DUBAI // It is perhaps unsurprising someone who spent the formative years of their life in one of the most dangerous cities in the world would develop a certain fearlessness.
Garbine Muguruza, born in Caracas to a Venezuelan mother and a Spanish father, plays tennis with bravery, bravado and unbending self-belief.
The world No 24, mixing powerful serves with aggressive net play, is building a reputation as a formidable opponent with a bright future ahead of her.
This week, she was the only unseeded player to reach the quarter-finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
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On Thursday, she saw off the challenge of Carla Suarez Navarro, her best friend and doubles partner, 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 to secure a semi-final showdown with Karolina Pliskova.
At 21, Muguruza has plenty of room for improvement. The same gallant play that has already this week resulted in wins over Jelena Jankovic and Agnieszka Radwanska – seeded 12th and fifth, respectively – can work against her, too.
Against Suarez Navarro, she repeatedly overcomplicated matters, playing aggressively at inopportune moments.
Chasing the lead in the first set, she tried a volleyed backhand and found the net. A defter shot would have sufficed.
As one acerbic analyst commented: “She goes for power – and when that doesn’t work she goes for more power.”
Yet the foundations are there.
On her way to last year’s French Open quarter-finals, she defeated world No 1 Serena Williams in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2. It was Williams’s heaviest defeat in grand slam play.
Last week, representing Spain in the Fed Cup, she beat world No 3 Simona Halep in front of the Romanian’s home crowd. After yesterday’s victory, her record for 2015 reads 11 wins, two losses.
“You get more mentally strong when you see that every time you play with top-10 players, you win or you make them suffer,” Muguruza said. “So this is my goal: to play against these kind of players with respect, be aggressive, and try and win the match. I have been working really hard to be more consistent, and now I’m starting to get the pay-off.
“I have a game in which I have to play really aggressive, strong and deep, so I have a lot of options to miss the ball. And I know that. But my game is to win more points than I lose. I don’t care if I suddenly miss three balls, because I’m thinking, ‘OK, next one I’m going to win’. It’s part of my game. Sometimes I miss a lot, but I’m just calm.”
By way of an example: Against Suarez Navarro, Muguruza won her first service game to love but was broken at the next opportunity. By the end of the two hours and 20 minutes, she had hit 10 aces and seven double-faults.
“In the beginning, when you have to play aggressive and you start to miss, you’re like: ‘I have to play more short’,” the Spaniard said. “But, with time, you see that to win important matches all the great players cannot be putting the ball inside and running.”
Much of Muguruza’s game can be linked back to her upbringing. Having lived in the notoriously violent Venezuelan capital until the age of six, her parents told her to “always be brave and never be scared”. It was a mantra she carried into tennis after picking up a racquet for the first time aged three or four.
“We went to a country club one day and there were tennis courts there,” she said. “My parents said: ‘Oh, you can start to play tennis. They are having fun’. So me and my brother started to play, and now look.”
Look now, and what greets the eye is a strapping six-footer whose first serve yesterday reached speeds as high as 197kph and who appears comfortable volleying from anywhere on the court.
Pliskova, today’s opponent, sits only six places above her in the WTA world rankings, suggesting a place in tomorrow’s final is well within reach – not that Muguruza speaks of such tangible targets.
“My goal is just to go to the court every time and try to win the match,” she said. “Be consistent and do not have injuries. I just want to be healthy and try to improve every day. It’s not such a big goal I have, but it’s very important.”
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Results:
Men’s wheelchair 200m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 27.14; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 27.81; 3. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 27.81.
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
more from Janine di Giovanni
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENCE (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out ballistic missiles as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 150 kilometres above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Day 4, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage appeared to have been hard done by when he had his dismissal of Sami Aslam chalked off for a no-ball. Replays suggested he had not overstepped. No matter. Two balls later, the exact same combination – Gamage the bowler and Kusal Mendis at second slip – combined again to send Aslam back.
Stat of the day Haris Sohail took three wickets for one run in the only over he bowled, to end the Sri Lanka second innings in a hurry. That was as many as he had managed in total in his 10-year, 58-match first-class career to date. It was also the first time a bowler had taken three wickets having bowled just one over in an innings in Tests.
The verdict Just 119 more and with five wickets remaining seems like a perfectly attainable target for Pakistan. Factor in the fact the pitch is worn, is turning prodigiously, and that Sri Lanka’s seam bowlers have also been finding the strip to their liking, it is apparent the task is still a tough one. Still, though, thanks to Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed, it is possible.
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
