2026 Abu Dhabi Open WTA Entry List: Rybakina, Badosa, Mboko & more

The Abu Dhabi Open will be the first WTA 500 event held after the Australian Open, and the entry list has been made public.

The WTA 500 tournament in Abu Dhabi is one of the latest additions to the WTA calendar. The tournament, which is held at the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre, was first played in 2021.

This year's edition will be the fifth in the tournament's history, as the event was not held in 2022. There have been three champions in Abu Dhabi so far. Aryna Sabalenka won the inaugural event, Elena Rybakina won in 2024, and Belinda Bencic is the only two-time champion, having won in 2023 and 2025.

Two of these three players are scheduled to compete in 2026, but it's very probable that fans in Abu Dhabi won't have a chance to see Elena Rybakina. The reason is simple, and for Rybakina, it's a good reason.

She made it to the final at the Australian Open, which will be held on January 31st, and with the Abu Dhabi Open starting only one day later, it's improbable that Rybakina will appear at this WTA 500 event. For now, however, her name is still on the entry list.

On the other hand, Bencic is expected in Abu Dhabi. Despite starting her season by winning nine consecutive matches across singles and mixed doubles, she lost already in the second round of the Australian Open to 19-year-old Czech super-talent, Nikola Bartunkova.

The Swiss player will want to forget that loss and challenge for the title in Abu Dhabi. She clearly enjoys the conditions at this event, so she will try to win her third Abu Dhabi Open title in 2026.

The four runners-up in Abu Dhabi have been Veronika Kudermetova, Liudmila Samsonova, Daria Kasatkina, and Ashlyn Krueger. Only one of those players is on the entry list also in 2026. Samsonova will attempt to get to the final again and get revenge for her loss to Bencic.

The field for the 2026 Abu Dhabi Open is incredibly strong. The main draw entry list for the event, which will run from February 1st to 7th, includes names such as Ekaterina Alexandrova, Clara Tauson, Emma Navarro, and Victoria Mboko, who are all capable of winning a WTA 500 title.

Fans will be incredibly excited to see at least two players in Abu Dhabi. Both Paula Badosa and Qinwen Zheng have ended their 2025 season after the China Open in Beijing, so seeing them in Abu Dhabi will be a rare sighting.

Sofia Kenin, McCartney Kessler, and Maya Joint would certainly be happy to have a confidence-boosting run in Abu Dhabi. They are among the lowest-ranked players who made the cut-off for the Abu Dhabi Open entry list.