The National's Ahmed Rizvi and Jon Turner are at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships to bring you live reports from the ATP tournament. Check back for up-to-the-minute updates.
Lopez d Djokovic 6-3, Retired
Novak Djokovic’s unbeaten start to the year has come to an end after he retired from Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships quarter-final match against Feliciano Lopez.
The world No 1, playing his first tournament since winning his 11th grand slam at the Australian Open, did not look very comfortable on the court and, immediately after losing the first set 6-3, he walked up to the chair umpire to tell him about the retirement.
Djokovic is yet to comment on his withdrawal, but Lopez said at his post-match press conference the Serb had an eye infection.
Read also: Nick Kyrgios the real deal and making a big noise at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
Wawrinka d Kohlschreiber 7-5, 6-1
Stan Wawrinka, the No 2 seed, is through to the semi-finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships after a straight-sets win over Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Wawrinka, the reigning French Open champion, defeated No 8 seed Kohlschreiber 7-5, 6-1 in one hour and 14 minutes to set up a blockbuster clash with Australian Nick Kyrgios.
An even first set saw both players twice lose serve before Wawrinka claimed the all-important break to win the opener.
The second set was a much more one-sided affair, and two breaks of serve earned Wawrinka his place in the last four.
It was a much improved performance from the Swiss world No 4 who had to battle through his first-round match against Sergiy Stakhovsky, and was again below his best in the second round against qualifier Thomas Fabbiano.
Read also: Stan Wawrinka plays it cool ahead of clash with Nick Kyrgios: 'We are not friends ... but there is nothing else'
Baghdatis d Bautista Agut 7-5, 6-0
Marcos Baghdatis has knocked out No 4 seed Roberto Bautista Agut 7-5, 6-0 to book his place in the semi-final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
The opening set went to serve until Baghdatis, the world No 57 from Cyprus, broke Bautista Agut at love for 5-4. But the Spaniard broke back immediately. A third consecutive break, however, allowed Baghdatis to move into the lead once again and he then managed to serve out for the set after squandering three set points.
Baghdatis then cruised through the second set in 29 minutes to book his place in the last four.
This will be his second semi-final appearance in Dubai. He lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the 2010 semis.
The latest: Nick Kyrgios cruised into the last four of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, knocking out No 3 seed and two-time finalist Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-4 in an hour 26 minutes.
Kyrgios, winner in Marseille last week, started the match with a break and then saved four break points to hold his serve in the second game and that was enough to decide the fate of the 45-minute first set.
The second set went to serve until the Australian broke Berdych for a 5-4 lead and then served out for the match, finishing with an ace.
This was the third meeting of the year between Berdych and Kyrgios. The Czech, the world No 7, won the first duel in the third round of the Australian Open, but Kyrgios beat him in the Marseille semis last week.
Match of the day
Tomas Berdych (CZE) [3] v Nick Kyrgios (AUS)
One of the best players in the world against perhaps the future best player in the world. Berdych and Kyrgios have played each other twice this season already, and the score sits at 1-1, with Berdych winning at the Australian Open and Kyrgios prevailing in Marseille last week. Both players boast similar styles, with big serves, huge groundstrokes and deadly forehands. This has the potential to be the match of the tournament.
Order of play
CENTRE COURT
From 3pm
Nick Kyrgios (AUS) v Tomas Berdych (CZE) [3]
Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) [4] v Marcos Baghdatis (CYP)
Not before 7pm
Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) [8] v Stan Wawrinka (SUI) [2]
Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1] v Feliciano Lopez (ESP) [6]
COURT 1
From 4pm
Simone Bolelli (ITA) / Andreas Seppi (ITA) v Jamie Murray (GBR) / Tommy Robredo (ESP)
Lukasz Kubot (POL / Marcin Matkowski (POL) v Daniel Nestor (CAN) / Radek Stepanek (CZE)
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Match info
Who: India v Afghanistan
What: One-off Test match, Bengaluru
When: June 14 to 18
TV: OSN Sports Cricket HD, 8am starts
Online: OSN Play (subscribers only)
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
More coverage from the Future Forum
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
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Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
The specs: 2019 Lincoln MKC
Price, base / as tested: Dh169,995 / Dh192,045
Engine: Turbocharged, 2.0-litre, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 253hp @ 5,500rpm
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Fuel economy, combined: 10.7L / 100km
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
ZIMBABWE V UAE, ODI SERIES
All matches at the Harare Sports Club:
1st ODI, Wednesday - Zimbabwe won by 7 wickets
2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16
UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
Honeymoonish
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Profile of Udrive
Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.
