The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships main draw action kicks off on Sunday with 12 singles matches on the schedule, which will serve as a teaser for what’s to come this week at the Aviation Club.
There have been 10 withdrawals from the tournament so far, with No6 seed Johanna Konta being the latest high-profile pull-out due to injury, but there is still plenty to look forward to.
Here’s what you need to know before the madness begins…
The draw is very lopsided
A quick glance at the draw will reveal that the bottom half is significantly tougher than the top one. No1 seed Angelique Kerber has Elena Vesnina, Dominika Cibulkova and Elina Svitolina as the top-eight seeds in her half as well as dangerous floaters like Caroline Garcia, Naomi Osaka and Roberta Vinci but still the opposite side is absolutely jam-packed.
There’s a ‘quarter of death’ that includes Garbine Muguruza, former champions Agnieszka Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki, St. Petersburg runner-up Yulia Putintseva and Russian teen Daria Kasatkina, who beat Kerber a few days ago in Doha, and last month in Sydney.
Also in that half is No2 seed Karolina Pliskova and Australian Open semi-finalist Coco Vandeweghe. Minefields left, right and centre.
Will Kerber regroup and go top?
The German can still dethrone Serena Williams and reclaim the No1 ranking if she wins the title in Dubai. Her record however in the Emirates is not very promising. Kerber has won just one match in four main draw appearances here.
The 29-year-old has started 2017 with a mediocre 4-4 win-loss record, compared to 13-3 within the same period last season. The promising signs are that her defeats this season have come against quality players and she is in the softer side of the draw in Dubai.
Teen talent in full force
Centre court ticket holders today must look no further than the wonderful Naomi Osaka. The Japanese world No.56 is making her tournament debut and has a power game that is a joy to watch. Her quirky personality is also very endearing.
Fellow 19-year-old Kasatkina is also a must-watch and her opener against Wozniacki is a brutal first round for both. Expect fireworks. Also keep an eye on Ana Konjuh, a quarter-finalist at the US Open last year, and 17-year-old American Cici Bellis. World No34 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia is an exciting 19-year-old, who has enjoyed success in the Gulf in the past, having reached the final in Doha last year.
Naomi Osaka
Dubai field is stronger than last year
The reason the Dubai draw is bigger compared to 2016 and features five of the world’s top-10 is because it swaps the Premier 5 status with Doha each year and this season the Emirates has the higher status. More points and more money are on offer in Dubai, which means more is on the line.
There’s an Arab in the draw
Tunisian Ons Jabeur earned a place in the main draw by winning her two qualifying matches and will no doubt enjoy lots of support when she faces Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Court 1 on opening day.