Elena Rybakina has been given one of the most challenging projected paths to victory that a top-seeded player could face in the tabloid format. The Kazakh’s journey to the Abu Dhabi Open title could potentially involve competing against a Grand Slam champion or finalist in every round.
Rybakina, who holds the No. 5 ranking in the world, has been granted the prestigious No. 1 seed in Abu Dhabi. This grants her a first-round pass in the tournament. Following this bye, Rybakina is expected to face off against four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who will be taking on qualifier Danielle Collins in the opening round.
In the quarterfinals of the Abu Dhabi tournament, Rybakina is projected to go head-to-head with the No. 5 seed and 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. If she advances, Rybakina could potentially meet 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova, who holds the fourth seed in the top half of the draw, in the quest for a spot in the Abu Dhabi final.
Should Rybakina make it to the Abu Dhabi final, she is expected to face off against the No. 2 seed and three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur. Rybakina became a Grand Slam champion in 2022 after defeating Jabeur in the Wimbledon final.
This will be Rybakina’s third appearance in Abu Dhabi at the age of 24. In her debut in 2021, she managed to progress past a couple of opening rounds before ultimately losing to Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinal. After skipping Abu Dhabi in 2022, Rybakina returned to the tournament last year as the No. 3 seed. Following a first-round bye, she defeated Karolina Pliskova in the round-of-16 before falling to Beatriz Haddad Maia in the quarterfinal.
This year, Rybakina holds the top seed and is considered the number one favorite to claim the Abu Dhabi title. She began the season by triumphing at the Brisbane International but suffered a shocking second-round defeat at the Australian Open against Anna Blinkova. In Abu Dhabi, Rybakina will be competing in her first tournament since the Australian Open and will be aiming to bounce back from her disappointing result at Melbourne Park.