Ekaterina Shalimova strikes a forehand return during her match on Sunday. — Supplied photo

The annual Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge is set to continue its evolution, delivering top-tier tennis, according to a former UAE tennis official. Khalid Al Ali, the former General Secretary of the UAE Tennis Association and now a representative of the Al Habtoor Group, spoke at the official press conference for the 27th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge, which is taking place this week at the Habtoor Grand Resort. The competition kicked off with the first round of qualifying on Sunday morning.

“We have some promising young players showcasing a high level of play this week. This tournament has always aimed for quality players, and we are now in a transition phase,” Al Ali told media during the press conference on Sunday. “As organizers, we aim to attract big names to make the event appealing. However, we also recognize the high caliber of these young players, which is key to our event’s success,” he added.

Also present at the press conference and draw ceremony were ITF Supervisor Sheetal Iyer, Chair Umpire Waleed Samaan, Operations Director and Chief of Officials Laith Alani, Khalid Saeed, General Manager of Habtoor Grand Resort, and first-time entrant Ekaterina Shalimova. Last year’s finalists are among the star-studded lineup returning this week. The top seed for singles is Polina Kudermetova, followed by Arina Rodionova, 2023 runner-up Arianne Hartono, and Alexandra Eala – all within the top-160 of the latest WTA Rankings.

The Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge began as a $25,000 (AED 91,250) event, classified as a $75,000 tournament from 1999 to 2015. In 2016, it was upgraded to a $100,000+H competition on the ITF Women’s Circuit. Founded by Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, the annual tournament has promoted women’s tennis in the UAE and the region, elevating the sport’s profile across the Arab world. Past champions include Grand Slam winners and top players like Sorana Cirstea (2020), Ana Bogdan (2019), Peng Shuai (2018), Belinda Bencic (2017), Kimiko Date-Krumm (2012), Sania Mirza (2010), Maria Kirilenko (2007), Kateryna Bondarenko (2006), Marion Bartoli (2005), Jelena Jankovic (2003), and inaugural winner Kyra Nagy (1998).

Top seed Kudermetova will face Swiss player Leonie Kung, while second seed Rodionova will meet Great Britain’s Amarni Banks in their first-round matches. Last year’s runner-up and No.3 seed Hartono will play against one of the eight qualifiers, and fourth seed Eala will face Croatia’s Petra Marcinko. Meanwhile, there were a few upsets in the qualifying rounds at the new Habtoor Grand tennis courts. Seed No. 7 Jaimee Fourlis lost to Freya Christie of Great Britain 6-3, 6-4, and No. 10 seed Ilinca Dalina Amariei fell to Danka Kovinic 6-3, 6-2.

Sofia Costoulas and Tara Wurth, the top two seeds in qualifying, advanced to the next round, while No. 3 Ankita Raina retired while trailing Russian Ekaterina Shalimova. Costoulas defeated Anna Snigireva 6-4, 6-1, and Wurth swiftly beat Diana Demidova 6-0, 6-0. Raina retired due to an abdominal injury while trailing Shalimova 5-7, 0-1. “I hope luck is on my side as this is my first time in Dubai. My goal is to last as long as possible and play my best tennis,” Shalimova said. “I’ve been wanting to come to Dubai for the past four years, and now that I’m here, I want to make the most of it. I love this place,” she added.

Play will resume with the main draw’s opening round matches starting at 10 am on Monday. Entry for spectators is free.

RESULTS (Round One of singles qualifying at the 27th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge at the Habtoor Grand Resort, on Sunday): Sofia Costoulas bt Anna Snigireva 6-4, 6-1; Freya Christie bt Jaimee Fourlis 6-3, 6-4; Daria Kudashova bt Eva Busaad 6-1, 6-2; Caroline Werner bt Maria Mikhailova 6-3, 6-0; Tara Wurth bt Diana Demidova 6-0, 6-0; Evialina Laskevich bt Marcelina Podlinska 6-1, 7-6 (3); Danka Kovinic bt Ilinca Dalina Amariei 6-3, 6-2; Ekaterina Yashina bt Laura Svatikova 6-4, 6-4; Ekaterina Shalimova bt Ankita Raina 7-5, 1-0 (retd.); Rada Zolotareva bt Sahaja Yamalapalli 6-4, 1-6, 7-5; Anastasia Zolotareva bt Ioana Teodora Sava 6-3, 7-5; Amandine Hesse bt Anna Kubareva 6-0, 6-4; Ekaterina Reyngold bt Kateryna Volodko 7-6 (5), 6-3; Viktoria Morvayova bt Eva Garkusha 4-6, 6-2, 6-4; Mei Yamaguchi bt Braina Szabo 6-1, 6-1.

Ali Al Ali secured a spot in the u-12 final with a hard-fought 6-4, 2-6, 10-8 victory over Yahia Karkouri at the 9th Al Habtoor Tennis Cup held at HUBB Tennis in Dubai Silicon Oasis on Saturday. Ayaan Malik and Saira Bhupathi also excelled in the boy’s and girl’s u-14 categories, respectively. Malik easily defeated Yousef Ashour 6-0, 6-1, while Bhupathi dominated Manya Mandalia 6-2, 6-1. In other girl’s u-14 matches, Srinika Rachakonda beat Alexandra Kryuchkova 6-1, 6-0, Cyrine Maazoun defeated Tima El Eit 6-1, 6-2, and Rama Farag blanked Khushi Bansal 6-0, 6-0. In the same age category, Viktoria Karpenko and Avantika Tiwari also advanced with wins over Audrey Noun and Ailin Turdieva, respectively.

There was intense action in the boy’s u-14 category as Mohammad Al Ali narrowly defeated Rashid Almaeeni 5-7, 7-5, 10-8, and Cayane Joe Muhtar easily beat Jiarul Zhang 6-1, 6-1. The annual tennis competition is held for junior boys and girls in four age categories (under-12, 14, 16, and 18) and three senior contests: Men’s Open, Women’s Open, and Masters (34 years and above). Finals in all eleven categories will be held alongside the 27th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge on December 8. This event is part of the ‘Road to Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open’ initiative developed by Mubadala in partnership with the UAE Tennis Federation.

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