Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner return in Doha, while Elena Rybakina leads a strong field at the WTA 1000 in Dubai

Slowly but surely, February has begun to hold its own with the other months of the tennis season. It’s still a valley, relatively speaking, in between the peaks of the Australian Open in January and the Sunshine Double that now takes up all of March. But with the WTA upgrading Doha and Dubai to 1000s, and the ATP raising its version of the Qatar Open to a 500, more of the stars are coming out of hibernation early and making the lucrative trip to the Middle East.

Also: For fans who don’t have the patience for the new, extended Masters 1000s, February still gets its tournaments done the old-fashioned way, in a week.

Here’s a look ahead as the WTA 1000 in Dubai and the ATP 500 in Doha get underway.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner return

There’s no better example of February’s rising relevance than the presence of the ATP’s No. 1 and 2 in Doha. Traditionally, the Qatar Open has been a warm-up for the following week’s bigger tournament in Dubai. But after climbing from a 250 to a 500 last year, it’s now a main event of its own.

The Spaniard and the Italian are the top two seeds, but they’ll bring different vibes to the court. Alcaraz, after completing the career Slam in Melbourne, is riding higher than ever at the still stunningly young age of 22. Sinner, after losing for the first time in three years Down Under, is firmly in the role of second-fiddle in their rivalry at the moment.

Read more: Ahead of Doha comeback, Carlos Alcaraz stops by F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain

As we’ve seen over the last three years, that can change in a hurry with these two guys. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Sinner mount a challenge to Alcaraz’s rule over the next six weeks, when they’ll be playing on his preferred hard courts.

Their draws this week present similar levels of difficulty.

The seeds in Alcaraz’s half are Daniil Medvedev, Karen Khachanov, and Andrey Rublev. Khachanov won the title here in 2023, and Medvedev did the same in 2024.

The seeds in Sinner’s half are Alexander Bublik, Jiri Lehecka, and Jakub Mensik. Bublik beat Sinner once in 2025.

Elena Rybakina leads a Top 10 heavy field

Eight of the WTA’s Top 10 players are in Dubai. The two absences—Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek—are significant, but right now having Elena Rybakina as the headliner isn’t a bad option. She’s coming off her second Slam-title run, at the Australian Open, and has been the tour’s best player since fall. Now we’ll see how far she can keep that run going in 2026. She lost to Victoria Mboko last week in Doha, and has a couple of potential obstacles—Elina Svitolina, Belinda Bencic—in her quarter here.

Following Rybakina on the seed list are three Americans—Amanda Anisimova, Coco Gauff, and Jessica Pegula. Anisimova could use a ranking-point boost, after dropping 990 of them with her opening-round loss in Doha last week. She’ll start against Barbora Krejcikova. Gauff also lost her opener in Doha, and may be using this week mainly as serve practice as she gets ready for Indian Wells and Miami.

There are two other notable absences in Dubai: Mboko and Karolina Muchova, who were the finalists last week in Doha. Who might take their places with deep runs in Dubai?

The door seems open at the moment.