Ten Players Withdraw From 2026 Qatar Open Doha

The first WTA 1000 event of the season will start on Sunday at the 2026 Qatar Open in Doha. That tournament and the following week’s 2026 Dubai Championships are important and give players a chance to accumulate a high number of ranking points. However, the Qatar Open’s proximity to the Australian Open means some withdrawals are inevitable. However, the number of top players who removed themselves from the entry list is even higher than usual.

Ten Players Withdraw From Qatar Open

Which Players Have Withdrawn?

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was among those to withdraw from the Qatar Open. The four-time Grand Slam champion is still recovering mentally and physically from losing a thrilling Australian Open women’s singles final to Elena Rybakina. That was her second consecutive tight final loss in Melbourne, falling to Madison Keys last year. Sabalenka needing some additional time off is entirely understandable.

Naomi Osaka was the second player to withdraw from the Qatar Open. Last year’s US Open semifinalist could not play her third-round match at the Australian Open because of an abdominal injury. That is a recurring issue for her, and it appearing again at a Grand Slam was unfortunate. She needs more time to recover from that problem before competing again.

Jessica Pegula was the first American player withdrawal from the Middle Eastern tournament. Her wait for a maiden Grand Slam title continues after she was also defeated by Rybakina in the Australian Open semifinals. Like Sabalenka, she does not have an injury issue, and wanted to unwind at home before returning to the grind of the WTA Tour.

Madison Keys was another American to withdraw from the Qatar Open. Last year’s champion fell to her close friend Pegula in the fourth round of the season’s opening Grand Slam. Her decision is unsurprising, since the 30-year-old’s only previous appearance in Doha was eight years ago.

Iva Jovic was the final American withdrawal. The teenager has had an incredible start to 2026, reaching the Hobart International final and the Australian Open quarterfinal. She does not have a confirmed injury and will likely return in Dubai.

Marketa Vondrousova, Lois Boisson, Marta Kostyuk, Veronika Kudermetova, and Eva Lys were the other women to withdraw.

Who replaced those players on the entry list?

Sabalenka’s place at the Qatar Open was taken by Emiliana Arango. The Colombian featured at this week’s Ostrava Open, but was defeated in the round of 16 by Tamara Korpatsch. Xinyu Wang replaced Osaka. When the Chinese player finds her game, she can compete well against the best players. That was evident in previous victories over Pegula, including at Wimbledon, and over French Open champion Coco Gauff.

Daria Kasatkina benefited from Pegula’s decision to withdraw from the tournament. In 2024, she almost qualified for the WTA Finals after reaching six finals in that season. Since then, her form and rankings have dipped, and she will try to find inspiration in Doha. Laura Siegemund, the 37-year-old who reached the Wimbledon quarterfinal last year, took Keys’s place on the entry list.

Alexandra Eala, Maria Sakkari, Katerina Siniakova, Marie Bouzkova, Cristina Bucsa, and 2021 French Open runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova are the other players who have been given an opportunity. Eala, who was born in the Philippines, always draws attention because of the incredible support she receives from compatriots around the world. Sakkari, despite a decline in recent years, remains a popular figure.