British No 1 Johanna Konta marked her tournament debut with victory at the WTA Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Monday, coming through her match against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets to book a place in the second round.
Last year’s Wimbledon semi-finalist, now ranked 12th in the world, was made to work for the win, rebounding from a break down in the first set to eventually outlast her Russia opponent in the tie-break. She then raced through the next to triumph 7-6, 6-2 at the Aviation Club. Konta faces Russia’s Daria Kasatkina in the second round.
The Sydney-born Brit, 26, had come into the event on the back of a last-16 exit at the Qatar Open to former world No 1 Angelique Kerber. Last month, she crashed out of the Australian Open in the second round, defeated by world No 123 Bernarda Pera.
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Read more:
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WTA Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships: Order of play - Day 2
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Konta looks intent on making up for lost time, though. She was expected to make her Dubai bow last year, but withdrew from the tournament because of a foot injury. Pavlyuchenkova, meanwhile, was making her eighth appearance in Dubai, although her rotten run continues: she has now not won a main-draw match in her past six attempts.
“I actually I came here last year, but I didn't get to play,” Konta said. “I had to pull out on-site. So I'm very happy that I'm back and playing. Hopefully I can stay here for many more days.
“But right now I'm happy I earned my way into the next round. And I have a tough match coming up next again. It's a very tough tournament. There's no easy rounds, there's no easy matches. It's a very, very high cut-off. I'm looking forward to that challenge.”
Elsewhere, former champion Sara Errani came through a scare in qualifying to make it through to the main draw. The Italian, a winner of the tournament two years ago, was 4-1 down in the deciding set against Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka before winning the tie-break to take the match 6-2, 1-6, 7-6. She set up a clash with Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko for a spot in the second round.
A French Open finallist in 2012, Errani has slipped to 143rd in the rankings. Last year, the former world No 5 was suspended for two months for failing a drugs test.
Asked how far she is from her best, Errani replied: “I don't know. It’s tough to say. I keep going. I think I'm in the right way. I need more matches, more confidence. But to arrive this way is good.
“Of course, I know it is too difficult, maybe impossible, to reach the level that I had in 2012, 2013, and last year. I know top 10 is really difficult. It’s not my goal, to be top 10 again. It’s just to have fun playing, to find myself good, to reach the best that I can.”
However, another former champion didn't fare quite as well. Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, winner in 2012, exited the tournament following a 7-5, 6-4 defeat to Kasatkina.
“Every tournament, to lose in the first round is very disappointing,” Radwanska said. “Of course, that was a really tricky opponent for these tricky conditions here. So it wasn't easy.
“Obviously the tournament is always very strong, so you're not really playing against players that are in the top 40. So you cannot really expect good draw. That was definitely tough one, especially here. But what can I do?”
In some of the day’s other matches, former US Open champion Sam Stosur defeated Greece’s Maria Sakkara 6-1, 6-4 in their qualifier, while rising star Naomi Osaka saw off Frenchwoman Kristina Mladennovic 6-2, 6-2 under the lights on Centre Court.
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
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- On sale: 2026
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The five pillars of Islam
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
PRISCILLA
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
SHOW COURTS ORDER OF PLAY
Wimbledon order of play on Saturday, July 8
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Centre Court (4pm)
Agnieszka Radwanska (9) v Timea Bacsinszky (19)
Ernests Gulbis v Novak Djokovic (2)
Mischa Zverev (27) v Roger Federer (3)
Court 1 (4pm)
Milos Raonic (6) v Albert Ramos-Vinolas (25)
Anett Kontaveit v Caroline Wozniacki (5)
Dominic Thiem (8) v Jared Donaldson
Court 2 (2.30pm)
Sorana Cirstea v Garbine Muguruza (14)
To finish: Sam Querrey (24) leads Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (12) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6, 1-6, 6-5
Angelique Kerber (1) v Shelby Rogers
Sebastian Ofner v Alexander Zverev (10)
Court 3 (2.30pm)
Grigor Dimitrov (13) v Dudi Sela
Alison Riske v Coco Vandeweghe (24)
David Ferrer v Tomas Berdych (11)
Court 12 (2.30pm)
Polona Hercog v Svetlana Kuznetsova (7)
Gael Monfils (15) v Adrian Mannarino
Court 18 (2.30pm)
Magdalena Rybarikova v Lesia Tsurenko
Petra Martic v Zarina Diyas
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
