Svitolina starts the WTA 1000 with a match against Spain’s Badosa.

Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina (No. 9 in the WTA rankings) learned her first opponent at the WTA 1000 hard court tournament in Dubai , UAE.

In the second round of the competition, the Ukrainian, seeded seventh, will face Spaniard Paula Badosa (No. 70 WTA).

Badosa confidently defeated Czech Ekaterina Siniakova (WTA No. 42) in the first round in two sets – 6:3, 7:5. The match lasted 1 hour and 46 minutes.

Svitolina has faced Badosa twice before, winning both times. In 2025, the Ukrainian defeated the Spaniard in the quarterfinals of the Billie Jean King Cup between Ukraine and Spain, and in 2021, at the tournament in Eastbourne.