The Abu Dhabi Open will mark the start of the 2026 Middle East Swing. Main draw action is set for a Sunday start, less than 24 hours following the conclusion of the Australian Open women’s final.
World No. 5 Elena Rybakina heads the field, but it is looking increasingly likely she will withdraw from the event after her strong run in Melbourne. Should that happen, Belinda Bencic would take over as the top seed. The Swiss is the tournament’s defending champion and saw her undefeated start to the season end at the Australian Open.
The 26-player singles field will include four wild cards and the tournament organizers opted for international representation in its selection. Three wild cards have been confirmed and one more will be named before action begins on Sunday.
Three Players Receive Abu Dhabi Open Wild Cards
Heading the wild card list is 20-year-old rising star Alexandra Eala, who is quickly emerging as one of the most prominent athletes from the Philippines. Eala made her Abu Dhabi Open debut two seasons ago, where she lost in the opening round to Magda Linette. But she enters this year’s field sitting at a career-high ranking of No. 49.
Janice Tjen is the second wild card entrant. Tjen burst onto the scene in the second half of last year. She lifted eight titles, including her maiden trophy at the Tour level in Chennai. The 23-year-old Indonesian is on the brink of breaking the top 50.
Zeynep Sonmez has been confirmed as the third wild card. Sonmez made history in the past week when she became the first Turkish woman to reach the third round of a Grand Slam in the Open Era. At 23, she is already a WTA champion and is entrenched in the Top 100.
All three players will certainly draw huge followings at the tournament.
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
