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Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina have all learned their projected paths to the Dubai title as the four top-ranked players are set to compete in the same tournament for the first time since the Australian Open.
Since there haven't been any changes at the world No. 1 position since the start of the season, Swiatek enters Dubai as the top-seeded player and has a first-round bye. In her opening match at the tournament, Swiatek could potentially play 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, while she could take on Elina Svitolina in the Doha round-of-16, in what would be a rematch of the 2023 Wimbledon semifinal.
Swiatek's projected Doha quarterfinal opponent is 2024 Australian Open finalist Zheng Qinwen, while the top-seeded Pole and third-seeded Gauff are the projected semifinal in the top half of the draw. The projected Doha final sees Swiatek and No. 2 seed Sabalenka taking on each other for the title.
Sabalenka's Doha path
No. 2 seed Sabalenka also has a first-round bye, after which she will likely play against Donna Vekic. Then, Sabalenka could potentially face No. 13 seed Veronika Kudermetova before a projected quarterfinal against 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova.
The projected semifinal in the bottom half sees Sabalenka squaring off against No. 3 seed Rybakina. As mentioned above, the projected Doha final is Sabalenka versus Swiatek.
Gauff's possible road to the Doha title
After a first-round bye, third-seeded Gauff starts against the winner of the match between Elise Mertens and Lesia Tsurenko. Then it could get much tougher for Gauff, who is projected to take on No. 16 seed Caroline Garcia in the round-of-16 and fifth-seeded Ons Jabeur in the quarterfinal, respectively.
As mentioned earlier in the article, Gauff and Swiatek are projected to meet in the semifinal, while the American could possibly meet Sabalenka or Rybakina if she makes the final.
Rybakina's road to the Doha title
No. 4 seed Rybakina could face a very tricky matchup early on as the Kazakh will likely meet Victoria Azarenka in the second round, while her projected round-of-16 opponent is No. 14 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
In the projected quarterfinal, Rybakina takes on No. 8 seed Maria Sakkari before facing Sabalenka in the projected semifinal. If Rybakina makes the Doha final, she would likely face there either Swiatek or Gauff.
Interestingly, all four - Swiatek, Sabalenka, Gauff and Rybakina - will be aiming for their first Dubai win this year.