The headline match on Day Three of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships lived up to its top billing as top seed Simona Halep recovered from a slow start to beat Tunisian wildcard Ons Jabeur 1-6, 6-2, 7-6 inside a raucous Centre Court Stadium.
This second round match attracted the biggest crowd of the week so far as Romanian and Tunisian tennis fans packed out the arena. As luck would have it, opposing supporters were largely on opposite sides of the stadium – dozens of blue, yellow and red Tricolorul Romania flags on one side, just as many red and white Tunisia flags on the other.
And boy, did both sets of supporters make their voices heard, the back-and-forth continuously reverberating around the venue, before, during and after the match.
“It was like a football match or a Fed Cup match,” Halep said. “I didn't really realise what was going on around the court. Everyone was with a lot of energy so we had to give our best. I think it was a great match.”
Battle lines drawn, it was the Tunisian supporters who first had plenty to cheer as Jabeur came flying out of the blocks. The world No 45 was rewarded for her aggression and greater intent when she broke Halep for a 3-1 lead. Jabeur doubled her advantage in the sixth game, before comfortably closing out the set on serve.
Halep fans refused to be silent, though, as chants of “Si-Mo-Na! Si-Mo-Na!” before the second set appeared to jolt the world No 2 into action. After a subdued first set, Halep found her rhythm and range in the second, moving into a 3-0 lead as the errors started to accumulate on the Jabeur racket.
Those errors proved costly in the fifth game when Jabuer led 0-40 only for Halep to rattle off four straight points to hold serve. Another break in the very next game gave Halep total command of the second set, although Jabeur continued to fight and claimed one of the breaks back.
However, the Tunisian’s hard work was swiftly undone after a lackluster service game gift-wrapped the set to Halep.
The momentum swing – which could be most accurately measured by which fans were in louder song – was firmly with Halep and the Romanian top seed immediately broke for a 2-0 lead in the decider. It was an advantage she held until the seventh game when Jabuer came roaring back, breaking to love and sending the Tunisian supporters into raptures.
The Arab and North African support then went fever pitch when Jabuer broke again for a 6-5 lead. The match and a place in the quarter-finals was now on her racket. But the drama was not over yet, as Halep produced one of her best games of the match to emphatically break back to love.
The drama and tension spilled over into the decisive tiebreak as Halep squandered three match points when leading 6-3. Jabuer then had her first match point on her own serve, only for a tight forehand to end up in the net. A carbon-copy error on the next point brought up Halep’s fourth attempt to seal the victory and this time she made no mistake as Jabuer sent a forehand long.
“After a long period that I didn't play matches, after that semi-final that I lost in Australia, I'm really happy that I could just fight till the end and to turn it around,” Halep said. "It was up-and-down a lot because she doesn't give rhythm. It was very weird, but I'm happy I could win."
Next up for the 2015 Dubai champion is seventh seed Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus, who defeated Belgium’s Elise Mertens 6-4, 6-3.
Halep holds a 2-1 win-loss record over Sabalenka, although the world No 2 lost their most recent meeting in straight sets at the Adelaide International just last month.
“[Sabalenka] is a very strong opponent,” Halep said. “So, I will have to also be strong, play my game, and believe I can win. In Australia I didn't touch the ball that much in that match. But tomorrow is a new day.”
RESULTS
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Sean Kirrane (jockey), Khalifa Al Neyadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Falaj Hazza – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Arim W’Rsan, Dane O’Neill, Jaci Wickham
6pm: Al Basrah – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Kalifano De Ghazal, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi
6.30pm: Oud Al Touba – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Pharitz Oubai, Sean Kirrane, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm: Sieh bin Amaar – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Oxord, Richard Mullen, Abdalla Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: AF Ramz, Sean Kirrane, Khalifa Al Neyadi
8pm: Al Saad – Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Sea Skimmer, Gabriele Malune, Kareem Ramadan
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULTS
6.30pm: Emirates Holidays Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Lady Snazz, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
7.05pm: Arabian Adventures Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Zhou Storm, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7.40pm: Emirates Skywards Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Rich And Famous, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: Emirates Airline Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Rio Angie, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Emirates Sky Cargo (TB) Dh 92,500 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Kinver Edge, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
9.15pm: Emirates.com (TB) Dh 95,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Firnas, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Fifa Club World Cup:
When: December 6-16
Where: Games to take place at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain
Defending champions: Real Madrid
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The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
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Concrete and Gold
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Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Man Utd), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Jordan Pickford (Everton)
Defenders: John Stones (Man City), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Man City), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Reece James (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid)
Midfielders: Mason Mount (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds)
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Scorebox
Dubai Sports City Eagles 7 Bahrain 88
Eagles
Try: Penalty
Bahrain
Tries: Gibson 2, Morete 2, Bishop 2, Bell 2, Behan, Fameitau, Sanson, Roberts, Bennett, Radley
Cons: Radley 4, Whittingham 5
SPECS
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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
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
Tenet
Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh
Rating: 5/5
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 380hp at 5,800rpm
Torque: 530Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Price: From Dh299,000 ($81,415)
On sale: Now
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
PAST 10 BRITISH GRAND PRIX WINNERS
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2012 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2011 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
2010 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2008 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2007 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
