Aryna Sabalenka suffered her first defeat of the season on Thursday after Barbora Krejcikova staged a remarkable comeback to book her place in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships semi-finals.
Sabalenka, on a 13-match winning run which took in her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, looked on course for another dominant victory when she swept into a one-set lead. But Krejcikova fought back from 1-3 down in the second set to level in a tiebreak before racing away with the decider for a superb 0-6, 7-6, 6-1 victory in four minutes shy of two hours.
It was a performance reminiscent of the form that guided the Czech to the French Open title in 2021 and up to a career-high No 2 in the world rankings just 12 months ago.
While injury setbacks have seen Krejcikova drop down the rankings to her current position of 30th, she has continued to dominate alongside compatriot Katerina Siniakova on the doubles circuit, and her run in Dubai suggests a return towards the top of the singles game is very much on the cards.
"I was just fighting," Krejcikova, 27, said. "There's not really much you can change because she plays well, she serves well, she hits really hard. I was just trying to get to her pace, just try to be a little more aggressive because otherwise, it's difficult to do something else."
Krejcikova will face Jessica Pegula for a place in the final after the American third seed was handed a walkover by quarter-final opponent Karolina Muchova, and the Czech is aiming for "revenge" having lost their most recent meeting at the Australian Open.
"I played her couple weeks ago. I'm looking forward for the revenge because in Australia I lost to her," she said. "I definitely want to just go there again and just enjoy the match, just fight for every single ball. If I'm able to do that, I think I definitely have a chance."
Full credit to Krejcikova but the result does deny Dubai the chance to host a final between the two best players on the planet, although world No 1 Iga Swiatek remains very much on course for a second title in as many weeks.
Such has been the manner of victory for Swiatek so far this week, her quarter-final walkover against former world No 1 Karolina Pliskova – a late withdrawal due to illness – was only marginally easier than her previous two matches, where the Pole conceded just three games.
Swiatek had arrived in Dubai after winning the Qatar Open, where she lost just five games in three matches, and that form has continued this week, marking a return to dominance after a comparative dip to start the year when set against her stunning 2022 season, which included eight titles and two Grand Slams.
There is one more match for Swiatek to get through before she reaches the final, though, and the top seed will take on American Coco Gauff in Friday's semi-finals. The fifth seed prepared for the ultimate test in women's tennis by producing an impressive display to defeat compatriot Madison Keys 6-2, 7-5.
Keys had been in fine form in Dubai, eliminating fourth seed Caroline Garcia and 15th seed Victoria Azarenka in the previous two rounds, but Gauff proved a step too far for the former US Open finalist.
Now it's Gauff's turn to face a step up in class, and history is not on the side of the 18-year-old fifth seed, who has lost all five previous meetings with Swiatek and is yet to win a set. In their past two matches, Gauff has been on the receiving end of a 6-0 set.
"I mean, no pressure, she's playing at the top of her game," Gauff said. "It's going to be a challenge. But to be honest, I think it's a good matchup just to see where I can maybe improve.
"I'm just going to go out there swinging. Whatever happens, happens. You just kind of have to go in believing you can win even when the odds seem stacked against you."
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place playoff
Company%20Profile
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THE SPECS
Cadillac XT6 2020 Premium Luxury
Engine: 3.6L V-6
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 310hp
Torque: 367Nm
Price: Dh280,000
The%C2%A0specs%20
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Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club
- 1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
- 2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
- 3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
- 4th ODI, Sunday, April 16
Squads:
- UAE: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
- Zimbabwe: Peter Moor (captain), Solomon Mire, Brian Chari, Regis Chakabva, Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Craig Ervine, Brandon Mavuta, Ainsley Ndlovu, Tony Munyonga, Elton Chigumbura
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMaly%20Tech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mo%20Ibrahim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%20International%20Financial%20Centre%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241.6%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2015%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%2C%20planning%20first%20seed%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20GCC-based%20angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Pathaan
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NBA Finals results
Game 1: Warriors 124, Cavaliers 114
Game 2: Warriors 122, Cavaliers 103
Game 3: Cavaliers 102, Warriors 110
Game 4: In Cleveland, Sunday (Monday morning UAE)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Andor
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Five%20calorie-packed%20Ramadan%20drinks
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MATCH RESULT
Al Jazira 3 Persepolis 2
Jazira: Mabkhout (52'), Romarinho (77'), Al Hammadi (90' 6)
Persepolis: Alipour (42'), Mensha (84')
Omar Yabroudi's factfile
Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
