Rybakina to compete at prestigious Abu Dhabi tournament

On Jan. 18, the 2026 Australian Open kicks off, in which Kazakhstani tennis player Elena Rybakina is considered one of the favorites. Meanwhile, the plans of the world’s top five athlete after the first Grand Slam tournament of the season were revealed.

Right after AO, Rybakina will head to Abu Dhabi, UAE, where she will participate in the 2026 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open tournament running from Jan. 31 to Feb. 7. The prize money will reach $1.2 million this year.

She already won the tournament in 2024 and reached the semifinals in 2025, where she was defeated by Swiss Belinda Bencic (World No. 10).

«I really enjoyed my time in Abu Dhabi last year. The city’s support for tennis is amazing, and reaching the semi-finals was a solid way to begin 2025. This year, I’m coming back with the goal of going all the way again. The competition will be fierce, but that’s what makes it exciting,» The National cited Rybakina as saying.

Other participants include Emma Navarro (15), Victoria Mboko (17), Qinwen Zheng (25), Paula Badosa (26), Markéta Vondroušová (34), Alexandra Eala (49) and Barbora Krejčíková (55).

On Jan. 9, Rybakina ended her run in the WTA 500 2026 Brisbane International after losing to Karolína Muchová (19).