As the women’s tennis season enters its closing stages, Tunisian Ons Jabeur has her heart set on securing a historic qualification berth at November’s WTA Finals.
The prestigious season finale that features the top eight players in the Porsche Race to the WTA Finals will be staged in Guadalajara, Mexico from November 10-17 before it returns to its original location in Shenzhen, China next year.
Jabeur has emerged as one of the most consistent players in 2021, amassing 40 match wins over the past nine months – the fourth-highest tally on tour – and reaching the quarter-finals or better at five events, including a title run in Birmingham, a runner-up showing in Charleston and a trip to the last eight at Wimbledon.
Ranked No 9 in the Race, Jabeur is the leader of the chasing pack looking to lock down a place in the WTA Finals. Three players have already qualified for the Guadalajara showpiece – Ashleigh Barty, Aryna Sabalenka and Barbora Krejcikova – and the competition will be as fierce as ever for the remaining five spots.
Just 1,000 points separate the players ranked 7-24 in the Race, with more than 2,500 points up for grabs from now until the start of the WTA Finals.
“It’s super exciting; you really don’t know who will qualify,” Jabeur told The National during a car ride from New York City to Chicago, where she is set to compete next week.
If she makes it, the 27-year-old would become the first Arab to appear in a season-ending Championships and it’s a goal she has been building towards for the past two years.
“It started from last year; I wanted to qualify for the WTA Elite Trophy [for players ranked 9-20]. But then they cancelled both [the Elite trophy and the WTA Finals] last year,” she explained.
“For me, this year I started with the hunger of winning matches to boost my own ranking; to be in the top 20, to be in the top 10. In the middle of the season I was looking at the Race and it was kind of fun; I like the competition. Especially after Wimbledon it started to get more real.”
The WTA Finals moved from Singapore to Shenzhen in 2019, with the Chinese city signing a record-breaking deal to host the event until 2030. In its first year, Shenzhen offered an unprecedented prize purse that handed champion Barty a $4.42m pay cheque – the largest sum earned by any tennis player at a single event.
The Finals were cancelled last year due to the pandemic and the tournament’s future for this season was uncertain until the tour announced last week it had found a temporary home for it in Guadalajara.
Conditions in the Mexican city can be challenging due to its high altitude (1,550m) and the choice of location took many people by surprise, including Jabeur. Still, the Tunisian is willing to do whatever it takes to make it to the event, and has chosen her schedule carefully, opting to play Chicago, Indian Wells and Moscow over the next few weeks.
“Honestly I cannot complain, if I qualified, I’d be happy to go and play,” she said. “I know the competition is very high right now, especially that some players are trying to play every week. So we’ll see in a few weeks who will take the ticket to go to Guadalajara.
“I am very close to qualifying. I know it’s the end of the season and so many players are tired but I worked really hard my whole life, and especially this year, I cannot give up right now and say I’m tired or whine about the conditions in Guadalajara.
“I’m very motivated and I’m choosing carefully which tournaments I should play to give 100 per cent. I don’t want to make the mistake of playing all the tournaments; that was the team’s decision. We chose the ones we need to qualify, that’s our main goal for the rest of the season.”
‘I see it as a fun game’
Jabeur went 11-4 at the majors this year, making the second week at Wimbledon and Roland Garros, and the third round in Melbourne and New York. Reflecting on her grand slam season, the world No 17 felt like she brought a “consistent” level throughout, and described her maiden Wimbledon quarter-final appearance as a “fairytale”. Her main goal for next season is to make her slam semi-final debut but she must first focus on this final stretch of 2021.
The frozen rankings last year meant that Jabeur did not officially finish the season inside the top 20 as she had originally intended to, despite posting great results and crossing several milestones. This season, she drew motivation from the Race, which reflects a player’s year-to-date ranking, without factoring in performances from the previous year.
With a host of players in the running for those last remaining spots in Guadalajara, will Jabeur keep close tabs on the weekly movements in the Race?
“I’m looking but I’m not that obsessed. I try not to focus much on the Race because you become obsessed and you forget about playing tennis. I try to focus on winning matches and getting a lot of points. I see it as a fun game,” she replied.
Fan favourite in New York
It’s been a long stint for Jabeur on the road, having spent the last two months in North America, and she still has three more weeks to go in the United States. Following her US Open third-round exit earlier this month, she stayed in New York to practice before driving to Chicago with her team on Tuesday.
“We’re actually good. I love staying here in the States. We’ve had good practices in the last two weeks, we saw some friends. It’s a big sacrifice for us [staying away from home] but I love being here. I got used to everything around here and I love playing tournaments here; plus I’m discovering that I have fans here, which I’m loving,” she added with a laugh.
“Sometimes in the street, sometimes even playing at the park, people recognise me, without even touching a racquet. Like, ‘I knew it was you, I love your game, fun game, keep doing the drop shot’. I like the reputation I have.”
Inspired by Emma and Leylah
New Yorkers have every reason to have caught the tennis bug after unheralded teenagers Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez lit up the US Open by making inspired runs to the final.
“It was very surprising,” said Jabeur. “I know Leylah more and I always said she’s an amazing player and I can see her winning grand slams, this is the first final she made and I’m sure she’s going to win one very soon.
“Emma, I don’t know her much,” she said of the 18-year-old Brit who became the first qualifier in history to win a grand slam. “It’s a surprise, she was playing really good and I don’t think there is anyone who has played like that in the second grand slam of her life.
“It’s unbelievable to see teens playing that way. They inspired me and I’m sure they inspired a lot of other athletes. Honestly it’s good to have them on tour, to have new players coming up and winning grand slams, it’s amazing to see that.”
Living in...
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.
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
Gulf Under 19s
Pools
A – Dubai College, Deira International School, Al Ain Amblers, Warriors
B – Dubai English Speaking College, Repton Royals, Jumeirah College, Gems World Academy
C – British School Al Khubairat, Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Yasmina Academy
D – Dubai Exiles, Jumeirah English Speaking School, English College, Bahrain Colts
Recent winners
2018 – Dubai College
2017 – British School Al Khubairat
2016 – Dubai English Speaking School
2015 – Al Ain Amblers
2014 – Dubai College
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
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APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
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• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
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What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
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More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
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Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
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- Westminster, London
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Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
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- paid-for parking will be rolled across Abu Dhabi island on August 18
- drivers will have three working weeks leeway before fines are issued
- areas that are currently free to park - around Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Maqta Bridge, Mussaffah Bridge and the Corniche - will now require a ticket
- villa residents will need a permit to park outside their home. One vehicle is Dh800 and a second is Dh1,200.
- The penalty for failing to pay for a ticket after 10 minutes will be Dh200
- Parking on a patch of sand will incur a fine of Dh300
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Profile of Hala Insurance
Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
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Player of the Year: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Club of the Year: Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Real Madrid
Coach of the Year: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta), Hans-Dieter Flick (Bayern Munich), Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Agent of the Century, 2001-2020: Giovanni Branchini, Jorge Mendes, Mino Raiola
Bournemouth 0
Manchester United 2
Smalling (28'), Lukaku (70')
MATCH INFO
Everton 2 Southampton 1
Everton: Walcott (15'), Richarlison (31' )
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Man of the match: Theo Walcott (Everton)
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
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
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Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
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