• Ons Jabeur serves during a practice session at Melbourne Park on January 11, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia ahead of the 2023 Australian Open. Getty
    Ons Jabeur serves during a practice session at Melbourne Park on January 11, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia ahead of the 2023 Australian Open. Getty
  • Ons Jabeur serves during a practice session at Melbourne Park. Getty
    Ons Jabeur serves during a practice session at Melbourne Park. Getty
  • Ons Jabeur during a practice session ahead of the Australian Open. AFP
    Ons Jabeur during a practice session ahead of the Australian Open. AFP
  • Ons Jabeur during a practice session ahead of the Australian Open. AFP
    Ons Jabeur during a practice session ahead of the Australian Open. AFP
  • Ons Jabeur plays a forehand during a practice session at Melbourne Park. Getty
    Ons Jabeur plays a forehand during a practice session at Melbourne Park. Getty
  • Ons Jabeur plays a backhand during a practice session at Melbourne Park. Getty
    Ons Jabeur plays a backhand during a practice session at Melbourne Park. Getty
  • Ons Jabeur plays a backhand during a practice session at Melbourne Park. Getty
    Ons Jabeur plays a backhand during a practice session at Melbourne Park. Getty

Jabeur to headline inaugural Abu Dhabi Open as WTA Tour strengthens regional presence


Reem Abulleil
  • English
  • Arabic

Women’s tennis continues to strengthen its foothold in the Mena region with the announcement of a new WTA 500-level tournament set to take place in Abu Dhabi next month.

The introduction of the event, to be held February 5-12, means there will be three consecutive weeks of WTA tennis taking place in the Gulf, with the Qatar Open and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships scheduled for February 13 to 18, and February 19 to 25 respectively.

The Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open is owned by industry giants IMG, who help run the Mubadala World Tennis Championship under Flash’s ownership each December at Zayed Sports City.

Last autumn, a WTA 250 event debuted in Monastir, Tunisia, with its sanction also owned by IMG but leased out to the Tunisian Tennis Federation.

The new Abu Dhabi tournament means there are now five tournaments on the WTA calendar taking place in the Mena region, which has seen a surge in the popularity of women’s tennis thanks to the rousing success of Tunisian world No 2 Ons Jabeur and Egypt’s first-ever top-50 player Mayar Sherif.

Jabeur, who made her second Mubadala World Tennis Championship appearance last month, will return to the capital for the inaugural Abu Dhabi Open.

“It means a lot to me to see the WTA have a stronger presence in the Middle East and North Africa,” Jabeur, 28, told The National.

“Seeing how the Arab region is growing and evolving makes me really happy. Hopefully this could show the new generation how everything is possible and could introduce them more to tennis and give them more opportunities. It’s really inspiring for me to witness and to be part of.”

This isn’t the first time Abu Dhabi has hosted a WTA tournament. In 2021, the emirate stepped up to host a one-off event – behind closed doors – to kick off the season when the pandemic caused disruption to normal scheduling.

Aryna Sabalenka won the one-off Abu Dhabi WTA Women's Tennis Open title in 2021. Getty Images
Aryna Sabalenka won the one-off Abu Dhabi WTA Women's Tennis Open title in 2021. Getty Images

The Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, though, is set to be an annual tournament staged at the International Tennis Complex at Zayed Sports City.

“The Mena region has played an integral role in WTA’s legacy of giving women across the globe the opportunity to compete at the highest level,” WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon told The National.

“Since 2001, its representation and growth throughout the Tour has not only paved a visible pathway for future generations of Arab athletes, but also diversified the sporting landscape along the way.”

Jabeur has been making history for Tunisia, North Africa and the Arab world ever since she won the Roland Garros junior tournament back in 2011. Last year, she became the first African woman and first Arab player in the Open era to reach a Grand Slam final when she placed runner-up at both Wimbledon and the US Open.

Mayar Sherif is Egypt's top-50 player on the WTA Tour. EPA
Mayar Sherif is Egypt's top-50 player on the WTA Tour. EPA

The highest-ranked African woman in history, Jabeur has broken records and barriers every step of the way and Sherif – Egypt’s first-ever WTA title winner – is looking to follow in her footsteps.

“As athletes from this region see continued success, so does the marketability of women’s tennis,” added Simon.

“In celebrating the 50th anniversary of the WTA this year, we’re reminded how fortunate we are to embrace new events and regions around the world as it allows us to nurture future generations of talent and fans.

“The Middle East has equipped the WTA with great support for decades and its presence continues to influence further growth throughout the Arab world.”

More players will be announced in due course but a strong field can be expected given the practicality of having a three-week Middle East swing that allows players to compete in similar conditions with minimal travel in between.

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Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?

The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.

The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.

He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.

He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.

He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.

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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

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Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER) 

Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG) 

Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED) 

Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA) 

Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG) 

Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA) 

Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG) 

Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)  

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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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.

Disability on screen

Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues

24: Legacy — PTSD;

Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound

Taken and This Is Us — cancer

Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)

Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg

Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety

Switched at Birth — deafness

One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy

Dragons — double amputee

Company profile

Name: Thndr

Started: October 2020

Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: FinTech

Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000

Funding stage: series A; $20 million

Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC,  Rabacap and MSA Capital

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Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
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Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

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Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Iran v Uzbekistan, 8pm
N Korea v UAE, 10.15pm
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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid

When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

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1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets

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Profile of RentSher

Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE

Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi

Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE

Sector: Online rental marketplace

Size: 40 employees

Investment: $2 million

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Updated: January 12, 2023, 4:54 AM