Strong field for Habtoor tennis Challenge
Six players from top 100 to show up in the 11th edition of tournament that starts today
Dubai : The Czech Republic's Nicole Vaidisova is the top seed in the qualifiers at the 11th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge that gets under way at the Habtoor Grand Resort and Spa from today.
The 20-year-old, who achieved a top ranking of No 7 on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in May 2007, is in fact beginning her journey of re-establishing her career on the women's circuit starting with this tournament.
Qualifying matches will start from 9am today at the Habtoor Grand Resort and Spa tennis courts. The second round of qualifiers will be held tomorrow and the final four to make the main draw will be known on Monday morning.
"Getting six of the top-100 players is a huge achievement, and we owe this to our sponsors who have stood by us all along," tournament consultant Hani Al Khafief told Gulf News.
"The bonus definitely is to have players such as Vaidisova spruce up this event. This just goes on to show that we have been doing something right all along. It has been a long ten years for us and we are pleased with what we have achieved for women's tennis," he added.
Vaidisova has been playing tennis since she was six years old. She is a student of Nick Bollettieri and her serve is considered her biggest weapon.
In August 2006, at the age of 17 years, three months and two weeks, she became the 12th youngest player in the WTA Tour history to be ranked in the Top 10.
In Grand Slams, she has a semifinal appearance at the French Open (2006) and a semifinal at the Australian Open the following year. She also has two successive quarterfinal appearances at Wimbledon.
Defending champion
Diatchenko ruled out
The 2008 champion Vitalia Diatchenko will not defend her title at the 11th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge.
Diatchenko, slipped during training in Russia last week and ruptured ligaments in her leg. "Her right leg is in a cast and she has called to say that she will not be able to make it," Hani Al Khafief, the tennis consultant for the tournament told Gulf News.
"It's a huge loss for us as we were expecting Vitalia to be with us this year and defend her crown," he added.
Past singles winners here include Jelena Jankovic (2003), Marion Bartoli (2005) and Maria Kirilenko (2007).
— A.G.
INJURY
