Get ready for heavy duty women’s tennis action as Qatar Total Open kicks off tomorrow
The Qatar Total Open, which pitches some of the world’s best tennis talents against one another, will kick off at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex tomorrow.
The action will be the best the country has seen in recent years, with eight of the world’s top-10 stars already having arrived in Doha for the competition, reported Gulf Times.
The fans in Qatar will get to watch some quality games, featuring top stars like World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki, who recently won the Australian Open, along with Romanian Simona Halep, Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, Spaniard Garbine Muguruza, Czech Karolina Pliskova, Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia, German Angelique Kerber and France’s Kristina Mladenovic, according to The Peninsula.
The tournament, which offers a total prize money of $2.6m, will also feature 32 players in the doubles category of the competition.
The top eight seeds, including Wozniacki and World No.2 Halep, have received first round byes. Eight others have been drawn to play qualifiers in their opening matches including former World No.1 and Russia’s double Doha champion (2005 & 2008) Maria Sharapova, reported Qatar Tribune.
Wozniacki is set to face Sharapova in the round of 16, if the latter wins her first two matches. Kerber, who has been in fine form as well having won in Sydney and reached the Australian Open semifinals, could face big-serving Sam Stosur or Irina-Camelia Begu in the second round with world no. 11 Johanna Konta or 2016 Doha champion Carla Suarez Navarro projected third-round opponent.
Meanwhile, defending champion Karolina Pliskova is seeded fifth, and as would likely face 2014 winner Simona Halep in the quarters.
Photo courtesy: Qatar Tribune
