WTA Middle East Swing Winners & Losers: Andreeva shines as Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff struggle
A dramatic WTA Middle East swing has come to a close, with some fairly surprising champions crowned across Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Dubai.
While the likes of Mirra Andreeva and Amanda Anisimova will leave the swing on a high, several big names – including Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek – will be less satisfied.
We look back at who found the most success across the past three weeks – and who left a lot to be desired.
Winners
Mirra Andreeva: Andreeva is now the youngest top-10 player in almost two decades after storming to the biggest title of her career so far in Dubai. Back-to-back wins over Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina demonstrated she is becoming a force.
Belinda Bencic: A run to the WTA 500 title in Abu Dhabi saw the Swiss fly back into the top 100 and she is now back inside the world’s top 60. Bencic’s level less than a year after giving birth has been remarkable.
Amanda Anisimova: No one begrudged Anisimova from lifting the biggest title of her career after years of turmoil off the court. The American is now inside the top 10 and could be in line for a huge 2025.
Clara Tauson: Tauson was not able to beat Andreeva in the Dubai final – but she did beat Aryna Sabalenka early in the draw and is now fifth in the WTA Race after a strong two months.
Madison Keys: Keys skipped the Middle East swing but finds herself at a career-high of world No 5 following its conclusion. She made the right decision to rest after her Australian Open triumph.
WTA Tour News
WTA Indian Wells 2025 Entry List: Emma Raducanu gets direct entry as big name wildcard confirmed
Losers
Aryna Sabalenka: The Middle East hasn’t been Sabalenka’s happiest hunting ground for a while now, but a 1-2 record across the two WTA 1000 events was underwhelming. Is there a slight hangover from her Australian Open loss?
Iga Swiatek: Swiatek’s Doha stranglehold was broken emphatically by a fifth loss in as many meetings to Jelena Ostapenko, while she was beaten by Andreeva in straight sets in Dubai. She has yet to win a title since Roland Garros last summer.
Coco Gauff: The world No 3 failed to win a set in the Middle East, with straight-set losses to Marta Kostyuk and McCartney Kessler. Gauff’s form has dipped after a strong end to 2024.
Jasmine Paolini: Paolini fell out of the top five after an early exit in her Dubai title defence. The Italian has failed to capture her 2024 magic this season.
Zheng Qinwen: Qinwen is still outside the top 100 of the WTA Race after going 0-2 in the Middle East. The Chinese has not come close to finding the form that powered her into the top five last season.
Winner…and loser?
Elena Rykabina: With semi-finals in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and a quarter-final in Doha, to her name, Rybakina was probably the most consistent player this swing – but the Kazakh has not won a title since April 2024, and perhaps missed opportunities at all three events.
Emma Raducanu: Concern was high for Raducanu after disappointing results in Abu Dhabi and Doha but encouraging displays in Dubai – and the way she handled an extremely traumatic situation – may bode well for the rest of 2025.
