As the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open top seed, Elena Rybakina could be forgiven for feeling somewhat aggrieved at facing such a challenging opponent in her opening match on Thursday.
Danielle Collins may have entered the tournament as a qualifier, but she was no ordinary qualifier. The experienced American reached a career-high No 7 in the world rankings just 18 months ago and contested the Australian Open final in 2022.
She was also far more match-ready than Rybakina; while the Kazakh world No 5 had to wait four days to play her first match at Zayed Sports City – the result of being one of the top-four seeds to receive first-round byes – Collins had already played three times in four days, allowing her ample opportunity to adjust to the conditions.
It was no surprise, then, that Rybakina was forced to grind and dig deep, coming back from a set and a break down to secure a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory on Stadium Court.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion will face Cristina Bucsa for a place in the semi-finals after the Spaniard defeated British qualifier Heather Watson 7-6, 7-5 in the last match of the day.
“I’m happy that I managed to win, it was a tough battle. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, especially being the first match against such a good player,” Rybakina, 24, said. “She already had a couple of matches on this court, so really happy to win and go through to the next round.”
There was little between the two players in a closely contested opening set, with Collins earning the only break in the fifth game. Rybakina had her chance to pull level when the American was serving for the set but was unable to convert either break point.
Collins continued in the ascendancy at the start of the second set, breaking immediately for a 1-0 lead, and even after Rybakina levelled straight after, the qualifier had the advantage again at 3-2. The turning point of the match came in a marathon sixth game as Rybakina converted her fourth break point to start a run of three straight games to win the set and level the contest.
It was roles reversed at the start of the deciding set, Rybakina claiming the first break, only for Collins to strike straight back. The top seed then seized the momentum once and for all in a long fifth game, and after exchanging holds of serve, Rybakina broke again when Collins served to stay in the match, wrapping up the win in two hours and 20 minutes.
“It’s not easy here with the conditions, it’s quite slow; I have a really good serve, but it doesn’t help much and it’s difficult to get free points,” Rybakina said. “I knew that even at a break down I would get my opportunity and could take my chances.”
Fourth seed Barbora Krejcikova also got her tournament under way on Thursday, and in much less testing circumstances; the Czech world No 12 was 6-2, 1-0 up against Sara Sorribes Tormo when the Spaniard was forced to retire with a thumb injury.
Krejcikova will be first on Stadium Court again on Friday when she takes on last year’s finalist Liudmila Samsonova. The Russian eighth seed has been in fine form again this week and eased past Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina 6-1, 6-3.
The standout match on Friday will see Tunisian second seed Ons Jabeur face sixth-seeded Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia in the first match of the evening session. That will then be followed by Russian seventh seed Daria Kasatkina against Romania’s Sorana Cirstea.
Listen and follow Abtal podcast – where Tunisian star Ons Jabeur and Egyptian tennis player Mayar Sherif are interviewed for the first time together – on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all major podcasting platforms.
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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
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The five pillars of Islam
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
