The 2026 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open has handed out two main-draw wild cards, awarding spots to Turkey’s Zeynep Sönmez and Indonesia’s Janice Tjen.
Sönmez and Tjen join Alexandra Eala and Sahaja Yamalapalli, who have also been awarded wild cards for the 2026 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.
With all four wild-card spots now accounted for, the final singles field should firm up quickly once the last entries and any late withdrawals are processed ahead of the draw release.
It’s a smart move for a post-Australian Open WTA 500. Sönmez is coming off a strong qualifying run in Melbourne, while Tjen has produced some good results, as evidenced by her No. 59 ranking.
Eala is the hot topic these days after her spectacular rise into the WTA Top 50, while Yamalapalli is ranked outside the Top 300.
The WTA’s Abu Dhabi player list can still change before the bracket is finalized, but these two names are now locked into the singles main draw as wild cards.
When will the draw be posted?
The WTA notes that final tournament draws are typically confirmed about three days before play begins, so the Abu Dhabi bracket should appear around Thursday, January 29 (local timing may vary).
We’ll have a full breakdown of this WTA 500 event as soon as the draw is revealed.
For Further Reading
- Janice Tjen Is Top 40. Now Let’s See If She Stays There
- WTA Tour Spotlight: Who is Oleksandra Oliynykova?
- Victoria Mboko Player Spotlight 2026 | Doha Outlook and Betting Value
- Why Coco Gauff Loses Big Matches
- WTA Player Spotlight: Why Emma Raducanu Keeps Losing!
Phil Naessens is a tennis betting analyst and former tennis coach with decades of experience in player development and match analysis. He is the founder of Crush Rush News and host of the Crush & Rush Tennis Podcast, focusing on price-first betting strategy, market efficiency, and transparency in sports wagering.
