WTA Qatar Open draw: Swiatek and Anisimova in same half, Rybakina could face Gauff
The women’s singles draw at the 2026 Qatar Open has been revealed, with world No 4 Amanda Anisimova looking to defend her title at the WTA 1000 event.
Several big names have pulled out of the event, with world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka pulling out after the withdrawals of Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, and Naomi Osaka had already been confirmed.
However, world No 2 and three-time Qatar Open champion Iga Swiatek is still set to be the top seed, with world No 3 and new Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina seeded second at the WTA 1000 event.
Top seed Swiatek has been drawn in the same half of the draw as third seed and reigning champion Anisimova, meaning the two stars are projected to meet in the semi-final stage of the tournament.
The top eight seeds in the draw all receive an opening-round bye, with six-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek set to start her Doha campaign against either Janice Tjen or Sorana Cirstea.
The Pole is then projected to face 16th seed Elise Mertens in the third round, before an expected quarter-final against sixth seed Jasmine Paolini.
World No 8 Paolini begins her campaign in round two against either Maria Sakkari or Zeynep Sonmez, and could face a significant challenge from ninth seed and rising star Linda Noskova in the third round.
Third seed Anisimova beat Jelena Ostapenko in the final to lift her first WTA 1000 title twelve months ago, and will begin her campaign against either former world No 1 Karolina Pliskova or a qualifier.
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The American could then face 14th seed Karolina Muchova in the third round, with rising star Alex Eala also in this section of the draw.
Eala will begin her campaign against a qualifier, and could then face Muchova in round two.
Should Anisimova reach the quarter-final, she is projected to face seventh seed Elina Svitolina, who will be back in action after her run to the last four of the Australian Open.
The Ukrainian will face either Cristina Bucsa or compatriot Dayana Yastremska in round two and could then face 12th seed Emma Navarro in the third round, before potentially challenging Anisimova.
Should Swiatek and Anisimova hold their seedings and meet in the semi-final, it would be a battle between the last two women to lift the title in Doha.
The bottom half of the draw projects a semi-final against second seed Rybakina and fourth seed Coco Gauff.
A hypothetical match-up between the two would be just their second-ever meeting, with Gauff beating Rybakina in their only previous contest at the 2022 Canadian Open.
In-form Rybakina is set to start her campaign against either Wang Xinyu or Emiliana Arango, and could then face 15th seed Diana Shnaider in round three.
The Kazakh is projected to face fifth seed Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-final, with the 18-year-old having beaten Rybakina in both Dubai and Indian Wells last spring.
Andreeva’s campaign will begin against either Magda Linette or a qualifier, before a potential Adelaide International final rematch versus 10th seed Victoria Mboko in the third round.
Meanwhile, fourth seed Gauff’s quest for a maiden Qatar Open title will start against either Elsa Jacquemot or McCartney Kessler in round two, before she potentially faces 13th seed Liudmila Samsonova in round three.
Standing in the American’s way of a projected semi-final versus Rybakina is eighth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, Gauff’s projected quarter-final opponent.
Alexandrova faces a potentially challenging opener against either 2025 runner-up Ostapenko or former world No 2 Paula Badosa, and could then face either 11th seed Clara Tauson or Emma Raducanu in round three.
Tauson begins her campaign versus Katerina Siniakova while Raducanu will face a qualifier, with the two potentially set to meet in round two.
Projected quarter-final line-up
(1) Iga Swiatek vs (6) Paolini(6)
(3) Amanda Anisimova vs (7) Elina Svitolina
(8) Ekaterina Alexandrova vs (4) Coco Gauff
(5) Mirra Andreeva vs (2) Elena Rybakina
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