Ons Jabeur made straightforward progress to the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Sunday – and now the Tunisian star is aiming to convert her latest encouraging start into a deep run.
Jabeur, 26, faced few problems during a 6-2, 6-3 win over the Czech Republic's Katerina Siniakova that lasted just 65 minutes.
It is not the first time this season the world No 31 has started a tournament brightly, although encounters with some sizeable obstacles have previously prevented her from advancing too much further.
At the season-opening Abu Dhabi WTA Women's Tennis Open, Jabeur ran into eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka; likewise when she faced Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open.
Then at the Qatar Open last week, she narrowly went down to tournament second seed Karolina Pliskova in the second round.
It's fair to say Jabeur has not exactly had the rub of the green so far this year.
"If you look at the results without seeing any of the matches, you might think it’s bad, but I’ve been playing good lately," she said after her win over Siniakova.
"I played Sabalenka who won the tournament and Osaka who won the tournament, so it’s tough to be too hard on myself. But I always want to play better.
"You could see I was getting quite angry with myself on court today because I see myself playing well and producing good results, but in the end its second and third rounds and I see myself in finals and winning titles.
"I want to use that anger to play well and to show the player I am and hopefully the season can be better now."
To break free of her perpetual second- and third-round showings, Jabeur might well need a combination of luck and skill this week in Dubai. Her potential second round opponent is 14th seed Elena Rybakina – last year's finalist and one of the brightest young stars on the WTA Tour – unless Chinese world No 48 Saisai Zheng can spring a surprise.
Get beyond that and fourth seed Petra Kvitova could lie in wait in the third round. Navigating such a potential minefield demonstrates just how competitive the Dubai lineup is and how challenging it can be to reach the latter stages of tournaments on the WTA Tour, even for a player as talented as Jabeur.
However, while she expresses her burning desire to reach finals and titles, Jabeur is adopting a more philosophical approach to achieving those goals, especially during this period on the calendar where, as the leading light of Arab tennis, the Tunisian shoulders the hopes and expectations of the region.
"I felt it more last week in Doha [where fans were in attendance] but no one is putting any extra pressure on me, it’s more me putting pressure on myself because I want to win so bad," Jabeur said.
"But I’ve learned from the past week that I’m trying to take it easy. Whatever happens, happens. Sometimes it can be tough going from one tournament to another. I’m just trying to take it one day at a time and it’s going well right now."
As Jabeur strives to reach her first Dubai final, two players who know exactly what it takes to make the title match met over on Court 1 in a first round clash.
France's Alize Cornet, who lost to Venus Williams in the 2014 final, faced 2018 finalist Daria Kasatkina of Russia, with Cornet emerging victorious 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. She will take on 13th seed Sabalenka in the second round.
Meanwhile, few players have more experience of Dubai finals than Svetlana Kuznetsova and the 35-year-old Russian opened her 2021 campaign with a hard-fought 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 victory over China's Qiang Wang.
Victory for Kuznetsova – a finalist in 2004, 2008, and 2011 – set up a showdown with top seed and two-time champion Elina Svitolina.
Elsewhere on the opening day in Dubai, Abu Dhabi finalist Veronika Kudermetova defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-6, 6-2 in an all-Russian match, and Anastasija Sevastova eased past Bernarda Pera 6-0, 6-3.
RESULTS
Light Flyweight (48kg): Alua Balkibekova (KAZ) beat Gulasal Sultonalieva (UZB) by points 4-1.
Flyweight (51kg): Nazym Kyzaibay (KAZ) beat Mary Kom (IND) 3-2.
Bantamweight (54kg): Dina Zholaman (KAZ) beat Sitora Shogdarova (UZB) 3-2.
Featherweight (57kg): Sitora Turdibekova (UZB) beat Vladislava Kukhta (KAZ) 5-0.
Lightweight (60kg): Rimma Volossenko (KAZ) beat Huswatun Hasanah (INA) KO round-1.
Light Welterweight (64kg): Milana Safronova (KAZ) beat Lalbuatsaihi (IND) 3-2.
Welterweight (69kg): Valentina Khalzova (KAZ) beat Navbakhor Khamidova (UZB) 5-0
Middleweight (75kg): Pooja Rani (IND) beat Mavluda Movlonova (UZB) 5-0.
Light Heavyweight (81kg): Farida Sholtay (KAZ) beat Ruzmetova Sokhiba (UZB) 5-0.
Heavyweight (81 kg): Lazzat Kungeibayeva (KAZ) beat Anupama (IND) 3-2.
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
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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New Zealand 21 British & Irish Lions 24
New Zealand
Penalties: Barrett (7)
British & Irish Lions
Tries: Faletau, Murray
Penalties: Farrell (4)
Conversions: Farrell
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Match info
Deccan Gladiators 87-8
Asif Khan 25, Dwayne Bravo 2-16
Maratha Arabians 89-2
Chadwick Walton 51 not out
Arabians won the final by eight wickets
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
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MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')
Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)
Company%20Profile
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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
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
