Tickets for the 2019 Mubadala World Tennis Championship (MWTC) in Abu Dhabi have gone on sale, tournament organisers announced on Sunday.
Taking place at the International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City on December 19-21, the 2019 MWTC will feature six of the world's leading male players and two female stars.
Last year's men's tournament was won by world No 1 Novak Djokovic, who defeated South Africa's Kevin Anderson in the final. The women's match was contested by Serena and Venus Williams, with Venus emerging victorious.
While the line-up for the upcoming 12th MWTC is yet to be announced, tickets are now available, with prices starting at Dh100 for adults and children going free on Day 1. Those planning to attend all three days can save 20 per cent by purchasing a three-day package.
“Today is the day so many of us have been waiting for since the 11th Mubadala World Tennis Championship concluded on 29 December 2018," John Lickrish, CEO at event organisers Flash Entertainment, said in a statement.
"Over the years, this championship has proven to be the people’s favourite event on the Abu Dhabi calendar, so I encourage tennis fans worldwide, and anyone planning a festive holiday in Abu Dhabi this December, to get in quick to secure their tickets."
In recent years, MWTC has been staged in the days between Christmas and New Year's Eve, but the decision has been made to move the tournament forward this year.
“We made a strategic move in bringing the championship forward this year to allow spectators the chance to maximise the festive spirit and special atmosphere of this one-of-a-kind sporting and family-focused event," Lickrish said.
"We look forward to welcoming everybody for three days of tennis and a whole range of fun, festive activities.”
Day 1 at MWTC will host two quarter-final matches, with the two highest-seeded players in the draw handed byes to the semi-finals, which will be played on the second day. The third and final day will then host the men's final and third-place play-off.
The scheduling of the one-off women's match has yet to be confirmed. Last year's match was held on the first day, and the inaugural match in 2017 between Serena Williams and Jelena Ostapenko took place on the final day.
Tickets are available online from ticketmaster.ae and at Virgin Megastores across the UAE. For more information on tickets and about the tournament, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
Fanney Khan
Producer: T-Series, Anil Kapoor Productions, ROMP, Prerna Arora
Director: Atul Manjrekar
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand
Rating: 2/5
TALE OF THE TAPE
Manny Pacquiao
Record: 59-6-2 (38 KOs)
Age: 38
Weight: 146lbs
Height: 166cm
Reach: 170cm
Jeff Horn
Record: 16-0-1 (11 KOs)
Age: 29
Weight: 146.2lbs
Height: 175cm
Reach: 173cm
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Results
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m; Winner: AF Al Baher, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m; Winner: Talento Puma, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,950m; Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Stakes Listed (TB) Dh500,000 1,950m; Winner: Mark Of Approval, Patrick Cosgrave, Mahmood Hussain.
4pm: Conditions (TB) Dh125,000 1,400m; Winner: Dead-heat Raakez, Jim Crowley, Nicholas Bachalard/Attribution, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.30pm: Jebel Ali Sprint (TB) Dh500,000 1,000m; Winner: AlKaraama, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m; Winner: Cachao, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
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Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
