PREVIEW NOTES: DUBAI DUTY FREE CHAMPIONSHIPS DUBAI, UAE | FEBRUARY 17 – 23, 2019 | USD $2,623,485 PREMIER 5 EVENT

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DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS – QUICK FACTS

Main draw dates: Sunday - Saturday, February 17–23, 2019 Singles Final: Saturday, February 23, NB 7:00pm Doubles Final: Saturday, February 23, 5:00pm Venue: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium Status: Premier event Staging: Tournament’s 19th year (as WTA event) Draw sizes: 56 singles / 28 doubles teams / 32 singles qualifying Surface: Decoturf II Hardcourt / Outdoors Tennis Ball: Wilson US Open Regular Duty 2018 Singles Final: [1] (UKR) d. Daria Kasatkina (RUS) 6-4 6-0 2018 Doubles Final: Chan Hao-Ching/Yang Zhaoxuan (TPE/CHN) d. [4] Hsieh Su-Wei/ (TPE/CHN) 4-6 6-2 10-6

RANK RANK SINGLES USD $ DOUBLES USD $ POINTS POINTS Winner 520,615 900 Winner 148,845 900 Runner-Up 260,310 585 Runner-Up 75,310 585 Semifinalist 130,030 350 Semifinalist 37,275 350 Quarterfinalist 59,960 190 Quarterfinalist 18,765 190 Round of 16 29,695 105 Round of 16 9,510 105 Round of 32 15,240 60 Round of 28 4,695 1 Round of 56 7,835 1

MAIN DRAW QUICK-HITS

Singles wildcards: Fatma Al Nabhani (OMA), (CAN), Sara Errani (ITA), (AUS) Youngest singles player: , 18 years old (May 15, 2000) Oldest singles player: Samantha Stosur, 34 years old (March 30, 1984) Singles withdrawals: (left hip), , (right wrist), (leg), (hand), (right hip) Main draw debutantes: Eugenie Bouchard (CAN), (USA), Mihaela Buzarnescu (ROU), Magdalena Frech (POL), Lucie Hradecka (CZE), Dalila Jakupovic (SLO), Ivana Jorovic (SRB), (USA), Viktoria Kuzmova (SVK), (BLR), Bernada Pera (USA), (BLR), Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS), Donna Vekic (CRO), Dayana Yastremska (UKR)

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PREVIEW NOTES: DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS DUBAI, UAE | FEBRUARY 17 – 23, 2019 | USD $2,623,485 PREMIER 5 EVENT

TOURNAMENT TALKING POINTS

 Nine of Top 10 are competing in this year’s main draw, including the winner of the last two majors, , who after a first-round bye will face either or Fatma Al-Nabhani  Osaka will be playing her first tournament since lifting the title and also since her split from coach :

 In addition to the winner of the past two titles here, Elina Svitolina, four other former champions are in the draw: (2011), Petra Kvitova (2013), (2015) and Sara Errani (2016)  Wozniacki, the No.9 seed, faces wildcard Samantha Stosur in the first round, bidding for her 23rd win at the tournament. Fellow former No.1 Jelena Jankovic is the only other player to have passed the 20-win mark in Dubai  All eight players to have won a WTA singles title this year are competing at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium this week: Karolina Pliskova (Brisbane), (Shenzhen), Julia Goerges (Auckland), Petra Kvitova (Sydney), Sofia Kenin (Hobart), Osaka (Australian Open), (St. Petersburg) and Dayana Yastremska (Hua Hin)  One To Watch – Yastremska, 18, is the only teenager in the Top 50 and after beating Ajla Tomljanovic to lift the title at Hua Hin – the second of her career – is perched at a career-best ranking of No.34. Since losing in the first round at Beijing last September, the Ukrainian has compiled a 20-4 record. Two of these wins came over multiple major champion Garbiñe Muguruza, whom she has been drawn to face in the first round here.

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PREVIEW NOTES: DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS DUBAI, UAE | FEBRUARY 17 – 23, 2019 | USD $2,623,485 PREMIER 5 EVENT

TOP 4 SEEDS’ TOURNAMENT HISTORY*

PLAYER TOURNAMENT HISTORY WIN-LOSS WIN % [1] Naomi Osaka (JPN) QF (1): 2018 (l. Svitolina) 3-2 .600 2r (1): 2017 (l. McHale) [2] Petra Kvitova (CZE) WON (1): 2013 (d. Errani in F) 6-5 .545 3r (1): 2015 (l. Suárez Navarro) 2r (2): 2014 (l. Suárez Navarro), 2016 (l. Brengle) 1r (2): 2009 (l. Schruff), 2011 (l. Morita) [3] Simona Halep (ROU) WON (1): 2015 (d. Ka.Pliskova in F) 6-3 .667 2r (2): 2012 (l. Wozniacki), 2016 (l. Ivanovic) 1r (1): 2014 (l. Cornet) [4] Karolina Pliskova (CZE) R-Up (1): 2015 (l. Halep) 6-5 .545 QF (1): 2018 (l. Kerber) 2r (1): 2017 (l. Mladenovic) 1r (2): 2014 (l. Flipkens), 2016 (l. Vandeweghe) *Main draw matches only

PREVIOUS CHAMPIONS & RUNNERS-UP

YEAR CHAMPION RUNNER-UP SCORE 2001 [1] HINGIS, MARTINA (SUI) [3] TAUZIAT, NATHALIE (FRA) 6-4 6-4 2002 [3] MAURESMO, AMÉLIE (FRA) [4] TESTUD, SANDRINE (FRA) 6-4 7-6(3) 2003 [1] HENIN, JUSTINE (BEL) [4] SELES, MONICA (USA) 4-6 7-6(4) 7-5 2004 [1] HENIN, JUSTINE (BEL) KUZNETSOVA, SVETLANA (RUS) 7-6(3) 6-3 2005 [1] DAVENPORT, LINDSAY (USA) JANKOVIC, JELENA (SRB) 6-4 3-6 6-4 2006 [4] HENIN, JUSTINE (BEL) [3] SHARAPOVA, MARIA (RUS) 7-5 6-2 2007 [1] HENIN, JUSTINE (BEL) [2] MAURESMO, AMÉLIE (FRA) 6-4 7-5 2008 [8] DEMENTIEVA, ELENA (RUS) [2] KUZNETSOVA, SVETLANA (RUS) 4-6 6-3 6-2 2009 [6] WILLIAMS, VENUS (USA) RAZZANO, VIRGINIE (FRA) 6-4 6-2 2010 [3] WILLIAMS, VENUS (USA) [4] AZARENKA, VICTORIA (BLR) 6-3 7-5 2011 [1] WOZNIACKI, CAROLINE (DEN) [16] KUZNETSOVA, SVETLANA (RUS) 6-1 6-3 2012 [5] RADWANSKA, AGNIESZKA (POL) GOERGES, JULIA (GER) 7-5 6-4 2013 [6] KVITOVA, PETRA (CZE) [5] ERRANI, SARA (ITA) 6-2 1-6 6-1 2014 WILLIAMS, VENUS (USA) CORNET, ALIZÉ (FRA) 6-3 6-0 2015 [1] HALEP, SIMONA (ROU) [17] PLISKOVA, KAROLINA (CZE) 6-4 7-6(4) 2016 ERRANI, SARA (ITA) STRYCOVA, BARBORA (CZE) 6-0 6-2 2017 [7] ELINA SVITOLINA (UKR) [10] CAROLINE WOZNIACKI (DEN) 6-4 6-2 2018 [1] ELINA SVITOLINA (UKR) DARIA KASATKINA (RUS) 6-4 6-0 If highlighted reflects Premier 5 level event Bolded players denotes competing in 2019 Dubai main draw

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PREVIEW NOTES: DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS DUBAI, UAE | FEBRUARY 17 – 23, 2019 | USD $2,623,485 PREMIER 5 EVENT

COUNTRY BREAKDOWN

A total of 15 countries are represented in the main draw, led by the Czech Republic with five players:

Australia (1) Samantha Stosur Belarus (3) Vera Lapko, Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Vera Lapko Belgium (1) Canada (1) Eugenie Bouchard China (3) , Zheng Saisai, Zhu Lin Chinese Taipei (1) Hsieh Su-Wei Croatia (2) Donna Vekic, Petra Martic Czech Republic (5) Lucie Hradecka, Karolina Pliskova, Petra Kvitova, Katerina Siniakova, Barbora Strycova Denmark (1) Caroline Wozniacki Estonia (1) France (2) Alizé Cornet, , Kristina Mladenovic Germany (2) Julia Goerges, Hungary (1) Timea Babos Italy (1) Sara Errani Japan (1) Naomi Osaka Kazakhstan (2) Yulia Putintseva, Zarina Diyas Latvia (2) Jelena Ostapenko, Anastasija Sevastova Netherlands (1) Kiki Bertens Oman (1) Fatma Al Nabhani Poland (1) Magdalena Frech Romania (2) Mihaela Buzarnescu, Simona Halep Russia (3) Daria Kasatkina, , Serbia (1) Ivana Jorovic Slovakia (2) Dominika Cibulkova, Viktoria Kuzmova Slovenia (1) Dalila Jakupovic Spain (3) Lara Arruabarrena, Garbiñe Muguruza, Carla Suárez Navarro Switzerland (1) Tunisia (1) Ukraine (3) Elina Svitolina, , Dayana Yastremska USA (4) Jennifer Brady, Sofia Kenin, Bernada Pera,

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