The 2025 WTA Dubai Tennis Championships is the second of the WTA 1000 doubleheader of the Middle East Swing. As expected the field is stacked with top names. Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff are among the early favorites for the title.
This tournament has a history of not following the script. Barbora Krejcikova and Jasmine Paolini were crowned as the unexpected champions of the last two editions. However, two-time Grand Slam champion Krejcikova and newly crowned Australian Open champion Madison Keys will miss out on competing in Dubai because of injuries.
Four players will receive wild cards ahead of main draw action, which commences on February 16.
Four Players Receive WTA Dubai Championships Wild Cards
Emma Raducanu is confirmed to be a wild card recipient at the 2025 WTA Dubai Tennis Championships. She has never played in this tournament in the past. Raducanu has played two events in the Middle East prior to Dubai and lost in the opening rounds of Abu Dhabi and Doha. The tournament confirmed in a statement that Raducanu’s status of being a Grand Slam champion and possessing “enormous talent” was a welcome addition to this year’s field. That decision has generated mixed reactions from several tennis fans and it will be interesting to see who she will face in the main draw. The British star is winless in her last four matches.
Three more names will be revealed during the official draw ceremony which will take place on Saturday, February 15.
Emma Raducanu is ready for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships! 🎾✨
The former US Open champion has been awarded a wildcard for the 25th anniversary of the tournament. See you on court, @EmmaRaducanu! 🔥 #DDFTennis #SeeYouOnCourt@WTA pic.twitter.com/zjHnQGE7Un
— Dubai Tennis Champs (@DDFTennis) February 14, 2025
Two Players To Use Special Ranking
Two players will make up the 64-woman party in Dubai with a special ranking. The first one is 2019 champion Belinda Bencic, who lifted her first WTA title as a mother in Abu Dhabi. Bencic will pursue a second crown in the U.A.E. this month.
The second name is that of last year’s semifinalist Sorana Cirstea. The experienced Romanian missed six months of 2024 because of a foot injury. She has only played five matches this season and lost in the first round of her most recent tournament on home soil in Cluj-Napoca.
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
