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The 2023 Qatar Open starts on Monday, February 13, and a number of top players will be taking part in the competition. World No. 1 Iga Swiatek is the reigning champion and will be eager to defend her title, in the process also winning her first piece of silverware this season.
Jessica Pegula is another title favorite, given her form over the past few months. The likes of Caroline Garcia, Coco Gauff and Maria Sakkari are also among the top contenders.
With a week of exciting tennis action ahead of us, let's take a look at everything there is to know about the Qatar Open.
What is the Qatar Open?
The Qatar Open is an outdoor hard-court tournament that takes place in Doha. It is a WTA 500 event this year, unlike last year when it was under the WTA 1000 category.
The inaugural edition of the Qatar Open took place in 2001, with Martina Hingis beating Sandrine Testud in the final. It has since been held every year since, apart from 2009 and 2010.
The likes of Monica Seles, Maria Sharapova, and Victoria Azarenka are past winners of the tournament. Iga Swiatek won last year's Qatar Open by beating Anett Kontaveit 6-2, 6-0 in the final.
Venue
The WTA 500 tournament will be played at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, which has a seating capacity of 7000.
Schedule
The tournament begins on Monday, February 13, with the first-round matches, which will go on till Tuesday, February 14. The second round will take place on Wednesday, February 15 while the quarterfinals will take place on Thursday, February 16. The semifinals are scheduled for Friday, February 17 with the final set for Saturday, February 18.
Players
Reigning champion Iga Swiatek is the top seed and arguably the top favorite to win this year's Qatar Open. But the Pole won't have it easy, as there are some pretty good players in the main draw.
Those include Jessica Pegula, Caroline Garcia, Coco Gauff, and Maria Sakkari. Belinda Bencic is another player who will be a front-runner to win the title. The Swiss has been in pretty good form so far this season, and is expected to have a good run in Doha.
Daria Kasatkina and Veronika Kudermetova are among the seeded players too, and both of them will be eager to do well at the Qatar Open.
Prize Money
The total prize money for the women's singles tournament is $780,637, and the winner will earn $120,150.
Here is the breakdown of the prize money:
Where to Watch
Viewers in the US can watch the Qatar Open live on the Tennis Channel, while those in the UK can catch the action live on Amazon Prime Video.
