WTA Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships rescheduled for March 8

Women's tournament will take place the week before the men's event

Romania's Simona Halep after beating Elena Rybakina in the final of the 2020 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship. AP

Simona Halep came though a tough battle against the in-form Elena Rybakina in a thrilling final to clinch the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. EPA

Romania's Simona Halep returns the ball to Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina. AFP

Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in action. EPA

Romania's Simona Halep returns the ball to Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina. AFP

Romania's Simona Halep returns the ball. AFP

Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina serves. AFP

Romania's Simona Halep returns the ball to Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina during the final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in the United Arab Emirates on February 22, 2020. / AFP / KARIM SAHIB

Elena Rybakina serves the ball to Simona Halep. AFP

Simona Halep during the final against Elena Rybakina. EPA

Elena Rybakina during the match against Simona Halep. EPA

The 2021 WTA Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships will begin on March 8, the week before the ATP tournament, after the governing body of women's tennis announced the new season's schedule up to the end of June.

Dubai was initially pencilled in for February 14-27, with the WTA tournament preceding the ATP event, although those dates were always subject to change once it was announced the Australian Open would be delayed until February 8. The first Grand Slam of the season is traditionally held during January.

The ATP last week confirmed new dates for Dubai and on Tuesday the WTA followed suit to announce that the women's tournament will take place the week prior.

The WTA is taking a different approach to the start of the new season in an effort to host tournaments amid the coronavirus pandemic. The action gets underway at the inaugural Abu Dhabi WTA Women's Tennis Open on Wednesday, before the players head to Melbourne for three weeks.

After three WTA events and the Australian Open, WTA 500 tournaments will be held in Doha and Lyon from March 1, before the WTA 1000 event in Dubai.

Other 1000 tournaments confirmed for the first part of the season are the Miami Open (March 22), the Madrid Open (April 26), and the Italian Open (May 10).

The French Open is scheduled to start on May 23 and Wimbledon will get underway on June 28.

Dubai has hosted a WTA tournament since 2001 and consistently boasts some of the most competitive line-ups of the season.

Simona Halep is the defending champion after the Romanian world No 2 defeated Elena Rybakina in a thrilling final last year.