Saudi trailblazer Yara Alhogbani handed Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open qualifier wildcard

Saudi Arabia's first professional female tennis player, Yara Alhogbani, will have the chance to compete against some of the game's biggest stars next month after she was handed a wildcard into the qualifiers for the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.

The second edition of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open will take place February 3-11 at Zayed Sports City's International Tennis Centre, and 10 of the world's top 20 have been confirmed for the WTA 500 tournament, including Kazakh world No 3 Elena Rybakina, Tunisia's sixth-ranked Ons Jabeur and Geece's world No 8 Maria Sakkari.

Further star power was added to the field in the form of Japan's four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and former US Open winner Emma Raducanu of Great Britain after both players received wildcards.

Now Alhogbani will have the opportunity to test her skills against the WTA Tour's top players, but she will first need to navigate two rounds of qualifying. Six qualifiers, along with four wildcards, will join the 18 direct entries to make up the 28-player main draw.

“I’m very happy to have been awarded a wildcard for the qualifiers at this year’s Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open and I’m looking forward to testing myself against some great players," Alhogbani, 19, said.

“It’s so pleasing to see these types of tournaments take place in the Middle East and I’m sure it will be another exciting competition.”

Having turned professional at the age of 14, Alhogbani became the first-ever Saudi Arabian woman to win a professional tennis event in 2022, defeating Tamara Ermakova to claim the J5 Isa Town tournament in Bahrain.

Alhogbani will be joined in the qualifiers by Japan's highly-rated teenager Ena Koike, who also received a wildcard.

“I’m very excited about competing at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, it’s a great opportunity to be part of such a prestigious event,” said Koike, a quarter-finalist at the 2023 Junior US Open.

Meanwhile, the Philippines' highest-ranked player, Alexandra Eala, has been handed a wildcard into the main draw.

Eala, 18, is a three-time junior Grand Slam champion having won two major doubles titles at the French Open and Australian Open, and the 2022 US Open junior singles title.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for me to participate in a big competition and gain additional experience at the highest level," the world No 187 said.

“At this stage of my career, I need to test myself against the best players, and I can’t wait to play in front of the UAE tennis fans.”

Tournament director, Nigel Gupta, added: “With the tournament now less than two weeks away, we are really pleased to announce Alexandra, Yara and Ena, three talented young players, as part of the event.

“It’s important for us to showcase not only the leading players in the world right now, but also some aspiring talents, and I’m sure fans attending will enjoy watching all three players perform.”

To purchase tickets for the tournament, visit www.mubadalaabudhabiopen.com.

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