Ons Jabeur staying 'realistic' after Dubai title chances increase on day of upsets

Ons Jabeur insisted she is will not put any “unnecessary pressure” on herself as the last seeded player remaining in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships draw.

On a day of upsets, Tunisian eighth seed Jabeur avoided the same fate with an impressive 6-3, 6-1 victory over American Jessica Pegula. Jabeur's ranking installs her as one of the favourites for the title and raises hopes of an Arabic champion, but having only just returned from a back injury that forced her to miss the Australian Open, the world No 10 was keen to downplay expectations.

“I'm going to take every match slowly,” Jabeur, 27, said. “I came back from an injury, so I want to be realistic with myself. My main goal is to be healthy and win matches. Every match I win is a bonus.

“The season is still long. I don't want to put unnecessary pressure on myself. I don't want to be disappointed after. For now it's working well for me. Hopefully I can continue like that.”

While Jabeur is being “realistic”, that shouldn't be mistaken for a lack of motivation. “Of course [I want to win the title]. Who doesn't want to win? Especially me in Dubai or Qatar, it's amazing. I really want to win a WTA title one of these days here.”

Jabeur produced an inconsistent performance in her three-set win over Russia's Vera Zvonareva in the first round, so her display against Pegula marked a significant improvement.

"I'm really happy with the way I played,” she said. “I wasn't expecting that at all, especially after yesterday's match. I'm glad that I kept it short, not a three-setter. This gives me a lot of confidence for next match, for sure.”

As the leading Arab tennis player, Jabeur always enjoys huge support in Dubai and Wednesday was no different, with Tunisians turning out in big numbers to cheer on their hero.

“It's amazing. All Tunisians are crazy! They think it's a football match,” she said. “It's a crazy atmosphere. Always the crowd pushes a lot. Hopefully I can see more tomorrow.”

Set-jetting on the Emerald Isle

Other shows filmed in Ireland include: Vikings (County Wicklow), The Fall (Belfast), Line of Duty (Belfast), Penny Dreadful (Dublin), Ripper Street (Dublin), Krypton (Belfast)

Dubai World Cup factbox

Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)

Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)

Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)

Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)

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)

KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI

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Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead

Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble

Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks

Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence

Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground

Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile

Rashmee Roshan Lall: Sound of silence in South Asia

Richard Olson: Why Afghanistan will be very wary

'Saand Ki Aankh'

Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

On Women's Day

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat

While you're here

Mustafa Alrawi: To get the 'jab' done, there must be patience and empathy

Damien McElroy: Anti-science attitudes in America are proving lethal

Editorial: What makes the UAE such a good place to test vaccines?

Editorial: The fight against Covid-19 should be guided by science

About Karol Nawrocki

• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.

• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.

• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.

• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.

COMPANY%20PROFILE

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