DUBAI // Regina Kulikova has set her sights on qualifying for her first grand slam tournament in Australia next month after winning the Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge last night.
The Russian defeated Sandra Zahlavova of the Czech Republic 7-6 (6), 6-3 to claim a trophy already inscribed with some of the bigger names of the WTA Tour such as Jelena Jankovic, Katerina Bondarenko and Marion Bartoli.
The win, her eighth title on the ITF Tour, gives her 65 ranking points and leaves her US$11,500 (Dh42.216) better off.
Kulikova, a beneficiary of a grant from the Boris Yeltsin Fund in 2004, has previously played in the qualifiers of three grand slam tournaments: the French Open earlier this year and Wimbledon and the US Open in 2008, but has so far failed to make it to a main event. The 20-year-old hopes she will be lucky this time.
"Winning this tournament is really important for me," she said. "If you look at the names who have won the title earlier, it is a prestigious tournament. Now I hope I can follow in the footsteps of the past winners.
"It is good to get these points. This is the end of the year and I am getting some important ranking points going into the new season. Now I will be going to Australia and trying my best to get through the qualifiers and make my first appearance at a grand slam.
"The Habtoor winners have gone on to do well and I hope that charm will work for me as well. Hopefully I will be able to keep the legacy going."
As the unseeded Kulikova celebrated, seventh seed Zahlavova rued her missed chances.
"I think I had my chances, but I failed to take them," said the 24-year-old. "So I have no one to blame except myself.
"Had I won the first set, you never know, the final result could have been very different."
Earlier on Friday, the top-seeded pair of Vladimira Uhlirova and Renata Voracova won the doubles title as they defeated Julia Goerges and Oksana Kalashnikova 4-6, 6-2, 10-8.
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How The Debt Panel's advice helped readers in 2019
December 11: 'My husband died, so what happens to the Dh240,000 he owes in the UAE?'
JL, a housewife from India, wrote to us about her husband, who died earlier this month. He left behind an outstanding loan of Dh240,000 and she was hoping to pay it off with an insurance policy he had taken out. She also wanted to recover some of her husband’s end-of-service liabilities to help support her and her son.
“I have no words to thank you for helping me out,” she wrote to The Debt Panel after receiving the panellists' comments. “The advice has given me an idea of the present status of the loan and how to take it up further. I will draft a letter and send it to the email ID on the bank’s website along with the death certificate. I hope and pray to find a way out of this.”
November 26: ‘I owe Dh100,000 because my employer has not paid me for a year’
SL, a financial services employee from India, left the UAE in June after quitting his job because his employer had not paid him since November 2018. He owes Dh103,800 on four debts and was told by the panellists he may be able to use the insolvency law to solve his issue.
SL thanked the panellists for their efforts. "Indeed, I have some clarity on the consequence of the case and the next steps to take regarding my situation," he says. "Hopefully, I will be able to provide a positive testimony soon."
October 15: 'I lost my job and left the UAE owing Dh71,000. Can I return?'
MS, an energy sector employee from South Africa, left the UAE in August after losing his Dh12,000 job. He was struggling to meet the repayments while securing a new position in the UAE and feared he would be detained if he returned. He has now secured a new job and will return to the Emirates this month.
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Company profile
Company name: Fasset
Started: 2019
Founders: Mohammad Raafi Hossain, Daniel Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $2.45 million
Current number of staff: 86
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Investors: Investcorp, Liberty City Ventures, Fatima Gobi Ventures, Primal Capital, Wealthwell Ventures, FHS Capital, VN2 Capital, local family offices
