The 2024 Abu Dhabi Open will be the official curtain raiser of the Middle East swing, and the draw for the tournament has been released.
Tournament organizers have done fantastic work behind the scenes, like offering wild cards to former Grand Slam champions Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu. But both players have received a treacherous draw at the WTA 500 event.
This year's Abu Dhabi Open will be broadcast on all major continents in the world, with players fighting out for prize money in excess of $922,573. The top four seeds in the tournament will each receive a bye in round one, meaning their campaign will begin a little later than the rest of the players.
Osaka, who has promised to feature in many tournaments this season, plays a qualifier in her opening match and features in the top half of the draw. The Japanese star could play top-seeded Elena Rybakina in the second round in what will surely be an almighty tussle.
Fifth seed Jelena Ostapenko has had success playing in the UAE before, winning in Dubai back in 2022. She is projected to meet Rybakina in the quarterfinal. But Ostapenko must beat a qualifier in her opener and then eliminate the winner of the all-Chinese clash between Lin Zhu and Xinyu Wang.
Still in the top half, Russia's Liudmila Samsonova will take on Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko. The winner of that match will face one of Anhelina Kalinina or Paula Badosa, who brushed off concerns of a recurring injury after retiring in Hua Hin.
In the bottom half, Arab fans are excited to see Ons Jabeur. The second seed will await the winner of the match between Emma Raducanu and Marie Bouzkova. Third seed Maria Sakkari will also have to wait to learn the identity of her second-round opponent.
The Greek will face one of Caroline Garcia or Sorana Cirstea, who meet in a popcorn first-round match. The draw for the Abu Dhabi Open has certainly lived up to expectations, and you can check on all the matches below.
2024 Abu Dhabi Open WTA Draw:
| 1 | Elena Rybakina (1) |
| 2 | BYE |
| 3 | Naomi Osaka (WC) |
| 4 | Qualifier |
| 5 | Xinyu Wang |
| 6 | Lin Zhu |
| 7 | Qualifier |
| 8 | Jelena Ostapenko (5) |
| 9 | Barbora Krejcikova (4) |
| 10 | BYE |
| 11 | Veronika Kudermetova |
| 12 | Qualifier |
| 13 | Anhelina Kalinina |
| 14 | Paula Badosa |
| 15 | Lesia Tsurenko |
| 16 | Liudmila Samsonova (8) |
| 17 | Daria Kasatkina (7) |
| 18 | Qualifier |
| 19 | Qualifier |
| 20 | Qualifier |
| 21 | Caroline Garcia |
| 22 | Sorana Cirstea |
| 23 | BYE |
| 24 | Maria Sakkari (3) |
| 25 | Beatriz Haddad Maia (6) |
| 26 | Xiyu Wang (WC) |
| 27 | Alexandra Eala (WC) |
| 28 | Magda Linette |
| 29 | Marie Bouzkova |
| 30 | Emma Raducanu (WC) |
| 31 | BYE |
| 32 | Ons Jabeur (2) |
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