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.
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Russia's Mirra Andreeva celebrates winning Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships final against Denmark's Clara Tauson on Saturday, February 22, 2025. Reuters -
Russia's Mirra Andreeva, right, with the winner's trophy in Dubai after defeating Clara Tauson. Reuters -
Russia's Mirra Andreeva greets Denmark's Clara Tauson after winning the Dubai Tennis Championship final. Reuters -
Russia's Mirra Andreeva hits a return against Denmark's Clara Tauson. Reuters -
Clara Tauson of Denmark had impressed en route to the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships. EPA -
Mirra Andreeva dominated the final against Clara Tauson. Reuters
“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.
