Coco Gauff has confirmed her participation at the WTA 1000 Dubai Open after the top two players, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, announced their withdrawals. The tournament begins on Sunday, February 15. Gauff is having a topsy-turvy 2026 season, with her on-court inconsistencies once again coming to the forefront.
The American played decent tennis at the United Cup during the Australian swing, leading Team USA to the semifinals, and then carried that positive momentum into the first few matches of the Australian Open. However, it all came crashing down against Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals, as the Ukrainian dispatched the 21-year-old, 6-1, 6-2, in 59 minutes.
Subsequently, Gauff played at the WTA 1000 Qatar Open, which began on February 8, to redeem her heartbreaking loss in Melbourne and earn valuable points to rise in the WTA rankings. Unfortunately for the two-time Major winner, she lost 6-4, 6-2 to Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the opening round.
After the Qatar Open shocker, many wondered whether Gauff would withdraw from the Dubai Tennis Championships. But the American star has decided to play, with the event featuring all the top names in women’s tennis except Sabalenka and Swiatek.
Sharing an image of a well-lit Burj Khalifa on her Instagram story, Gauff wrote:
“Let me be the Lucy to your David. Iykyk.”
Coco Gauff Was Not Too Upset With her Qatar Open Loss
After losing to Cocciaretto in the opening round of the Qatar Open, Gauff addressed the media. Doha hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the World No. 5, as she suffered early exits in 2024 and 2025 as well.
“I mean, I was really confident to start the year off, so I don’t really know if it’s that. Today, I felt good and confident going into the match. I don’t know, I mean, obviously my last match in Australia wasn’t good, and then today wasn’t good either. I don’t know,” Gauff said.
“I think I am just going to try to learn from it, and hopefully do better in Dubai. I’m also not too upset, because I didn’t do well here last year. I feel like it’s also something that I have to find how to compete better in this part of the swing,” she added.
After the final event of the Middle-East swing in Dubai, all the top seeds will compete at the highly coveted Indian Wells Open (WTA 1000), which starts on March 4.
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