The Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open is fast approaching as a host of the world’s top women’s tennis players are set to descend on Zayed Sports City for the WTA 500 tournament, scheduled from January 31 to February 7.
Here are five things to know about the Abu Dhabi showpiece.
This is year four of a fast-developing tournament
Zayed Sports City has been at the heart of Abu Dhabi’s tennis revolution ever since the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal took part in a six-player exhibition in 2009, which became the Mubadala World Tennis Championship.
That event was a staple on Abu Dhabi’s sporting calendar, bringing world-class tennis to the UAE capital every winter, through 2022.
In 2017, a women’s exhibition match was added to the Mubadala World Tennis Championship schedule – a move that brought superstars like Serena Wiliams, Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova to Zayed Sports City, introducing women’s tennis to Abu Dhabi in spectacular fashion.
In 2021, with the world still reeling from the pandemic and the WTA Tour struggling to operate at its usual locations, Abu Dhabi stepped up and hosted a one-off tournament behind closed doors at the International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City to kick off the WTA season.
While fans were not allowed to attend that event due to Covid restrictions, the appetite for women’s tennis in Abu Dhabi had been obvious for many years, and in 2023, a WTA 500-level tournament was officially added to the tour’s schedule, bringing to life the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.
Next month will witness the fourth staging of the event, which not only brings top-tier tennis to Abu Dhabi shores, it also engages the community with a slew of activations, autograph sessions, player Q&As, and lots more.
Last year the Fan Village underwent significant expansions and improvements and this year promises to be even better.
Abu Dhabi kicks off the Middle East swing
Players will arrive in Abu Dhabi fresh off competing in the opening Grand Slam of the season in Melbourne and ready to begin a stretch of three consecutive tournaments held in the Gulf region.
The WTA’s Middle East swing commences in the UAE capital before the tour moves on to its stops in Doha (February 8-14) and Dubai (15-21).
Players enjoy this swing because it allows them to compete in neighbouring cities, without needing to take long flights between one tournament and another.
The Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open is a 500-level event, which is just under the Grand Slams and the WTA 1000s in terms of size and status.
Players are required to play six WTA 500s each year and Abu Dhabi provides a good opportunity for them to fulfil a scheduling requirement early in the season.
Points and prize money are on the line
A total sum of $1,206,446 is up for grabs at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, across singles and doubles, with 500 ranking points awarded to the singles champion.
Bencic seeking a third Abu Dhabi crown
Two of the three previous editions of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open have been won by Swiss star Belinda Bencic.
A former world No.4 and Olympic gold medallist, Bencic clinched the inaugural Abu Dhabi title in 2023 by defeating Liudmila Samsonova in the final.
She went on maternity leave seven months later and delivered her first child, Bella, in April 2024. Just four months after returning to competition, with a baby in tow, Bencic lifted her second Abu Dhabi trophy in February 2025, which was her first WTA title since becoming a mother.
Bencic is back in the top 10 in the world rankings as of last week – also for the first time since becoming a mom – and is expected to return to Abu Dhabi for her title defence next month.
The only other player to have triumphed in Abu Dhabi is former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, who won the event in 2024, beating Daria Kasatkina in the final.
The Kazakhstani big-server lives in Dubai and feels at home competing in the UAE. She finished her 2025 campaign with a bang, clinching the prestigious WTA Finals title in Riyadh, and will be one of the favourites in Abu Dhabi.
New faces and familiar ones in star-studded field
Rybakina and Bencic will be joined by an exciting group of players at Zayed Sports City.
With 28 singles players and 16 doubles teams, there will be no shortage of action across the eight days.
From the powerful baseline game of ex-world No.2 Paula Badosa, to the lefty prowess of former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez; the cerebral skill of two-time major winner Barbora Krejcikova to the infectious energy of Filipina fan favourite Alex Eala – there is plenty to look forward to when it comes to the player field.
Alongside Rybakina and Krejcikova, Jelena Ostapenko, Marketa Vondrousova, and Sofia Kenin are other Grand Slam champions to look out for in the draw.
China’s former Australian Open runner-up Zheng Qinwen is expected to make her long-awaited return from injury in Abu Dhabi next month. The reigning Olympic champion underwent elbow surgery in July 2025 and has played just two matches since. She plans on officially kicking off her 2026 campaign in the UAE capital.
A pair of talented 19-year-olds will be making their Abu Dhabi debuts in the form of Victoria Mboko and Maya Joint.
Mboko’s meteoric rise saw her clinch the WTA 1000 title on home soil in Canada last summer and she started 2026 with an impressive run to the final in Adelaide last week to rise to a career-high No.16 in the world rankings.
Australian teen Joint also had a breakthrough 2025, grabbing her first two WTA titles in Rabat and Eastbourne.
The qualifying rounds begin on January 31, with main draw action kicking off on February 1.
For more information and tickets visit: https://www.mubadalaabudhabiopen.com/
