The 2016 Qatar Open marks the start of a period on the tennis calendar when the tournaments available to top players are more lucrative, and more rankings points are at stake. We’ll see some big names like Victoria Azarenka, Venus Williams, Johanna Konta as well as a handful of others ranked in the Top 25. One of the stars of the show was supposed to be Maria Sharapova but she’s had to withdraw due to injury. It’s a tournament which will lead into the month of March and give a lot of players in the middle levels of the top 50 the chance to make a real move into the top 20 or maybe even top 15.
The competition in the 54-player main draw begins on Sunday, February 21.
Event Details
Event: Qatar Total Open
Category: WTA Premier 5 level
Date: February 21 – 27, 2016
Location: Khalifa International Tennis Complex – Doha, Qatar
The 2016 Qatar Open will mark the 14th year of the tournament, with its first appearance on the tour coming in the 2001 tennis season. There was no tournament in either 2009 or 2010.
With a prize money allotment of $2.517,250, there will be a lot of opportunities to bank some money for the year and gain a little more freedom in terms of being able to pick and choose future tournaments. Players that can get a six-figure paycheck might not have to play as many events down the line to make their investment worth it. Players that flame out early, however, will feel more of a need to have to play an extra tournament in the pursuit of both money and points – especially those lower on the overall food chain.
The points structure under the WTA system is that for the women, the championship at a Premier 5 event means 900 points. A runner-up finish is worth 585. A semifinal result is 350 points, and a quarterfinal appearance offers 190 points. Round-of-16 results will give 105 points, and a round-of-32 result means 60 points.
Former Champions and Results (5 Years)
Year Champion Runner-up Score
2015 – Lucie Safarova def. Victoria Azarenka – 6-4, 6-3
2014 – Simona Halep def. Angelique Kerber – 6-2, 6-3
2013 – Victoria Azarenka def. Serena Williams – 7-6 (6), 2-6, 6-3
2012 – Victoria Azarenka def. Samantha Stosur – 6-1, 6-2
2011 – Vera Zvonareva def. Caroline Wozniacki — 6-4, 6-4
Player Info:
Maria Sharapova was supposed to take part in this tournament, but she is out with a left forearm injury. Victoria Azarenka becomes the featured attraction – she is trying to move up the rankings and win some high-profile tournaments after a difficult 2015 season and a surprising loss to Angelique Kerber in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. Azarenka has shown better fitness and consistency this season, but her loss to Kerber still showed that she has room to improve, and that in big matches, she has not regained the form of the player she was in 2013, when she stood at or near the very top of the WTA rankings.
Johanna Konta, who lost to Keber in the Australian Open semifinals, is in this tournament. There was a lot of optimism surrounding her regarding her performance in the season’s first grand slam and we’ll see what she’s got in store for an encore. Remember, she came out of nowhere for the Aussie Open, so we’re not sure if this is a player that is emerging or more of a one-hit wonder. Venus Williams, who recently won a tournament in Taiwan, will be in Doha. She had an ugly performance Down Under as she lost in the opening round. The win in Taiwan was a much-needed display to show that she’s not done but the field will be far more challenging in Qatar than it was in Taiwan. Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka are other notable players who will round out the field and try to make a push for a win in Qatar. Neither are stars but both will be two of the tougher women in the draw.
Khalifa International Tennis Complex
The Khalifa International Tennis Complex hosted the year-end WTA Championships in 2008, 2009 and 2010. The event has since moved to Istanbul and now Singapore. Doha’s tournament rotates with Dubai for Premier and Premier 5 status each year. This is Doha’s turn.
