DOHA (Qatar): The draw ceremony of the Qatar Total Open 2021, a WTA Tour event will be held virtually on February 27, Qatar Tennis Federation said.
The entry list for the $565,530 event includes world’s top two players Ashleigh Barty of Australia and Simona Halep of Romania and will feature eight of the World’s top-ten players which will be held from March 1 to 6 in Qatar’s capital Doha.
Others on the cards for the 19th edition of the annual tournament are defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, World No. 5 Elina Svitolina, Karolina Pliskova, Petra Kvitova, Bianca Andreescu and Kiki Bertens.
The list also includes three Grand Slam titles winner Angelique Kerber of Germany, Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain, USA’s Madison Keys, Poland’s Iga Swiatek and USA’s Jennifer Brady, among others.
In all, a total of 32 players, including four qualifiers, are expected to feature in the singles event while 16 teams will slug it out in the doubles.
Last year, Sabalenka out-served and out-hit former champion Petra Kvitova in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 to clinch her maiden title in Doha.
The WTA Tour event, held since 2001, has grown to become one of the signature events on the WTA Tour calendar and a most sought-after tournament in the region.
Since inception, only three players Anastasia Myskina (2003 and 2004), Maria Sharapova (2005 and 2008) and Victoria Azarenka (2012 and 2013) have been able to win the golden falcon trophy on more than one occasion.
