It’s the final countdown for Qatar Total Open 2018

Doha: With less than five days to go for the Qatar Total Open 2018, the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex, the venue of the seven-day event, is wearing a stunning new look, with attractive branding reflecting the mood of the tournament.

The 16th edition of the annual WTA Premier 5 category tournament, to be held from February 12 to 18, 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 and new world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, second-ranked Simona Halep of Romania, 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. 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 arriving from Thursday with Muguruza being the first expected. Maria Sharapova of Russia, a two-time champion and a strong contender for the Diamond Ball trophy is also expected early.

“The expectations for this year’s tournament are quite high considering the calibre 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.