Ons Jabeur cut a much happier and healthier figure on her return to the Australian Open as the Tunisian eased into the second round with a comfortable victory over qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva on Monday.
One year ago, Jabeur left Melbourne Park after a second-round defeat to Marketa Vondrousova, during which she was clearly struggling. As it transpired, Jabeur had an enlarged nodule obstructing her airway which prevented oxygen from reaching her lungs, and required medical assistance as she turned blue and struggled to breathe. Her coach, Issam Jellali, revealed in a new documentary about Jabeur that he thought she was "gonna die".
Now back in Australia for her latest quest to become the first Arab and African woman to win one of tennis' four major titles, Jabeur began with a 6-3, 6-1 win against Starodubtseva, the tears of 12 months ago replaced by a big, broad smile.
"It's very, very special to come back here," Jabeur, 29, said inside Margaret Court Arena after her victory. "I decided to rest a bit before coming to the Australian Open. The crowd really helped today and hopefully it'll be a much better match in the next round.
"Last year wasn't so great here, so coming back here I was a little bit stressed but seeing the crowd made me less stressed."
Jabeur opted against competing in one of the Australian Open warm-up events, and her lack of recent matches showed at the start as the sixth seed was broken in the very first game. However, she responded with a break straight back and soon assumed control with a 4-1 lead. Starodubtseva managed to get the first set back on serve with her second break for 4-3, but a marathon ninth game saw Jabeur earn her third break before clinching the opener on serve.
If the first set showed a slightly rusty Jabeur – her first serve percentage was just 46 per cent and she produced 16 unforced errors – then the second set was a significant improvement. Jabeur earned the immediate break and extended her advantage to lead 5-1, often toying with her opponent with her usual array of tricks.
The Tunisian, a three-time Grand Slam finalist, then wrapped up the victory in 67 minutes with a classy forehand winner, and will next face 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva in the second round on Wednesday.
Murray tumbles out in first round
While Jabeur was enjoying her return to Melbourne Park, it was a tough day for Andy Murray as the former world No 1 tumbled out in the first round before admitting there was a "definite possibility" he has played his last Australian Open.
Five times a finalist in Melbourne, Murray was emphatically beaten 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 by Argentine 30th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry inside the Kia Arena.
The 36-year-old Briton had a frustrating end to 2023, winning just one match in his last four tournaments, and said previously that unless his form picked up the curtain could be coming down on his career.
"Yeah, it's a definite possibility that will be the last time I play here," said world No 44 Murray, who has struggled to rediscover his best form since undergoing career-saving hip surgery in January 2019.
"In comparison to the matches that I played here last year, it's the complete opposite feeling walking off the court. Wish I involved the crowd more. Just disappointed with the way I played. Tough, tough way to finish."
Murray said he had spoken to his family and coaching staff about when he might quit.
"They're very aware of how I feel about things, where I would like to finish playing, when that would be," the three-time major champion said.
"I haven't made any definite decisions on that. Yeah, it's obviously something that I need to think about and see exactly when that is. It's not like it hasn't been something that's been on my mind."
He added that the time frame on when he will retire "narrows when you play and have results like today".
"I haven't gained in belief from today's match that at some stage I'm going to start playing really well again or winning tournaments or getting to the latter stages of major events."
Early exit for Osaka but easy work for Gauff
Naomi Osaka did not enjoy the fairytale return she might have envisaged as the two-time champion lost 6-4 7-6 to French 16th seed Caroline Garcia in the first round on Monday.
Osaka returned to action after 15 months out during which she had her first child and the four-time major winner looked rusty in her first appearance at a Slam since 2022 as Garcia took control of the first set.
The match was more even in the next but it was Garcia who stepped up a level in the tiebreak to seal the win.
"I thought it was a really good match and I thought I did as well as I possibly could," Osaka said afterwards.
"The competitor in me is not happy that I'm not winning these matches (but) I think I just need to work hard and play a lot more matches and then hopefully my dreams will come true."
Meanwhile, Coco Gauff, who first made a name for herself upsetting Osaka at Melbourne Park in 2020, roared into the second round. The US Open champion rattled off the last nine games in a row for a dominant 6-3 6-0 win over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
"I just freed up and everything started to fall in place," said Gauff, the No 4 seed.
Marketa Vondrousova, the Wimbledon champion, crashed out in straight sets to Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska.
"I didn't practise much before the tournament because I was injured," said Vondrousova, who pulled out of a warm-up event with a hip issue.
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The specs: 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
Price, base / as tested Dh222,500 / Dh296,870
Engine 2.0L, flat four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed PDK
Power 300hp @ 6,500rpm
Torque 380hp @ 1,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.9L / 100km
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
Company profile
Company: Eighty6
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Based: Dubai, UAE
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Investment: $1 million
Investors: Seed funding, angel investors
Brief scores:
Toss: Rajputs, elected to field first
Sindhis 94-6 (10 ov)
Watson 42; Munaf 3-20
Rajputs 96-0 (4 ov)
Shahzad 74 not out
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Country-size land deals
US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:
Louisiana Purchase
If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.
Florida Purchase Treaty
The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty.
Alaska purchase
America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".
The Philippines
At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million.
US Virgin Islands
It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.
Gwadar
The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees.
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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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UAE Team Emirates
Valerio Conti (ITA)
Alessandro Covi (ITA)
Joe Dombrowski (USA)
Davide Formolo (ITA)
Fernando Gaviria (COL)
Sebastian Molano (COL)
Maximiliano Richeze (ARG)
Diego Ulissi (ITAS)
Ferrari
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Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
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
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Fighter profiles
Gabrieli Pessanha (Brazil)
Reigning Abu Dhabi World Pro champion in the 95kg division, virtually unbeatable in her weight class. Known for her pressure game but also dangerous with her back on the mat.
Nathiely de Jesus, 23, (Brazil)
Two-time World Pro champion renowned for her aggressive game. She is tall and most feared by her opponents for both her triangles and arm-bar attacks.
Thamara Ferreira, 24, (Brazil)
Since her brown belt days, Ferreira has been dominating the 70kg, in both the World Pro and the Grand Slams. With a very aggressive game.
Samantha Cook, 32, (Britain)
One of the biggest talents coming out of Europe in recent times. She is known for a highly technical game and bringing her A game to the table as always.
Kendall Reusing, 22, (USA)
Another young gun ready to explode in the big leagues. The Californian resident is a powerhouse in the -95kg division. Her duels with Pessanha have been highlights in the Grand Slams.
Martina Gramenius, 32, (Sweden)
Already a two-time Grand Slam champion in the current season. Gramenius won golds in the 70kg, in both in Moscow and Tokyo, to earn a spot in the inaugural Queen of Mats.
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Tips to avoid getting scammed
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
