The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships may be stacked with the best players in the world, who between them have won countless titles, but there are only two former champions in the field.
Both of those players began their bids for more Dubai glory on Monday and came through relatively unscathed. Jelena Ostapenko, winner here in 2022, needed three sets to get past qualifier Xiyu Wang, before two-time winner Elina Svitolina defeated fellow Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina.
Ostapenko, 26, is aiming to continue her impressive start to the season; the Latvian has collected two trophies already and after Monday’s victory is level with Abu Dhabi champion Elena Rybakina for most match wins this year with 15.
In fact, the former French Open winner has only lost to one player this season, coming up short on all three occasions she has faced Victoria Azarenka. Ostapenko can breathe a sigh of relief that the Belarusian is in the opposite end of the draw, so they can only meet in the final. Azarenka, incidentally, faces fourth seed Rybakina in the second round on Tuesday.
When she’s in this form, Ostapenko is a problem for any player, and the ninth seed was ultimately too strong for world No 64 Wang, despite a late wobble towards the end of the first set. That opened the door for Wang to take a shock one-set lead, but Ostapenko quickly regrouped to clinch a 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 victory.
So in the zone was Ostapenko by the end of the match, she didn’t even realise she’d won and was convinced there was at least another game to go.
“I miscounted the score, first time I think in my life! It's a good thing. I thought to continue the match, but it was over, so it's good for me,” said Ostapenko, who will play Swiss wildcard Lulu Sun in the second round.
“It was a really tough match. She's a great player, very talented, especially being lefty with a big serve. It was not easy with the wind today. I managed to win. That's what matters.”
Ostapenko burst on to the scene in 2017 when she won the French Open as a 19-year-old, becoming the first unseeded player to win the Grand Slam tournament in 84 years. Since then, her career has had its highs and lows; she’s won eight titles but also spent time outside the top 40.
Now back inside the top 10, the world No 9 said her positive form has given her sky-high confidence, allowing her to maintain belief in tough moments, like losing the first set to Wang.
“Today I was not really playing my best game, but I was trying to find it and play every point,” she said. “Even when it didn't go my way, I was just trying to find my game – not like just going through motions and missing even more. Today in very tough conditions I managed to win. I feel like that's what is helping to build the confidence.”
Following Ostapenko on the main stadium court in Monday’s first evening match, Svitolina advanced to the second round and a meeting with Germany’s Tatjana Maria by beating compatriot Kalinina 6-3, 7-6.
Svitolina, a back-to-back winner in Dubai in 2017 and 2018, is competing in her first full season on the WTA Tour having returned last April following the birth of her daughter Skai in October 2022. The Ukrainian has made remarkably swift progress, quickly returning to the top 20, and amid a strong start to the season will have designs on another deep run in Dubai.
"I have so many great memories here, winning here twice, winning my first big title which got me into the top 10 – lots of special moments for me," Svitolina, 29, said. "I'm really happy to be back on this court again and to experience the win."
Tuesday will see the start of the tournament for many of the world's best players. The top eight seeds all received first-round byes, so world No 1 Iga Swiatek, Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, US Open champion Coco Gauff, and fourth seed Elena Rybakina, who won the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open title earlier this month, will all be in action.
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
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
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.”
On racial profiling at airports
Results:
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 2,000m - Winner: Powderhouse, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap Dh165,000 2,200m - Winner: Heraldic, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.40pm: Conditions Dh240,000 1,600m - Winner: Walking Thunder, Connor Beasley, Ahmed bin Harmash
8.15pm: Handicap Dh190,000 2,000m - Winner: Key Bid, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
8.50pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed Dh265,000 1,200m - Winner: Drafted, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
9.25pm: Handicap Dh170,000 1,600m - Winner: Cachao, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap Dh190,000 1,400m - Winner: Rodaini, Connor Beasley, Ahmed bin Harmash
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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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
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Top New Zealand cop on policing the virtual world
New Zealand police began closer scrutiny of social media and online communities after the attacks on two mosques in March, the country's top officer said.
The killing of 51 people in Christchurch and wounding of more than 40 others shocked the world. Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was accused of the killings. His trial is ongoing and he denies the charges.
Mike Bush, commissioner of New Zealand Police, said officers looked closely at how they monitored social media in the wake of the tragedy to see if lessons could be learned.
“We decided that it was fit for purpose but we need to deepen it in terms of community relationships, extending them not only with the traditional community but the virtual one as well," he told The National.
"We want to get ahead of attacks like we suffered in New Zealand so we have to challenge ourselves to be better."
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Zombieland: Double Tap
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone
Four out of five stars
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MATCH INFO
What: Brazil v South Korea
When: Tonight, 5.30pm
Where: Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae
JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
