Elena Rybakina is currently listed in Doha qualifying event but there is no doubt that she will receive a main draw wildcard if she decides to play at the tournament. Rybakina, who was ranked at No 25 at the start of the Australian Open, rose to a career-high ranking of No 10 following her runner-up finish at Melbourne Park.
Doha is a WTA 500 tournament but it is looking like a Grand Slam since pretty much all the top players signed up to play. Because of that, Rybakina was four places below the Doha main draw cut.
My God, Doha’s WTA 500 list is absolutely RIDICULOUS with just two top 20 players missing (Sakkari and Halep).
Rybakina, Krejcikova, Azarenka, Andreescu, Fernandez, Muguruza & more in… qualifying ð¤¯ð¤¯ pic.twitter.com/2Grvfabuiz — José Morgado (@josemorgado) January 28, 2023
The Doha organizers will hand out four wildcards and Rybakina will certainly be among the recipients if she decides to play just two weeks after her Australian Open runner-up finish.
Rybakina on breaking into the top-10
Had Rybakina been rewarded with ranking points for her Wimbledon triumph, she would have broken into the top-10 six months ago. When asked about finally breaking into the top-10, Rybakina insisted she was not into numbers too much.
“I don’t think tomorrow I’m going to feel different just because of the ranking now. But, I mean, for sure it’s going to be different on the smaller tournaments, I would say. I’m going to be seeded. Maybe in some tournaments I’m not going to play first round.
So of course there is some benefits out of this. But for sure I don’t really look for the numbers ranking so much,” Rybakina said after the Australian Open final. The Doha event is kicking off on February 13. Rybakina may decide to skip the Doha event and give herself a bit more time to rest following a strong Australian Open run.
Should Rybakina play in Doha, she would make her fourth consecutive appearance at the tournament. It remains to be seen if Rybakina will compete in Doha this year.
