WTA Doha 2026 Draw: Defending champ Amanda Anisimova in Iga Swiatek top half

DOHA, Qatar—The first WTA 1000 tournament of the 2026 is about to get underway and boasts a stacked field despite the withdrawal of world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Six of the world’s Top 10 women will be in action at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open in Doha, led by top seed and former champion Iga Swiatek.

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Swiatek kicked off an unforgettable 2022 season when she won the title in Doha, going on to clinch the No. 1 ranking and capture two major titles. The world No. 2 headlines a stacked top half that includes defending champion Amanda Anisimova and Australian Open semifinalist Elina Svitolina. The six-time Grand Slam champion will face either Indonesian wild card Janice Tjen or Sorana Cirstea following a first-round bye.

Swiatek's rivalry with Anisimova was one of the best of 2025, Anisimova avenging a 6-0, 6-0 Wimbledon finals defeat to the Pole with hard-fought wins at the US Open and WTA Finals.

Anisimova began a breakthrough year of her won last February when she won her first WTA 1000 title in Doha; the American later reached back-to-back Grand Slam finals and won a second WTA 1000 title last fall in Beijing. Seeded third, Anisimova is all but guaranteed a tricky opening round as she faces the winner of former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova or Filipina sensation Alexandra Eala.

Pliskova is back in action after missing much of the last two years on tour due to multiple injuries, but acquitted herself well at the Australian Open by reaching the third round. Meanwhile, the 20-year-old Eala has been one of the biggest stories on tour since her fairytale run to the 2025 Miami Open semifinals.

Should Anisimova make it through the opening hurdles, she is projected to face a seventh-seeded Svitolina fresh off her return to the Top 10. The former world No. 3 began 2026 with a title run at the ASB Classic and took that unbeaten streak to the last four in Melbourne, where she fell to eventual runner-up Sabalenka.

Anchoring the bottom half of the draw is reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina, who is playing her first tournament since lifting a second career major title; she will open against either Wang Xinyu or Emiliana Arango with a projected quarterfinal against No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva.

Rounding out the Top 4 seeds, Coco Gauff landed in Rubakina’s half of the draw and could play fellow American McCartney Kessler in her first match of the week. Kessler scored a statement victory over Gauff in the Middle East last February, stunning the two-time Grand Slam victor at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Main draw play begins Sunday, February 8.