DUBAI // Svetlana Kuznetsova once came within two victories of claiming the cherished No 1 position in the WTA rankings yet the Russian has struggled throughout her career to attract the same kind of attention commanded by her various rivals for the top spot.
If there is a queue for Centre Court occupancy at tournaments all around the world, Kuznetsova, winner of two grand slam events, is generally at the back of it as more charismatic characters tend to take precedence.
She managed to break into the principal arena yesterday for her first appearance at this year's Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships but will not be seeing any more of the spotlight after a surprising exit at the hands of a lowly-ranked qualifier.
Regina Kulikova, a fellow Russian who has proved already in her brief career that she will stay out all day trading baseline blows if she has to, outlasted Kuznetsova in a marathon encounter under the stamina-sapping desert sun.
Standing at an improving 99 in the world before securing her first quarter-final place in a main draw, Kulikova looked as though she had squandered a glorious opportunity to take a rare prize scalp by missing countless opportunities to have won the match in straight sets and then falling 4-1 behind in the decider.
But one quality the 21-year-old does not lack is staying power - she spent a record 4hr 19min losing a first-round Australian Open match last month - and while Kuznetsova appeared to be wilting as the on-court clock ticked towards the three-hour mark yesterday, Kulikova went into overdrive and rattled off five games in a row for a famous victory.
The 5-7, 7-6, 6-4 verdict, reached in 3hr 16min (10 of those minutes spent having a heat break) earned Kulikova a last-eight meeting today with Agnieszka Radwanska, the seventh-seeded Pole who turned what had been a tight match against Italy's Flavia Pennetta into a 6-3, 6-0 procession.
"It's good that you told me that," she said, not having looked at the draw sheet before attending a post-match press conference for the first time in her flourishing career. "I don't have any special tactics, but if I play my game aggressively the way I was doing today, fighting, it's OK."
This was comfortably Kulikova's best win of her life but curiously she ranks it behind a losing performance at Wimbledon to another of her Russian compatriots Elena Dementieva.
"That was just the second match of my career so that is the best for me," she added.
The promising youngster is keen to make up for lost time after suffering from a succession of fitness problems over the last three years.
"Now I know that I can play again," she enthused. "I'm healthy, I'm fit, and I can do my best."
Victoria Azarenka, the fourth seed, was also in danger of following the top two seeds out of the tournament.
She, too, struggled against a qualifier - Germany's Anna-Lena Groenefeld - before going through 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 to face either Jelena Jankovic or Vera Zvonareva in the quarter-final.
The closest match-up of the eight third-round clashes was between China's Li Na and Marion Bartoli, of France, seeded eight and 11 respectively and it was a tussle which was too close to call after they had shared the first two sets.
So it was a surprise to see Na, the recent Australian Open semi-finalist, dominate the deciding set to carve out a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 passage into an unexpected quarter-final against Israel's Shahar Peer, conqueror of Caroline Wozniacki, the top seed.
@Email:wjohnson@thenational.ae
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Honeymoonish
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
THE%20SPECS
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Bareilly Ki Barfi
Directed by: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring: Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao
Three and a half stars
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
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
Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
THE BIO: Mohammed Ashiq Ali
Proudest achievement: “I came to a new country and started this shop”
Favourite TV programme: the news
Favourite place in Dubai: Al Fahidi. “They started the metro in 2009 and I didn’t take it yet.”
Family: six sons in Dubai and a daughter in Faisalabad
RESULTS
6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Rajeh, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi (trainer)
6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes – Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Get Back Goldie, William Buick, Doug O’Neill
7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: Sovereign Prince, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Hypothetical, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Hot Rod Charlie, William Buick, Doug O’Neill
8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Withering, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
9.30pm: Balanchine – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Creative Flair, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
