DUBAI // The Emirati flag could be flying high at next year's Dubai Tennis Open championship as one of the country's most promising female stars sets her sights on making a debut on home soil.
At just 14, Fatima al Janahi has dominated the local circuit for more than two years and is the current GCC Under 14 champion. All UAE-based tennis tournaments must have two wild-card places open to Emiratis but al Janahi says she will decide at the end of the year if she will take on the world's best in Dubai.
And when she does, she will become the first Emirati female to compete at the top level of the sport.
However, the decision comes with conditions - she will only pursue her dream if she has played enough International Tennis Federation's (ITF) junior tournaments and is training consistently throughout the year. She is also hoping to have the country's support behind her.
"I don't want to compete just for the sake of competing," she says. "I want to feel ready and that will depend on how I play and train."
The plan looks like it is on track - she has just returned home after spending more than two months playing and training in Tunisia, Jordan and Egypt.
Once she completed her final school exams last month, she headed to Tunisia for a two-week training camp before competing in the U14 Arab Championships, which were being held in the same country.
Al Janahi won her first two preliminary matches but lost in the main draw 7-6, 7-6 to Tunisia's Yasmine Kharat.
She then headed to Jordan for three weeks where she lost in the final of the U14 Asian championships. It was in Jordan the teenager decided to make her ITF debut in the U18 category.
Although she didn't make it past the first round, Janahi felt she walked away pleased with her performance.
"It was a very good experience because there were so many older players, much older than me," she said
"I was the youngest in the tournament. This was a completely different experience, different from any Arab or Asian championships. I really felt like I could win the match, it was close.
"Right now, it is all about getting the experience against international players."
Her final tournament was in Egypt, the U18 Arab Championships, on clay.
"This one was difficult because here [in the Gulf] we play on hard court and the Egyptians have been playing on clay their whole life," she says.
"I think I played well but think all of this is really about getting the experience."
Al Janahi, who is the younger sister of Emirati Davis Cup team member, Hamad, says more local girls need to join her on tour because without them, the country is at a disadvantaged.
She also says she needs a female training partner or she'll have to keep training with the boys.
"This always happens, I'm the only one [girl] who travels," she said. "It's not fair because I know there are other girls in the country who play tennis but they don't travel.
"I go to these tournaments and every country has more than one girl and they're getting a lot of court time and playing games and I don't have the same advantage."
While this is a major setback for her on tour al Janahi refuses to let it affect her performance or deter her from pursing her professional dream.
Back home in Dubai, her success has been rewarded in the form of a sponsorship deal from the Dubai Sports Council (DSC).
In November last year DSC announced the 'Program for Talents' that awarded sponsorship to the city's 10 players who are No 1 in their individual sports. Al Janahi was the only female among the city's boys.
The program ensures schools support the young stars, giving them time off that is required to compete during the school year.
And when the school year begins, she'll be back to juggling her school work, training and tours. Thankfully, she says, she has the support of her teachers and is able to complete her school work on tour.
tchandab@thenational.ae
UAE rugby season
FIXTURES
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers v Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Division 1
Dubai Sharks v Dubai Hurricanes II
Al Ain Amblers v Dubai Knights Eagles II
Dubai Tigers II v Abu Dhabi Saracens
Jebel Ali Dragons II v Abu Dhabi Harlequins II
Sharjah Wanderers v Dubai Exiles II
LAST SEASON
West Asia Premiership
Winners – Bahrain
Runners-up – Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership
Winners – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners-up – Jebel Ali Dragons
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners – Dubai Hurricanes
Runners-up – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Conference
Winners – Dubai Tigers
Runners-up – Al Ain Amblers
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEdited%20by%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Idries%20Trevathan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20240%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hirmer%20Publishers%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
MATCH INFO
AC Milan v Inter, Sunday, 6pm (UAE), match live on BeIN Sports
MATCH INFO
England 2
Cahill (3'), Kane (39')
Nigeria 1
Iwobi (47')
RESULTS
1.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh 50,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner AF Almomayaz, Hugo Lebouc (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer)
2pm Handicap (TB) Dh 84,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner Karaginsky, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
2.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Sadeedd, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard.
3pm Conditions (TB) Dh 100,000 (D) 1,950m
Winner Blue Sovereign, Clement Lecoeuvre, Erwan Charpy.
3.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh 76,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4pm Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Bladesmith, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
4.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh 68,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner Shanaghai City, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
Despacito's dominance in numbers
Released: 2017
Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon
Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube
Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification
Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.
Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Fatherland
Kele Okereke
(BMG)
DMZ facts
- The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
- It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
- The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
- It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
- Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
- Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
- Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012.
- Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
UAE v Zimbabwe A, 50 over series
Fixtures
Thursday, Nov 9 - 9.30am, ICC Academy, Dubai
Saturday, Nov 11 – 9.30am, ICC Academy, Dubai
Monday, Nov 13 – 2pm, Dubai International Stadium
Thursday, Nov 16 – 2pm, ICC Academy, Dubai
Saturday, Nov 18 – 9.30am, ICC Academy, Dubai
