Overview
- World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka withdrew citing a right hip issue and No. 2 Iga Swiatek pulled out due to a change of schedule one day before the Dubai draw.
- Tournament director Salah Tahlak called fines ineffective and proposed docking ranking points for late pullouts, suggesting reductions of 500–1,000 points in one interview.
- Under current WTA rules, mandatory 1000 withdrawals can bring monetary fines and a zero-pointer, with up to three schedule-change exemptions carrying zero-pointers but no fines.
- Coco Gauff opposed point deductions, pointing to burnout and longer events, and floated creating an optional WTA1000 similar to the ATP’s Monte-Carlo.
- Further changes hit the field as Zheng Qinwen and Maria Sakkari withdrew due to illness and Karolina Muchova exited with fatigue, though 16 of the top 20 remain and Elena Rybakina is the top seed.