Sabalenka vs Rybakina Renewed as Doha Opens WTA 1000 Swing

The Qatar TotalEnergies Open arrives as the WTA’s first 1000-level stop of 2026, with nine of the world’s top 10 entered fresh from the Australian Open. Doha, a fixture on the calendar for more than 20 years, begins the Middle East double with Dubai and offers 1000 ranking points to the winner.

Elena Rybakina has arrived in form. She first underlined her credentials last fall by winning the 2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh, defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 2 Iga Swiatek. The Kazakh repeated the feat last week in Melbourne, stunning both Swiatek and Rybakina to capture her second Grand Slam victory and first since the 2022 Wimbledon championship.

“I have big goals,” Rybakina confirmed. “Of course, time will show, but definitely we will keep on working, and hopefully I achieve my goals.”

Rybakina, currently No. 3 in the world and 26 years old, has a record of strong results in the Middle East, including a run to the Doha final in 2024. With the tour on hard courts for the next eight weeks, she has an opening to close the gap on the top-ranked Sabalenka.

For Aryna Sabalenka it is a study in contrasts. She has been within reach of the sport’s biggest trophies since 2023 and finished 2025 with a fourth Grand Slam at the US Open. Last week she fell to Elena Rybakina after leading 3-0 in the final set, bringing her major finals record to 4-4.

“Overall it was much better than last year,” she said. “I was ready to fight, I knew that she’s not going to give it easily to me. So, I think overall, I made huge improvement on that, and I still lost it. But it’s okay. I feel like I’m moving towards the right direction.”

Sabalenka leads the rankings by more than 3000 points and can extend that advantage in Doha. Behind her, the battle for No. 2 remains open. From Iga Swiatek down to Jessica Pegula at No. 6 there is a 1875-point spread, and Rybakina sits 455 points behind Swiatek. The absence of several big names opens opportunities for others to move up as the tour heads into the Sunshine Swing.