The inaugural Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open reaches its conclusion on Sunday evening when Belinda Bencic and Liudmila Samsonova contest the final at Zayed Sports City.
Here is a look at both players, how they reached the final, and a prediction for who will clinch the title.
Belinda Bencic
The Swiss second seed was among the favourites for the title from the start and she has made good on that status with an impressive tournament so far. Bencic, 25, is all too familiar with success in the UAE having won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title in 2019, which ended a near four-year trophy drought.
That long wait between trophies can be largely attributed to a long-term wrist injury which meant a prodigiously talented Bencic - she reached the US Open quarter-finals at the age of 17 - needed to rebuild her career.
The winner of seven WTA Tour titles and with a career-high ranking of No 2, achieved in February 2022, the highlight of Bencic's career so far came in the summer of 2021 when she won singles Olympic gold in Tokyo.
Bencic has started this season well, with a title at the Adelaide International, although she only reached the second round of the Australian Open.
Abu Dhabi will be Bencic's 18th WTA final.
Route to Abu Dhabi final
First round - Bye
Second round - beat Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 75
Quarter-finals - beat Shelby Rogers 7-6, 6-2
Semi-finals - beat Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-2, 6-3
Liudmila Samsonova
Since competing full time on the WTA Tour at the start of the 2019 season, Samsonova enjoyed a steady rise and won her first title in June 2021 at the German Open, beating, incidentally, Bencic in the final.
Last year, though, was a true breakout season for the Russian, who won another three tournaments to rise to a career-high No 19 in the rankings, a position she still holds.
Prior to her run to the Abu Dhabi final, it had been a slow start to the year, with early exits at both Adelaide Internationals and a second-round defeat at the Australian Open.
Samsonova, 24, is yet to make a deep run at one of the four Grand Slam events, with a pair of fourth rounds (Wimbledon 2021 and US Open 2022) her best showings so far.
However, she does have a perfect record in WTA Tour finals: four finals, four titles.
Route to Abu Dhabi final
First round - beat Claire Liu 3-6, 6-2, 6-0
Second round - beat Barbora Krejcikova 7-5, 7-6
Quarter-finals - beat Veronika Kudermetova 6-3, 6-3
Semi-finals - beat Qinwen Zheng 6-4, 1-6, 6-4
Head-to-head record
Samsonova has dominated her rivalry with Bencic, winning all three of their previous meetings. The first came in that German Cup final on grass in June 2021, with Samsonova claiming a 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory.
The pair met again three months later on an indoor hard court in the Luxembourg Open quarter-finals, Samsonova earning a comfortable 6-1, 6-4 win.
Their most recent meeting came at the Billie Jean King Cup in November 2021, when Samsonova defeated Bencic 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the final to help Russia beat Switzerland and clinch the title. That match also took place on an indoor hard court.
Final schedule
The Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open singles final will take place not before 5pm. The doubles final will kick off the action at 3pm.
Final tickets
Most of the tickets for the final have been sold, although official provider ticketmaster.ae still has a few courtside tickets remaining. These tickets cost Dh1295.
Final prediction
A very tough one to call. On one side, Bencic is the higher-ranked and more experienced player with recent title success in the UAE who has a title to her name already this season. On the other, Samsonova has two crucial faultless records: one in finals, the other against Bencic.
This match looks poised to go three sets, with Bencic to finally end her losing run against Samsonova.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
Europa League group stage draw
Group A: Villarreal, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Astana, Slavia Prague.
Group B: Dynamo Kiev, Young Boys, Partizan Belgrade, Skenderbeu.
Group C: Sporting Braga, Ludogorets, Hoffenheim, Istanbul Basaksehir.
Group D: AC Milan, Austria Vienna , Rijeka, AEK Athens.
Group E: Lyon, Everton, Atalanta, Apollon Limassol.
Group F: FC Copenhagen, Lokomotiv Moscow, Sheriff Tiraspol, FC Zlin.
Group G: Vitoria Plzen, Steaua Bucarest, Hapoel Beer-Sheva, FC Lugano.
Group H: Arsenal, BATE Borisov, Cologne, Red Star Belgrade.
Group I: Salzburg, Marseille, Vitoria Guimaraes, Konyaspor.
Group J: Athletic Bilbao, Hertha Berlin, Zorya Luhansk, Ostersund.
Group K: Lazio, Nice, Zulte Waregem, Vitesse Arnhem.
Group L: Zenit St Petersburg, Real Sociedad, Rosenborg, Vardar
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Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
SQUADS
South Africa:
Faf du Plessis (capt), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Dane Paterson, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada
Coach: Ottis Gibson
Bangladesh:
Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Mustafizur Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Tamim Iqbal, Taskin Ahmed.
Coach: Chandika Hathurusingha
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
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1. Max Verstappen, Netherlands, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1 minute, 35.246 seconds.
2. Valtteri Bottas, Finland, Mercedes, 1:35.271.
3. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, Mercedes, 1:35.332.
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6. Carlos Sainz Jr, Spain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.815.
7. Daniil Kvyat, Russia, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:35.963.
8. Lance Stroll, Canada, Racing Point BWT Mercedes, 1:36.046.
9. Charles Leclerc, Monaco, Ferrari, 1:36.065.
10. Pierre Gasly, France, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:36.242.
Eliminated after second session
11. Esteban Ocon, France, Renault, 1:36.359.
12. Daniel Ricciardo, Australia, Renault, 1:36.406.
13. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Ferrari, 1:36.631.
14. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:38.248.
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15. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.075.
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18. George Russell, Great Britain, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.045.
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US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
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It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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SUZUME
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