Elena Rybakina is back in action this week as the Dubai Tennis Championships get started on the WTA Tour calendar.

She enters the tournament as the top seed, with Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek both pulling out ahead of the event.

Dubai follows on immediately from another WTA 1000 event in Qatar, which saw Karolina Muchova take home the title.

After her Australian Open win, Rybakina was knocked out in the quarter-finals by Victoria Mboko, who ended up losing to Muchova in the final.

Elena Rybakina faces tough Dubai path that may include Coco Gauff

Moving on from Doha, Rybakina faces a potentially very challenging path at the Dubai Tennis Championships in her pursuit of further WTA Tour success.

The top seed starts with a first-round bye, and will then face either Tatjana Maria or Kimberly Birrell in the second round.

She could then be up against British number one Emma Raducanu or Elisabetta Cocciaretto, who recently knocked Coco Gauff out in Doha.

Muchova is another possible third-round opponent for Rybakina in Dubai.

In the quarter-finals, she could run into Belinda Bencic, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Paula Badosa or Elina Svitolina.

Coco Gauff or Jasmine Paolini are both potential semi-final matchups. If Rybakina makes it all the way to the final, she might have to get through Jessica Pegula, Amanda Anisimova, Ekaterina Alexandrova or Mirra Andreeva to lift the title in Dubai.

Elena Rybakina faces growing expectations at Dubai Tennis Championships

While Sabalenka has chosen to rest since their final in Melbourne, Rybakina has stayed active.

After winning the Brisbane title and then losing in Melbourne, she opted for rest and recovery instead of immediately playing more tennis, and has been off the court since the hard-court Grand Slam.

Her decision to skip Dubai alongside Swiatek is not ideal for the WTA Tour, though the field still features plenty of talent despite their absences.

There is pressure on Rybakina to perform as top seed. Fresh off her win in Melbourne, she will be expected to lead the way in Dubai.

Gauff is also under scrutiny. She followed up her quarter-final exit in Australia with an early loss in Doha and will be looking to rebound quickly, which could spell trouble for Rybakina if they meet later in the tournament.

The draw still includes rising talents like Mboko, Iva Jovic and Alexandra Eala. But organisers have taken another hit with Qinwen Zheng joining the list of withdrawals.

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