DUBAI // More than 100 tennis fans braved heavy rain and cold weather on Monday morning to queue patiently to buy tickets for next month’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Some were so determined to get a ticket they joined the line outside the Irish Village, in Garhoud, on Sunday night.
Due to demand, the organisers opened the box office two hours early, at 7am, and also handed out umbrellas to help people battling the wintry conditions.
“There were about 110 people in front of me and, despite the rain and cold, people were in really good spirits,” said Surafel Shemelis, from Ethiopia.
Although the 27-year-old designer had attended matches in previous years, it was the first time he had queued and was surprised to find himself behind so many people when he arrived at 4.40 on Monday morning.
He bought tickets for the semi-finals and finals and also helped fellow tennis fan Elizabeth Stoute buy more tickets.
“You can only buy a maximum of four tickets for each particular day so I helped another person get some more tickets for a couple of other days,” he said.
Mrs Stoute, 59, from Trinidad and Tobago, spent Dh16,500 on dozens of tickets for the championships, which take place at Dubai Duty Free Stadium from February 15 to 28.
“I have family and friends coming over from Bermuda and Vancouver, so I got tickets for the whole competition,” she said.
“I got here about 4.14am and then it started to rain, so that made it a little bit more difficult, but one of the great things about coming so early is that you meet people who share your passion,” said the legal secretary.
Mrs Stoute had attended the competition for the past three years.
“It’s such a wonderful opportunity to see the best players in the world that it’s worth queuing up for,” she said.
Renee Abushakra, 37, from the United States, spent Dh6,500 on 25 tickets for the men’s and women’s semi-finals and finals.
“My daughter likes watching the women’s finals, so it will be a nice day out for us,” said the housewife who is originally from Philadelphia.
“I went to the US Open about 12 years ago and, to be honest, the atmosphere is so much better in Dubai,” she said.
“There is a much more fun vibe to Dubai and it adds to a great atmosphere during the entire event.”
Sinead El Sibai, vice president of marketing for Dubai Duty Free, said the first person arrived in the queue at 9.30 on Sunday night but the majority of others arrived between 4am and 5am yesterday.
“We also gave out booking forms, so once the box office opened the process of purchasing tickets was relatively smooth,” she said.
A nearby coffee shop was also opened early to take orders for those waiting.
“Obviously the rain and wind made conditions a little unpleasant so we did whatever we could to make it more comfortable for those waiting,” said Ms El Sibai.
“Most people were prepared for the weather and were happy to get their tickets.”
nhanif@thenational.ae