Defending champion Amanda Anisimova returns to the Qatar TotalEnergies Open as the No. 3 seed, reflecting on her 2025 title win. Elena Rybakina, fresh off her second Grand Slam at the 2026 Australian Open, aims to maintain momentum. Early first-round matches saw veterans like Vera Zvonareva and Karolina Pliskova advance.
DOHA, Qatar -- At media day for the 2026 Qatar TotalEnergies Open, Amanda Anisimova discussed her breakthrough 2025 victory here, her first WTA 1000 title. Then ranked No. 41, the win propelled her to two Grand Slam finals and another 1000 title in Beijing that year. Now the No. 3 seed with a bye, Anisimova faces the winner of Karolina Pliskova and Solana Sierra in the second round.
"I would say I'm still the same person, the same player for most part just obviously I have the addition of a lot of experiences last year," Anisimova said. She credited the Doha triumph with boosting her confidence, noting a tough quarterfinal comeback against Marta Kostyuk (4-6, 7-5, 6-4) and four straight-set wins in the draw. Following a Australian Open quarterfinal loss to Jessica Pegula (2-6, 6-7(1)), Anisimova feels prepared, having implemented practice improvements.
Elena Rybakina, World No. 3 and 2026 Australian Open champion, also enters with a bye, awaiting Xinyu Wang or Emiliana Arango. Despite a brief cold post-Melbourne, she rested in Dubai before arriving. "Of course we tried to celebrate after the match a little bit with the team," Rybakina said. "It's good for me to start here, to still try to keep the momentum."
Other notables include Iga Swiatek refining her serve through stable tosses and body twists, and Jasmine Paolini honoring her Olympic torchbearing role while eyeing skiing post-retirement. Zheng Qinwen returns from an elbow injury that sidelined her from the 2025 US Open and 2026 Australian Open, facing Sofia Kenin in the first round. Filipina Alex Eala enters at a career-high No. 40.
First-round action kicked off with Vera Zvonareva, 41, defeating Peyton Stearns 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 in over two hours for her first main-draw win since 2023. Pliskova, a 2024 semifinalist, beat Sierra 6-1, 6-2 in 60 minutes. Ann Li topped Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3, leading their 2-0 head-to-head.