova in the championship match in both 2018 and last year.
Kvitova will face Irina-Camelia Begu in the first round.
Belarusian Victoria Azarenka also seeks her third Doha title. Azarenka, who won the event back-to-back in 2012 and 2013 and reached the final in 2015, will play Yulia Putintseva.
Elise Mertens, title winner in 2019, and former World No.1 Simona Halep, who clinched the title in 2014, and Vera Zvonareva, the 2011 Doha champion and 2008 runner-up, will also make their first round appearances today.
Barbora Krejcikova, Paula Badosa, Anett Kontaveit, Maria Sakkari, Iga Swiatek and Ons Jabeur, all of which are included in the top 10 list of the WTA rankings, have received first round byes.
