The heart of the Middle East swing takes the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz to Doha, for the WTA 1000 Qatar TotalEnergies Open.

This is the first WTA 1000 tournament of the season, and the best players in the world will be on hand for one of the most prestigious events on the WTA Tour calendar.

Below is everything you need to know ahead of the the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, from dates and players to ranking points and prize money.

When does the tournament start and end?

Qualifying action kicks off on Friday, Feb. 6, and singles and doubles first-round play will start on Sunday, Feb. 8. The one-week tournament will run through Saturday, Feb. 14. 

The doubles final will take place at 3:30 p.m. local time on Feb. 14, and the singles will follow that, at 6 p.m. local time.

The tournament is played on outdoor hard courts, at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha.

How big are the fields?

The Qatar TotalEnergies Open features a 56-player singles draw, including 44 direct entries, eight qualifiers and four wild cards. The top eight seeds will receive opening-round byes.

The doubles draw features 28 teams, and four teams will receive byes into the second round.

The draw will be revealed on Friday, Feb. 6 at 2 p.m. local time.

Who is playing?

The World No. 1 unfortunately won’t be in Doha. Australian Open runner-up Aryna Sabalenka opted to pull out of the event, as did Jessica Pegula, though the rest of the Top 10 in the PIF WTA Rankings will be there. It will be the first tournament for Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova since the Australian Open, won by Rybakina. 

There are a few other notable absences, including World No. 15 Madison Keys and Australian Open quarterfinalist Iva Jovic. Naomi Osaka, Marta Kostyuk and Eva Lys — all currently recovering from injuries — also won’t be in the field.

Zheng Qinwen and Paula Badosa are in the field as they continue their comebacks, as is Marketa Vondrousova, who withdrew from the Abu Dhabi Open with a shoulder injury.

Filipina sensation Alexandra Eala also moved into the main draw after Veronika Kudermetova pulled out with an injury.

What are the ranking points and prize money at stake?

There will be $4,088,211 on the line at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open.

Below is a breakdown of the prize money and ranking points at play in the singles draw.

Champion: $665,000 | 1,000 points
Runner-up: $385,001 | 650 points
Semifinalists: $197,000 | 390 points
Quarterfinalists: $98,500 | 215 points
Round of 16: $49,250 | 120 points
Round of 32: $26,000 | 65 points
Round of 56: $18,300 | 10 points

The doubles champions will earn $195,000, and the runners-up will take home $110,010. 

Who are the defending champions?

Anisimova won the biggest title of her career — up until that point — in Doha last year, dropping just one set in her six matches. Ranked 41st in the world and unseeded in the draw, Anisimova beat Badosa, Kostyuk and Ekaterina Alexandrova en route to the final, where she defeated Jelena Ostapenko for the trophy. The title spearheaded a breakthrough season for the American, one in which she reached two Grand Slam finals, won another WTA 1000 title in Beijing, qualified for the WTA Finals in Riyadh and cracked the Top 5.

Relive the moment: Anisimova wins first WTA 1000 title in Doha

Other past champions in this year’s draw include Swiatek — who won it three straight times from 2022-24 — Elise Mertens (2019) and Karolina Pliskova (2017).

41-year-old Vera Zvonareva, who is in the main doubles draw and is a qualifying alternate in singles, won this title back in 2011.

The reigning doubles champions are Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini. They defeated Xinyu Jiang and Fang-Hsien Wu in the final.