DUBAI: With only days to go until the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships get under way, a throng of the elite 64-player field — including last month’s Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and World No.1 Iga Swiatek — are already arriving in the emirate ahead of Saturday’s main draw when they will discover their pathways to the $2.9 million prize purse.

Dubai’s annual WTA 1000 event is set to take place from Feb. 19-25, with the draw scheduled for 1pm on Feb. 18 at the Majlis inside Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium. The official entry list includes nine of the world’s top 10 women and five Grand Slam winners in Sabalenka, Swiatek, two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka, last year’s Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, and 2018 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko, who won in Dubai last year.

The draw will be conducted in the presence of Colm McLoughlin, executive vice chairman and chief executive officer at Dubai Duty Free; Ramesh Cidambi, chief operating officer at Dubai Duty Free; and Salah Tahlak, tournament director of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

With Sabalenka, Kaia Kanepi, Jil Teichmann, and Anhelina Kalinina among a host of players already in the emirate for pre-tournament practice and the likes of Belinda Bencic and Madison Keys arriving soon, McLoughlin said this year’s WTA line-up is the best he can remember, evidence of the event’s well-established stature on the WTA Tour.

“When we started our women’s tournament 23 years ago, we aimed to attract as many of the world’s top 10 players as possible,” he said. “As our tournament has grown, so too have our expectations and ambitions. Now, as we prepare for the draw, it makes me very happy to look at the entry list and see we have 17 of the world’s top 20.

“Speak to any of the players competing this year and they will tell you that Dubai is now considered one of the best tournaments on the WTA Tour. I am sure the next week of action both on-court and off-court will only strengthen that reputation.”