Just a few days after completing a hat-trick of victories at the Qatar Open, Swiatek is set to make her return to the court as the top-ranked player in the United Arab Emirates. With a bye into the second round, the world No. 1 will face either former US Open champion Sloane Stephens or qualifier Clara Burel. If she manages to win that match, she is projected to face 15th seed Svitolina in the third round. Svitolina, a two-time Dubai champion, will first have to overcome her compatriot Anhelina Kalinina in the opening round.
If Swiatek progresses to the quarter-finals, she is likely to come up against Australian Open runner-up Zheng Qinwen. The sixth-seeded Zheng will be facing either Nao Hibino or Magda Linette in the second round, and a potential clash with 10th seed Daria Kasatkina awaits her in the third round. If the seedings hold, a semi-final between Swiatek and Coco Gauff is on the cards. Gauff, the third-seeded American, suffered a surprise defeat in the second round of the Qatar Open and will begin her Dubai campaign against either Elise Mertens or Lesia Tsurenko. Her projected opponent in the third round is 16th seed Caroline Garcia.
Fifth seed Ons Jabeur is expected to reach the quarter-finals, but her form has been inconsistent this year. She will most likely have to overcome the in-form Jelena Ostapenko in the third round to progress further. The bottom half of the draw is led by world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the Australian Open champion. Sabalenka will face either Xin Wang or Donna Vekic in the second round, and a potential meeting with 13th seed Veronika Kudermetova awaits her in the third round. A quarter-final between Sabalenka and Marketa Vondrousova is a possibility, but Vondrousova will first have to defeat either Mirra Andreeva or Peyton Stearns in the opening round. 12th seed Luidmila Samsonova is also in Vondrousova’s path.
The highlight of the tournament could be a potential semi-final between Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, a rematch of the 2022 Australian Open final. Rybakina, fresh from her runner-up finish in Doha, will face either Victoria Azarenka or Aranxta Rus in the second round. Her projected opponent in the quarter-finals is eighth seed Maria Sakkari. However, Sakkari has been struggling with her form, having lost three consecutive matches. She will begin her campaign against either Katerina Siniakova or Emma Navarro, and a potential clash with 11th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia awaits her in the third round.
According to the Source tennis365.com