The 2021
Abu Dhabi Women's Tennis Open was a women's
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
tournament played on outdoor
hard courts
A hardcourt (or hard court) is a surface or floor on which a sport is played, most usually in reference to tennis courts. It is typically made of rigid materials such as asphalt or concrete, and covered with acrylic resins to seal the surface and ...
. It was the inaugural professional edition of the
event
Event may refer to:
Gatherings of people
* Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion
* Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest
* Event management, the organization of eve ...
and a
WTA 500 WTA may refer to:
Organizations
*Washington Trails Association
*Whatcom Transportation Authority
*Waskahegan Trail Association, the management board for the Waskahegan Trail
*Water Transit Authority, former name of the San Francisco Bay Area Water ...
tournament on the
2021 WTA Tour
The 2021 WTA Tour was the elite professional tennis circuit organised by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for the 2021 tennis season. The 2021 WTA Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments (supervised by the International Tennis Fe ...
. It took place at the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre in
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area.
...
, from 6 to 13 January 2021.
Finals
Singles
*
Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Siarhiejeŭna Sabalenka ( be, Арына Сяргееўна Сабаленка; russian: Арина Сергеевна Соболенко, ''Arina Sergeyevna Sobolenko'', born 5 May 1998) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. She ha ...
def.
Veronika Kudermetova
Veronika Eduardovna Kudermetova; ; tt-Cyrl, Вероника Эдуард кызы Кадыйрмәтова, translit=Veronika Edward qızı Qadıyrmätova. (born 24 April 1997) is a Russian professional tennis player.
She has a career-high si ...
, 6–2, 6–2
Doubles
*
Shuko Aoyama
is a Japanese tennis player.
Aoyama became a professional tennis player after graduating from Waseda University. She reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 182, on 9 February 2015, and a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 4, ...
/
Ena Shibahara
is an American-born Japanese professional tennis player who specializes in doubles.
She won her first Grand Slam title at the 2022 French Open alongside Wesley Koolhof in mixed doubles, and also reached the women's doubles semifinals at the 20 ...
def.
Hayley Carter
Hayley Carter (born May 17, 1995) is an inactive American tennis player. She has a career-high WTA rankings, WTA doubles ranking of No. 25, which she achieved on 14 June 2021. Carter is primarily a doubles player. She has won two WTA Tour and tw ...
/
Luisa Stefani
Luisa Veras Stefani (born 9 August 1997) is a Brazilian professional tennis player. She is the first Brazilian woman to crack the WTA top 10. She made the milestone on 1 November 2021 when she rose two places to world No. 9 in doubles. On 20 M ...
, 7–6
(7–5), 6–4
Points and prize money
Point distribution
Prize money
*per team
Singles main-draw entrants
Seeds
*
1 Rankings are as of December 21, 2020
Other entrants
The following players received entry using a protected ranking into the singles main draw:
*
Yaroslava Shvedova
Yaroslava Vyacheslavovna Shvedova (; born 12 September 1987) is a Kazakhstani former professional tennis player. Before 2008, she represented her country of birth, Russia.
She won one singles title and 13 doubles titles on the WTA Tour, plus o ...
*
Zhu Lin
The following player received entry as an alternate:
*
Ulrikke Eikeri
Ulrikke Pia Eikeri (born 16 December 1992) is a Norwegian tennis player.
Eikeri has won one doubles title on the WTA Tour, one doubles title on WTA Challenger Tour and 11 singles titles and 30 doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. She reached the ...
The following players received entry from the qualifying draw:
*
Kateryna Bondarenko
Kateryna Volodymyrivna Volodko (née Bondarenko; uk, Катерина Володимирівна Бондаренко; born 8 August 1986) is a tennis player from Ukraine. She was the doubles champion in 2008 at the Australian Open, partnering ...
*
Anna Bondár
Anna Bondár (born 27 May 1997) is a Hungarian tennis player. She has career-high WTA rankings of No. 50 in singles, achieved on 18 July 2022, and world No. 47 in doubles, achieved on 24 October 2022. She is the current No. 1 Hungarian WTA player ...
*
Anastasia Gasanova
Anastasia Dmitriyevna Gasanova ( rus, Анастасия Дмитриевна Гасанова, , ɐnəstɐˈsʲijə ɡɐˈsanəvə; born 15 May 1999) is a Russian tennis player.
Gasanova has a career-high singles ranking by the WTA of 121, achi ...
*
Amandine Hesse
Amandine Hesse (; born 16 January 1993) is a French professional tennis player.
Hesse has won six singles and eight doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. On 9 May 2016, she reached her career-high WTA singles ranking of world No. 154. On ...
*
Lucie Hradecká
Lucie Hradecká (; born 21 May 1985) is a Czech former professional tennis player. A three-time Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam doubles champion and 26-time WTA Tour doubles titlist, she reached her career-high doubles ranking of world No. 4 in ...
*
Lucrezia Stefanini
Lucrezia Stefanini (born 15 May 1998) is an Italian tennis player.
She has career-high WTA rankings by No. 140 in singles and No. 393 in doubles.
Career 2021: WTA debut
Stefanini made her WTA Tour debut at the Abu Dhabi Open, qualifying for t ...
*
Bianca Turati
Bianca Turati (born 17 June 1997) is a former Italian tennis player.
Turati has a career-high singles ranking by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) of 259, achieved on 12 April 2021. In September 2021, she reached her best doubles ranking of 4 ...
*
Yang Zhaoxuan
Yang Zhaoxuan (; ; born 11 February 1995) is a Chinese professional tennis player.
Yang reached her best doubles ranking of world No. 11 in the WTA rankings, WTA doubles rankings on 24 October 2022.
Yang has won six doubles titles on the WTA To ...
The following players received entry as lucky losers:
*
Jodie Burrage
Jodie Anna Burrage (born 28 May 1999) is a British tennis player. She has a career-high WTA singles ranking of 136, achieved on 3 October 2022, and a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 329, set on 12 July 2021. She has won four singles an ...
*
Valentini Grammatikopoulou
Valentini Grammatikopoulou ( el, Βαλεντίνη Γραμματικοπούλου; born 9 February 1997) is a Greek tennis player. On 22 August 2022, she reached her best singles ranking of world No. 143. On 28 February 2022, she peaked at No ...
*
Despina Papamichail
Despina Papamichail ( el, Δέσποινα Παπαμιχαήλ; born in Preveza, 9 February 1993) is a Greek professional tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 147, reached on 20 June 2022. Her highest doubles rankin ...
Withdrawals
;Before the tournament
*
Amanda Anisimova
Amanda Anisimova ( ; , ; born August 31, 2001) is a Russian-American professional tennis player. She has a career-high WTA ranking of No. 21 in the world, and has been ranked in the top 100 since shortly after turning 17 years old. Anisimova has ...
→ replaced by
Ulrikke Eikeri
Ulrikke Pia Eikeri (born 16 December 1992) is a Norwegian tennis player.
Eikeri has won one doubles title on the WTA Tour, one doubles title on WTA Challenger Tour and 11 singles titles and 30 doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. She reached the ...
*
Belinda Bencic
Belinda Bencic ( sk, Belinda Benčičová, ; born 10 March 1997) is a Swiss professional tennis player. She has a career-high ranking of No. 4 by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) which she achieved in February 2020. Bencic has won six singl ...
→ replaced by
Vera Zvonareva
Vera Igorevna Zvonareva ( rus, Вера Игоревна Звонарёва, p=ˈvʲɛrə ˈiɡərʲɪvnə zvənɐˈrʲɵvə, a=Vera zvonareva.ogg; born 7 September 1984) is a Russian professional tennis player. She was introduced to tennis at ...
*
Sorana Cîrstea
Sorana Mihaela Cîrstea (; born 7 April 1990) is a Romanian professional tennis player. In singles, she achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 21 on 12 August 2013. In doubles, her career-high ranking is No. 35, which she reached on 9 March ...
→ replaced by
Despina Papamichail
Despina Papamichail ( el, Δέσποινα Παπαμιχαήλ; born in Preveza, 9 February 1993) is a Greek professional tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 147, reached on 20 June 2022. Her highest doubles rankin ...
*
Danielle Collins
Danielle Rose Collins (born December 13, 1993) is an American professional tennis player. She has reached career-high WTA rankings of No. 7 in singles and world No. 86 in doubles. Collins has won two WTA Tour singles titles, at the 2021 Palerm ...
→ replaced by
Tamara Zidanšek
Tamara Zidanšek (; born 26 December 1997) is a Slovenian tennis player.
She has career-high WTA rankings of No. 22 in singles and No. 54 in doubles, and is the current number-one Slovene tennis player in singles. She has won one singles title an ...
*
Fiona Ferro
Fiona Ferro (born 12 March 1997) is a French professional tennis player born in Belgium.
Ferro has won two singles titles on the WTA Tour and four singles titles on the ITF Circuit. She has career-high WTA rankings of No. 39 in singles, attaine ...
→ replaced by
Jodie Burrage
Jodie Anna Burrage (born 28 May 1999) is a British tennis player. She has a career-high WTA singles ranking of 136, achieved on 3 October 2022, and a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 329, set on 12 July 2021. She has won four singles an ...
*
Caroline Garcia
Caroline Garcia (, born 16 October 1993) is a French professional tennis player. She has been ranked in the top 5 in both singles at world No. 4 and in doubles at world No. 2. Garcia is the 2022 WTA Finals singles champion.
She is also a two-ti ...
→ replaced by
Jasmine Paolini
Jasmine Paolini (; born 4 January 1996) is an Italian tennis player. She reached career-high WTA rankings of No. 44 in singles and 122 in doubles. Paolini has won one singles title (at the 2021 Slovenian Open) and one doubles title on the WTA To ...
*
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova (born 27 June 1985) is a Russian inactive professional tennis player. She is a two-time major singles champion, winning the 2004 US Open and 2009 French Open, and finishing runner-up at two other majors. I ...
→ replaced by
Wang Xiyu
Wang Xiyu (; ; born 28 March 2001) is a Chinese tennis player. On 7 November 2022, she reached her career-high singles ranking of world No. 50. On 27 May 2019, she peaked at No. 240 in the WTA doubles rankings.
Junior career Junior Grand Slam ...
*
Elise Mertens
Elise Mertens (; born 17 November 1995) is a Belgian professional tennis player. She is a former world No. 1 in doubles.
Mertens is a three-time Grand Slam champion in doubles, having won the 2019 US Open and 2021 Australian Open partnering Ar ...
→ replaced by
Valentini Grammatikopoulou
Valentini Grammatikopoulou ( el, Βαλεντίνη Γραμματικοπούλου; born 9 February 1997) is a Greek tennis player. On 22 August 2022, she reached her best singles ranking of world No. 143. On 28 February 2022, she peaked at No ...
*
Jeļena Ostapenko
Jeļena Ostapenko (born 8 June 1997), also known as Aļona Ostapenko, is a Latvian professional tennis player. She has career-high WTA rankings of world No. 5 in singles, achieved on 19 March 2018, and world No. 9 in doubles, reached on 22 Augus ...
→ replaced by
Marta Kostyuk
Marta Olehivna Kostyuk ( uk, Марта Олегівна Костюк; born 28 June 2002) is a Ukrainian tennis player. She has career-high rankings of 49 in singles, achieved on 14 February 2022, and world No. 39 in doubles, reached on 19 Septem ...
*
Kateřina Siniaková
Kateřina Siniaková (; ; born 10 May 1996) is a Czech professional tennis player who is the current world No. 1 in doubles.
She is a six-time Grand Slam champion in doubles, having won the 2018 and 2021 French Opens, 2018 and 2022 Wimbled ...
→ replaced by
Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Aliaksandra Aliaksandraŭna Sasnovich ( be, Аляксандра Аляксандраўна Сасновіч; born 22 March 1994) is a Belarusian tennis player. She has won eleven singles and seven doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. She has rea ...
*
Patricia Maria Țig
Patricia Maria Țig (born 27 July 1994) is a Romanian tennis player.
Țig has a career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 56, achieved on 26 October 2020. Her best doubles ranking of world No. 155, she achieved on 14 November 2016. Țig has won o ...
→ replaced by
Anastasia Potapova
Anastasia Sergeyevna Potapova (born 30 March 2001) is a Russian tennis player.
Potapova has a career-high ranking of No. 44 achieved on 17 October 2022 and a doubles ranking of No. 44 achieved on 3 October 2022. Potapova is a former junior No ...
*
Alison Van Uytvanck
Alison Van Uytvanck (; born 26 March 1994) is a Belgian professional tennis player.
Van Uytvanck has won five singles and two doubles WTA Tour titles and three Challenger Tour singles titles, as well as 12 singles and two doubles titles on th ...
→ replaced by
Jamie Loeb
Jamie Loeb (born March 8, 1995) is an American tennis player.
She has career-high WTA rankings of 132 in singles, achieved in February 2018, and 120 in doubles, achieved in July 2018. Loeb has won nine singles and nine doubles titles on the ITF ...
*
Zheng Saisai
Zheng Saisai or Zheng Sai-Sai (; born February 5, 1994) is a Chinese tennis player. She won one WTA singles title (at the Premier level 2019 Silicon Valley Classic), five WTA doubles titles, and reached the final of the 2019 French Open in doub ...
→ replaced by
Leylah Annie Fernandez
Leylah Annie Fernandez (born 6 September 2002) is a Canadian professional tennis player. She has a career-high ranking of No. 13 by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), achieved on 8 August 2022. Fernandez won her first WTA Tour title at the 20 ...
;During the tournament
*
Karolína Muchová
Karolína Muchová (; born 21 August 1996) is a Czech tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 19, achieved on 17 May 2021. Muchová has reached two finals on the WTA Tour, winning one title, the International-level Kore ...
Retirements
*
Kirsten Flipkens
Kirsten "Flipper" Flipkens (; born 10 January 1986) is a Belgian professional tennis player. She has a career-high ranking of No. 13 by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Flipkens has won one singles title on the WTA Tour, winning the 2012 T ...
Doubles main-draw entrants
Seeds
* Rankings are as of December 21, 2020
Other entrants
The following pairs received entry into the doubles main draw using a protected ranking:
*
Kateryna Bondarenko
Kateryna Volodymyrivna Volodko (née Bondarenko; uk, Катерина Володимирівна Бондаренко; born 8 August 1986) is a tennis player from Ukraine. She was the doubles champion in 2008 at the Australian Open, partnering ...
/
Nadiia Kichenok
Nadiia Viktorivna Kichenok ( uk, Надія Вікторівна Кіченок, born 20 July 1992) is a Ukrainian professional tennis player. On 6 January 2014, she reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 100. On 31 January 2022, she ...
*
Elena Rybakina
Elena Andreyevna Rybakina (born 17 June 1999) is a Kazakhstani professional tennis player. She is the reigning champion at Wimbledon and the first Kazakhstani player to win a title at a major. She is also the first to be ranked in the world's to ...
/
Yaroslava Shvedova
Yaroslava Vyacheslavovna Shvedova (; born 12 September 1987) is a Kazakhstani former professional tennis player. Before 2008, she represented her country of birth, Russia.
She won one singles title and 13 doubles titles on the WTA Tour, plus o ...
The following pairs received entry into the doubles main draw as alternates:
*
Jasmine Paolini
Jasmine Paolini (; born 4 January 1996) is an Italian tennis player. She reached career-high WTA rankings of No. 44 in singles and 122 in doubles. Paolini has won one singles title (at the 2021 Slovenian Open) and one doubles title on the WTA To ...
/
Martina Trevisan
Martina Trevisan (; born 3 November 1993) is an Italian professional tennis player. Trevisan is the current Italian No. 1, has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 24 by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), and in 2021 had a peak doubles r ...
*
Nadia Podoroska
Nadia Natacha Podoroska (; born 10 February 1997) is an Argentine professional tennis player. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Podoroska has won one doubles title on the WTA Tour, along with 14 singles titles and seven doubles titles on ...
/
Sara Sorribes Tormo
Sara Sorribes Tormo (; born 8 October 1996) is a Spanish professional tennis player. Sorribes Tormo has won one singles title and three doubles titles on the WTA Tour, as well as one doubles title on the WTA Challenger Tour. On the ITF Circuit, ...
Withdrawals
;Before the tournament
*
Elise Mertens
Elise Mertens (; born 17 November 1995) is a Belgian professional tennis player. She is a former world No. 1 in doubles.
Mertens is a three-time Grand Slam champion in doubles, having won the 2019 US Open and 2021 Australian Open partnering Ar ...
/
Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Siarhiejeŭna Sabalenka ( be, Арына Сяргееўна Сабаленка; russian: Арина Сергеевна Соболенко, ''Arina Sergeyevna Sobolenko'', born 5 May 1998) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. She ha ...
→ replaced by
Nadia Podoroska
Nadia Natacha Podoroska (; born 10 February 1997) is an Argentine professional tennis player. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Podoroska has won one doubles title on the WTA Tour, along with 14 singles titles and seven doubles titles on ...
/
Sara Sorribes Tormo
Sara Sorribes Tormo (; born 8 October 1996) is a Spanish professional tennis player. Sorribes Tormo has won one singles title and three doubles titles on the WTA Tour, as well as one doubles title on the WTA Challenger Tour. On the ITF Circuit, ...
*
Kirsten Flipkens
Kirsten "Flipper" Flipkens (; born 10 January 1986) is a Belgian professional tennis player. She has a career-high ranking of No. 13 by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Flipkens has won one singles title on the WTA Tour, winning the 2012 T ...
/
Kristina Mladenovic
Kristina "Kiki" Mladenovic (; sr, Кристина "Кики" Младеновић, Kristina "Kiki" Mladenović, ; born 14 May 1993) is a French professional tennis player and a former world No. 1 in doubles.
She is a nine-time Grand Slam ch ...
→ replaced by
Jasmine Paolini
Jasmine Paolini (; born 4 January 1996) is an Italian tennis player. She reached career-high WTA rankings of No. 44 in singles and 122 in doubles. Paolini has won one singles title (at the 2021 Slovenian Open) and one doubles title on the WTA To ...
/
Martina Trevisan
Martina Trevisan (; born 3 November 1993) is an Italian professional tennis player. Trevisan is the current Italian No. 1, has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 24 by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), and in 2021 had a peak doubles r ...
;During the tournament
*
Karolína Muchová
Karolína Muchová (; born 21 August 1996) is a Czech tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 19, achieved on 17 May 2021. Muchová has reached two finals on the WTA Tour, winning one title, the International-level Kore ...
/
Markéta Vondroušová
Markéta Šimková ( née Vondroušová; ; born 28 June 1999) is a Czech professional tennis player. She has a career-high ranking of world No. 14 by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Vondroušová finished runner-up at the 2019 French Open, ...
References
External links
ITF tournament draws
{{2021 WTA Tour
Abu Dhabi Women's Tennis Open
Abu Dhabi Open
2021 in Emirati tennis
Abu Dhabi Women's Tennis Open