The draw for the 2026 Qatar TotalEnergies Open has set up a potential early clash between top seed Iga Swiatek and defending champion Amanda Anisimova in the top half. Elena Rybakina headlines the bottom half as the tournament begins amid several high-profile withdrawals. Six top-10 players feature in the stacked field starting February 8 in Doha, Qatar.
The Qatar TotalEnergies Open, the first WTA 1000 event of 2026, unveiled its main draw on February 7, promising intense competition despite withdrawals from world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, Paula Badosa, and Barbora Krejcikova. Top seed Iga Swiatek, the world No. 2 and former Doha champion, receives a first-round bye and will face either Indonesian wild card Janice Tjen or Sorana Cirstea next. The top half also includes No. 3 seed Amanda Anisimova, who won the 2025 title unseeded by defeating Jelena Ostapenko in the final, and No. 7 Elina Svitolina, fresh off an Australian Open semifinal.
Anisimova's path looks challenging from the outset. After a bye, she could meet former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova in the second round—Pliskova, returning after injury layoffs and a solid Australian Open third-round run, now faces lucky loser Solana Sierra due to Badosa's withdrawal. A potential third-round clash awaits against Filipina Alexandra Eala, who enters after a quarterfinal in Abu Dhabi and holds a 6-1, 6-2 win over Anisimova from the 2025 Japan Open. Eala's first-round opponent is Czech qualifier Tereza Valentova, an 18-year-old who idolizes Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner and recently reached the Australian Open third round.
In the bottom half, Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina opens against Wang Xinyu or Emiliana Arango, with a projected quarterfinal against No. 5 Mirra Andreeva. No. 4 Coco Gauff could face McCartney Kessler early, recalling Kessler's 2025 Dubai upset over her. In doubles, Gauff pairs with 2025 WTA Newcomer of the Year Victoria Mboko, who called the last-minute team-up "pretty cool!" after both lost original partners. They face No. 7 seeds Cristina Bucșa and Nicole Melichar-Martinez first.
Swiatek and Anisimova's 2025 rivalry featured Anisimova's avenging wins at the US Open and WTA Finals after a 6-0, 6-0 Wimbledon final loss. Main draw play starts Sunday.
