No easing back for Kim Clijsters and other takeaways from draw for Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships

The draw for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships was revealed on Saturday. Here’s what we learnt … Kim Clijsters’ highly anticipated comeback after a seven-and-a-half year absence from tennis is taking place in Dubai but the Belgian will have no time to test the waters as she was handed a brutal opener against Dutch No 6 seed Kiki Bertens. Clijsters is Bertens' idol, and the Dutchwoman recently wrote in her column for the BBC how happy she is that the ex-world No 1 is returning to the tour. “It came as a complete surprise to me. I never saw it coming,” Bertens said. “But now I'm thinking it would be great if I could play her one day. I don't know how I would feel if that was to happen, but of course I would want to beat her. That's the case with every player.” Her wish has been granted. Freshly-crowned Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin will play her first tour event since lifting her maiden grand slam trophy in Melbourne and was dealt a tricky first round against Kazakhstan’s world No 25 Elena Rybakina. The in-form Rybakina started her 2020 season by reaching the final in Shenzhen and winning the title in Hobart, before falling to world No 1 Ashleigh Barty in the Australian Open third round. The fifth-seeded Kenin, who enjoyed a camel ride on the beach in front of Burj Al Arab hotel on Saturday, made her Dubai debut last year, where she lost in the third round to Viktoria Kuzmova. A loaded top half of the draw features No 1 seed and two-time major champion Simona Halep, two-time Dubai winner Elina Svitolina, 2020 Australian Open runner-up Garbine Muguruza, recent Adelaide finalist Dayana Yastremska, last month’s Australian Open quarter-finalist Ons Jabeur, along with Bertens and Clijsters. Meanwhile five of the six qualifiers have landed in the bottom half of the draw that includes No 2 seed Karolina Pliskova, fourth-seeded defending champion Belinda Bencic and Kenin. Tunisian Ons Jabeur is back on Arab soil, competing in a tour event for the first time since her stunning run to the Australian Open quarter-finals. The world No 45 – the highest ranking ever reached by an Arab woman – opens her Dubai campaign against American world No 18 Alison Riske, who beat Jabeur in their sole previous meeting in Miami in 2018. Jabeur, who was given a wildcard by the Dubai tournament, was present at the draw ceremony and laughed when she pulled out her own name from the pouch during proceedings. "What are the odds of doing that? Honestly it was funny. I know Alison, she's a really good friend and she's such an amazing player," the 25-year-old Jabeur told The National . “She had a really good season last year. This is a completely different match from the other time. I’m really looking forward and I’m going to play my best tennis. Hopefully I could win and get Halep the next round.” There are a host of must-see first rounds in Dubai this year, alongside the blockbuster between Bertens and Clijsters, and Kenin-Rybakina match-up. No 7 seed Aryna Sabalenka squares off against in-form Greek Maria Sakkari, who is still in St. Petersburg, contesting the semi-finals there on Saturday. In a mouth-watering clash between two wildcards, third-seeded Svitolina will take on two-time Grand Slam champion Muguruza, in a rematch of their Australian Open third round from last month. Reigning Dubai champion Bencic will be tested from the get-go as she opens against last month’s Australian Open quarter-finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

No easing back for Kim Clijsters and other takeaways from draw for Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships

Spotlight will also be on the new Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin