Ons Jabeur's run at the at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open was ended at the quarter-final stage when defending champion Elena Rybakina triumphed after a thrilling battle on Thursday evening.
The Tunisian crowd favourite made the top seed fight all the way after coming back from a set down to level the match before eventually going down 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 at the International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City.
Having swept aside 17-year-old qualifier Sonobe Wakan in the previous round, top seed Rybakina – who defeated Jabeur in the 2022 Wimbledon final – was always going to provide a far sterner test.
And the Kazakhstani roared into a 3-0 lead before going on to take the first set in 29 minutes.
But Jabeur fought back in style with the three-time Grand Slam finalist taking a 5-1 lead, only to almost blow the advantage with a series of unforced errors before finally serving out the second set.
Jabeur then roared back from a 4-2 deficit in the decider and after saving two match points in her 6-5 service game, had all the momentum as she built a 4-2 advantage at the change of ends in the deciding tiebreak.
But Moscow-born Rybakina secured a last-four clash with Belinda Bencic after winning in two hours and 13 minutes.
“It was an epic match but never easy to lose one like that,” Jabeur told The National.
“It was a pretty good match from both of us. Always tough playing Elena. Obviously I'm disappointed for not winning this match, but it was very close.
“I will keep the positive and keep working to improve a lot of things. Hopefully next time I can get my revenge.
“I know that my level is coming back slowly. I'm glad that I'm doing like three sets against top ten but you know I'm a bit greedy so I want to do better for the next time and definitely will work harder and hopefully I can recover in time for Doha.”
Rybakina admitted Jabeur had made it “extremely difficult” before going on to win her sixth match in a row at the event.
“It was on script, we played really well,” Rybakina said of their sixth encounter which drew her level at 3-3 in their head-to-head record.
“We played so close every game, and I'm really happy that I managed to win … it was a big rollercoaster, but really happy to get through another round.”
Earlier, second seed Bencic continued with her impressive return from maternity leave with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in a repeat of the Tokyo Olympics final won by the Swiss.
Bencic secured her first semi-final spot since April 2023, the year she won the Abu Dhabi Open title after beating Liudmila Samsonova in the final.
“I always feel like against Marketa it's very tactical. It almost feels like chess a little bit,” she said.
“I feel like the wind was getting a little bit in our way for both of us. It was tough to serve. But we managed to do well and we had some great rallies.”
Bencic admits she had trepidation about how much tennis had changed in her absence after returning to action last October.
“I was really worried that, maybe the speed of the ball and the speed of how the girls are serving now and returning and everything will be maybe a little bit too much or a little bit too early for me,” she added.
“I had to work physically very hard, and it was a lot of work to come back for sure but I'm happy I'm getting to the same level.”
American world No 51 Ashlyn Krueger overcame eighth seed Leylah Fernandez 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 and will take on Linda Noskova in her first WTA 500 semi-final.
“I think we all know each other so well it's not going to depend on how someone is playing like yesterday, it's different than playing today so it's just about you know knowing the opponent and knowing what kind of game she has,” Krueger said after beating the Canadian in what was her third three-setter in a row.
“It's never easy playing another three-set match. I was just trying to develop the experience last night. I was resilient last night, so I was trying to do the same today.”
Czech youngster Noskova sealed her last-four place after defeating Poland's Magda Linette 6-4, 6-3.
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Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
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THE BIO
Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai
Favourite Book: The Alchemist
Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna
Favourite cuisine: Italian food
Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
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Starfield
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
Dubai World Cup Carnival Thursday race card
6.30pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes Group Three US$200,000 (Turf) 2,000m
7.05pm: Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,600m
7.40pm: UAE Oaks Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
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Predictions
Predicted winners for final round of games before play-offs:
- Friday: Delhi v Chennai - Chennai
- Saturday: Rajasthan v Bangalore - Bangalore
- Saturday: Hyderabad v Kolkata - Hyderabad
- Sunday: Delhi v Mumbai - Mumbai
- Sunday - Chennai v Punjab - Chennai
Final top-four (who will make play-offs): Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bangalore
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Dubai World Cup Carnival card
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group 1 (PA) US$75,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
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Explained
GOLF’S RAHMBO
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- Three wins in past 10 starts
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- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
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Young women have more “financial grit”, but fall behind on investing
In an October survey of young adults aged 16 to 25, Charles Schwab found young women are more driven to reach financial independence than young men (67 per cent versus. 58 per cent). They are more likely to take on extra work to make ends meet and see more value than men in creating a plan to achieve their financial goals. Yet, despite all these good ‘first’ measures, they are investing and saving less than young men – falling early into the financial gender gap.
While the women surveyed report spending 36 per cent less than men, they have far less savings than men ($1,267 versus $2,000) – a nearly 60 per cent difference.
In addition, twice as many young men as women say they would invest spare cash, and almost twice as many young men as women report having investment accounts (though most young adults do not invest at all).
“Despite their good intentions, young women start to fall behind their male counterparts in savings and investing early on in life,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president, Charles Schwab. “They start off showing a strong financial planning mindset, but there is still room for further education when it comes to managing their day-to-day finances.”
Ms Schwab-Pomerantz says parents should be conveying the same messages to boys and girls about money, but should tailor those conversations based on the individual and gender.
"Our study shows that while boys are spending more than girls, they also are saving more. Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about the wage and savings gap," she said. "Teach kids about the importance of investing – especially girls, who as we see in this study, aren’t investing as much. Part of being financially prepared is learning to make the most of your money, and that means investing early and consistently."
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MATCH INFO
Karnataka Tuskers 110-5 (10 ovs)
Tharanga 48, Shafiq 34, Rampaul 2-16
Delhi Bulls 91-8 (10 ovs)
Mathews 31, Rimmington 3-28
Karnataka Tuskers win by 19 runs
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
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- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
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Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
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About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
