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The main draw for the first WTA 1000 tournament of the year, the Qatar Open, has been released. It features some intriguing first-round matchups, including Naomi Osaka facing Caroline Garcia.
Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are the top two seeds at the tournament. The top eight seeds have received a first round bye. The event will be played from February 11 to 17 at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha. The total prize money for the tournament is $3,211,715.
Some high profile first round matches include four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka facing Caroline Garcia for the second time this year, Barbora Krejcikova vs. Anastasia Potapova, Leylah Fernandez vs. Liudmila Samsonova, and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs. Daria Kasatkina.
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Emma Raducanu, who received a wildcard to play in the main draw, will face Anhelina Kalinina in her opening round clash. Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, and Karolina Muchova are the only top 10 ranked players missing from the tournament.
Tennis fans had mixed reactions to the draw, with many sympathizing with Naomi Osaka. The Japanese star had lost to Garcia in the opening round of the 2024 Australian Open and so far has won only one match on her return to the WTA Tour after maternity absence.
Others noticed another tough route for Iga Swiatek who could potentially face Jelena Ostapenko, a player who she has never beaten, in the quarterfinals. Some also opined that the draw must be rigged.
"And Naomi against Garcia again. Bye I hate the draw," a fan wrote.
"This looks so rigged lmao 😳 naomi-caro rematch already? iga-penko same quarter? penko-azarenka match up again? rybakina-samsonova quarters again?" stated another fan.
"R2canu incoming again," a fan posted on X.
"Lotsa spicy potential matchups but I'm just looking forward to R1 between Pavs and Dasha lol. The vlog's always great but it's extra fun when she ends up playing against her friends (Kalinskaya, Penko)," a fan commented.
Here are a few more fan reactions to the Qatar Open draw:
A look at past winners of Qatar Open
Qatar Open has been a mainstay on the WTA Tour since 2001. Martina Hingis won the inaugural edition of the tournament, defeating Sandrine Testud in the final. Over the years, the status of the tournament has changed several times, with it swapping 500-level and 1000-level status with the Dubai Tennis Championships every year in recent times.
Qatar Open was not organised in 2009 and 2010. Iga Swiatek is the two-time defending champion. The Pole bettered Jessica Pegula in the final in 2023 when it was a 500-level tournament. The World No. 1 downed Anett Kontaveit to win the title in 2022.
Other past winners of the Qatar Open include Maria Sharapova, Monica Seles, Aryna Sabalenka, Petra Kvitova and Simona Halep.
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