| Champ: |  Elina Svitolina |
| Runner: |  Daria Kasatkina |
| Score: | 6–4, 6–0 |
| Draw: | 28 |
| Seeds: | 8 |
See main article: 2018 Dubai Tennis Championships.
Defending champion Elina Svitolina defeated Daria Kasatkina in the final, 6–4, 6–0 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2018 Dubai Tennis Championships.
En route to the final, Kasatkina saved match points in two different matches: against Johanna Konta and Garbiñe Muguruza in her second-round and semifinal matches, respectively.
Since Caroline Wozniacki was defending finalist points from 2017 and chose not to participate this year, Simona Halep regained the WTA no. 1 singles ranking at the conclusion of the tournament.
The top four seeds received a bye into the second round.