The world's leading female tennis players will compete at a freshly enhanced venue when the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships returns to the emirate next February.
The tournament has been confirmed for February 15-28 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, with tickets now on sale.
The line-up for the WTA 1000 event will include world No1 Aryna Sabalenka, six-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek and 21-year-old American prodigy Coco Gauff.
They will all try to wrestle the title away from reigning champion Mirra Andreeva, who will defend her crown at the newly renovated stadium in Al Garhoud.
Fans returning for the 26th staging of the women’s event will be able to watch matches at the brand new 2,000-seat Court 1, while plans are being implemented to increase the capacity of Centre Court by 50 per cent for the 2027 event.
Tickets for 2026 went on sale on Wednesday, October 8, with an early bird offer of 20 per cent discount for the first three days of the tournament, with the cheapest tickets priced at just Dh52 per day.
Ramesh Cidambi, managing director of Dubai Duty Free, said the redevelopment work will ensure the venue continues to host world-class events with bigger crowds and lead to more TV coverage.
“The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships has been one of Dubai’s flagship sporting events since the 1990s, welcoming the game’s best men and, later, women players,” Cidambi said.
“Throughout that time, we have constantly looked to grow, improve, and provide an even bigger and better event for the players, officials and spectators.
“We are excited to officially launch tickets for the 2026 edition and expect tennis fans to avail of the early bird offer for the first three days of the tournament, which will feature the world’s top women players.”
Tournament director Salah Tahlak, who is also the deputy managing director of Dubai Duty Free, added: “We saw the depth of women’s tennis this year in Dubai as Mirra Andreeva came through a field that included nine of the world’s top 10 women and 16 of the top 20 to become, at the age of 17, the youngest WTA 1000 champion in history.
“We are confident of having incredibly strong line-ups across both the women’s and men’s tournaments once again and anticipate another fortnight of fantastic tennis.”
Tickets for both the WTA tournament and subsequent ATP event are available for purchase at www.dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com and www.ticketmaster.ae.
Formula One top 10 drivers' standings after Japan
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 306
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 234
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 192
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 148
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 111
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 82
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 65
9. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso 48
10. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault 34
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
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- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
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MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
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