For the fifth year in a row, we are guaranteed a new champion at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships. Of the four remaining semifinalists, Elena Rybakina is the only one who has previously contested a title match in this tournament (lost the 2020 final to Simona Halep).

The No. 2 seed pointed to the tight turnaround from the Australian Open as a factor in Middle East exits from top players like herself, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff.