Dubai Tennis Championships 2025: Women's singles draw analysis, preview & prediction ft. potential Coco Gauff-Emma Navarro QF, Aryna Sabalenka-Jelena Ostapenko final

The women's singles draw for the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships (February 18-22) was unveiled on Saturday, February 15. We are in for a week of high-octane tennis action.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is the top seed at the WTA 1000 tournament. The three-time Grand Slam champion will aim to secure her second title of the season as she begins her campaign.

Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini, and Jessica Pegula round up the top five seeds. Each of these players poses a significant channel and could easily thwart the Belarusian's quest.

There are many exciting first-round matches lined up, including Emma Raducanu vs Maria Sakkari, Anna Kalinskaya vs Elina Svitolina, Amanda Anisimova vs McCartney Kessler, Paula Badosa vs Lulu Sun, Donna Vekic vs Sofia Kenin, and Ons Jabeur vs Peyton Stearns.

With that in mind, let's dive into how the women's singles draw of the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships might unfold over the next seven days.

Top Half: Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Emma Raducanu & Jessica Pegula make for interesting draw

Aryna Sabalenka pictured at the 2025 Qatar Open | Image Source: Getty

Seeded Players: (1) Aryna Sabalenka, (3) Coco Gauff, (5) Jessica Pegula, (8) Emma Navarro, (10) Daria Kasatkina, (11) Diana Shnaider, (14) Karolina Muchova, (15) Anna Kalinskaya

Dark Horse: Belinda Bencic

Analysis: Top seed Aryna Sabalenka is in this half of the draw and will kick off her campaign in the second round, where she could face Ekaterina Alexandrova after receiving a first-round bye. She has had a strong start to the season, winning the Brisbane title and reaching the Australian Open final. However, she suffered an early setback in Doha, falling in the opening round to Alexandrova.

In the next round, the World No. 1 could face either Elina Svitolina or 15th seed Anna Kalinskaya before a potential quarterfinal showdown against fifth seed Jessica Pegula, Linda Noskova, or Liudmila Samsonova. It won’t be easy, but she has the game to overcome these challenges.

The other side of this half of the draw includes top names like third seed Coco Gauff, eighth seed Emma Navarro, wildcard Emma Raducanu, Belinda Bencic, and 14th seed Karolina Muchova. Among them, Navarro and Gauff stand out, making a quarterfinal showdown between the two a strong possibility.

Predicting the winner is tough, but the odds might slightly favor Navarro. She’s a talented and unpredictable player, capable of pulling off surprises. Plus, her 2-1 head-to-head advantage over Gauff could give her the edge in a potential quarterfinal clash.

A semifinal clash between Navarro and Sabalenka would be thrilling, as both players have the ability to push each other to the limit. However, if we had to pick a winner, the Belarusian would have the edge as she has won two of their previous meetings and is currently the best hardcourt player on tour.

Semifinal Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka def. Emma Navarro

Bottom Half: Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, defending champion Jasmine Paolini all set to battle

Iga Swiatek pictured at the 2025 Qatar Open | Image Source: Getty

Seeded Players: (2) Iga Swiatek, (4) Jasmine Paolini, (6) Elena Rybakina, (7) Zheng Qinwen, (9) Paula Badosa, (12) Mirra Andreeva, (13) Beatriz Haddad Maia, (16) Donna Vekic

Dark Horse: Jelena Ostapenko

Analysis: This half of the draw includes sixth seed Elena Rybakina and defending champion Jasmine Paolini. Both players received a first-round bye due to their seedings and will begin their campaigns in the second round.

Rybakina will face either Jelena Ostapenko or a qualifier in her opening match. She’s most likely to meet Ostapenko, who has been in great form after reaching the Qatar Open final. The Latvian will present a tough challenge and is expected to come out on top.

If Ostapenko advances, she will face either ninth seed Paula Badosa or former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez next. In the quarterfinals, she could meet Marta Kostyuk, who may have to get past Paolini to reach that stage.

The other side of this half includes World No. 2 Iga Swiatek, seventh seed Zheng Qinwen, 12th seed Mirra Andreeva, 13th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia, and others. Among them, Swiatek and Zheng stand out as the strongest contenders.

Swiatek and Zheng are expected to clash in the quarterfinals. To get there, the Pole will have to overcome the likes of Victoria Azarenka, Beatriz Haddad Maia, Magda Linette, or Dayana Yastremska. Meanwhile, the Chinese might face challenges from Ons Jabeur, Marketa Vondrousova, or Mirra Andreeva on her path to the last eight.

If everything goes as expected, a blockbuster semifinal between Iga Swiatek and Jelena Ostapenko could be on the cards. Ostapenko has dominated their head-to-head, winning all five of their previous encounters. Given her track record, she might extend that streak and secure a spot in the final, where she could face Aryna Sabalenka.

Semifinal Prediction: Jelena Ostapenko def. Iga Swiatek

Dubai Tennis Championships 2025: Final prediction

Aryna Sabalenka def. Jelena Ostapenko