(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Doha: With less than five days to go, the final countdown has begun for the Qatar Total Open 2018, the 16th edition of the annual WTA Premier 5 category tournament.
Already, the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex, the venue of the seven-day event which will be held from February 12-18 is wearing a new look with attractive branding reflecting the mood of the tournament.
This year's tournament carries a total cash prize of $2,666,000 with singles draw of 64 players and doubles of 32.
Tennis fans will have the wonderful opportunity of witnessing their favorite stars on parade with Australian Open champion, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark (World No.1), Simona Halep of Romania (No. 2), Elina Svitolina of Ukraine (3), Garbine Muguruza of Spain (4), defending champion Karolina Pliskova from Czech Republic (5), Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia (6), Angelique Kerber from Germany (9) and Julia Georges of Germany (10) headlining a strong field from the top-ten list besides many other world ranked players.
Ticket sales are on and more importantly, the best women's tennis players are warming up ahead of their big dash in Doha.
The stars are expected to be touching down from today with Muguruza being the first to arrive in the country. Next to arrive will be two-time champion and a strong contender for the Diamond Ball trophy, Maria Sharapova of Russia.
Other players are expected in the country before the commencement of the tournament on February 12.
'The expectations for this year's tournament are quite high considering the caliber of players on parade. We are delighted to play host to such a strong field. Tennis fans in the country are set for a week-long feast of great games which is something we are happy about. Ticket sales have been quite encouraging and we believe Qatar Total Open 2018 will be the best ever, says Tournament Director Saad Al Mohannadi.
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