The Dubai Tennis Championships is one of the biggest titles up for grabs on the WTA Tour, but the 2026 edition of the event is making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
The event is attracting huge attention for the sheer volume of pre-tournament and mid-tournament withdrawals, alongside a handful of mid-match retirements — with the physical toll of the sport already taking its toll just two months into the season.
World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No 2 Iga Swiatek were among the players to withdraw before the women’s singles draw was made on Saturday, and they are far from the only players out of the event.
Tennis News
Qatar Open champion Karolina Muchova and beaten finalist Victoria Mboko also pulled out of the WTA 1000 tournament, with the turnaround between Doha and Dubai proving too quick for both women.
Here, we look at every single player who has been forced out of action in Dubai.
Withdrew from entry list
A staggering 11 different players withdrew from the entry list before the draw was made. Four of these players were expected to be among the 16 seeds:
Aryna Sabalenka – world No 1 (as of February 16, 2026)
Iga Swiatek – world No 2
Naomi Osaka – world No 16
Madison Keys – world No 17
A further seven players on the entry list, who would have been unseeded in the draw, also pulled out before the draw was made:
Lois Boisson – world No 35
McCartney Kessler – world No 31
Marta Kostyuk – world No 26
Veronika Kudermetova – world No 49
Eva Lys – world No 59
Karolina Pliskova – world No 267 (PR)
Marketa Vondrousova – world No 37
Withdrew after draw
Five players withdrew after the draw was made, but before their opening matches at the event:
Elisabetta Cocciaretto – world No 40, came through qualifying
Victoria Mboko – world No 10
Karolina Muchova – world No 11
Maria Sakkari – world No 34
Zheng Qinwen – world No 24
Withdrew mid-tournament
As of Tuesday, February 17, three women have now pulled out of the event mid-tournament:
Barbora Krejcikova – world No 53, Round 2 walkover awarded to Amanda Anisimova
Daria Kasatkina – world No 61, Round 2 walkover awarded to Mirra Andreeva
Sara Bejlek – world No 41, Round 2 walkover awarded to Belinda Bencic
Retired mid-tournament
As of Tuesday, February 17, four players had retired midway through matches at the event.
Jaqueline Cristian – world No 39, l. 6-0, 0-0 ret. vs Ella Seidel in Round 2
Hailey Baptiste – world No 45, l. 6-4, 0-1 ret. vs Alex Eala in Round 1
Paula Badosa – world No 70, l. 6-4, 0-0 ret. vs Elina Svitolina in Round
Tereza Valentova – world No 43, l. 0-6, 6-3, 5-0 vs Kimberly Birrell in Qualifying Round 1
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