Dubai: Sara Errani, Su-Wei Hsieh, Carla Suarez Navarro and Kateryna Bondarenko will be among the top stars involved when the qualifying rounds get under way at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships at the Dubai Tennis Stadium on Saturday morning.
Scheduled for a 10.30 am start on four separate courts, the opening round of qualifying matches will see Yafan Wang take on Maria Sakkari on Court 1 before Kristina Kucova faces 2016 Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge champion Su-Wei Hsieh on Court 2 at Al Garhoud’s Dubai Tennis Stadium.
Qiang Wang of China will be up against Russia’s Valentyna Ivakhnenko on Court 3, while Japanese Junri Namigata will face Danka Kovinic on Court 7. Only four players from the field of 32 will advance to the main draw scheduled to start from 2pm on Monday.
“The qualifying draw for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is often stronger than the main draw of many other events on the WTA Tour, and this year in particular it includes many who have enjoyed enormous success,” Tournament Director Salah Tahlak noted.
“Entry for the qualifying matches is free to everyone, offering a fantastic opportunity for all tennis fans to see many great players up close. Entry will also be free to the outside courts throughout the tournament, along with access to off-court entertainment and activities,” he added.
This year’s women’s tournament has attracted eight of the top-10 players making up for possibly one of the best fields at this annual event. The men’s competition gets under way from February 26 and will conclude with the final on March 3.
Errani — a champion here in 2016 — will be looking to take her career wins into double figures. A crucial winner at last week’s 3-1 Fed Cup result against Spain, the 30-year-old Italian from Bologna who was runner-up at the 2012 French Open has already accumulated prize money of nearly $13 million (Dh47.5 million). She will start her campaign here with her opening round against Aryna Sabalenka on Court 2 later in the afternoon.
Another Dubai champion who will be seen in action during the qualifying will be the talented and unorthodox Su-Wei Hsieh from Taiwan. Although enjoying most of her success on the doubles court where she has gathered 19 titles including the French Open and Wimbledon as well as the WTA Finals, the 32-year-old from Taipei defeated both Garbine Muguruza and Agnieszka Radwanska at last month’s Australian Open before losing to Angelique Kerber in three sets. She also has a win over Johanna Konta and was a semi-finalist in Auckland earlier this season. Hsieh will open proceedings against Kristina Kucova on Court 2.
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is owned and organised by Dubai Duty Free, and held under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Grandstand ticket prices for the WTA event start at Dh55 for opening rounds while going up to Dh735 for the ATP finals. Tickets are on sale online, and from the box office at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium in Al Garhoud from 9am to 9pm.
Saturday’s Order Of Play
Court 1 (Start at 10.30am) Yafan Wang vs Maria Sakkari; Ons Jabeur vs Fatma Al Nabhani; Carla Suarez Navarro vs Lin Zhu; Samantha Stosur vs Kateryna Bondarenko.
Court 2 (Start at 10.30am) Kristina Kucova vs Su-Wei Hsieh; Lesia Tsurenko vs Ying-Ying Duan; Sara Errani vs Aryna Sabalenka; Chantal Skamlova vs Miyu Kato.
Court 3 (Start at 10.30am) Qiang Wang vs Valentyna Ivakhnenko; Alexandra Dulgheru vs Sofya Zhuk; Nao Hibino vs Naomi Osaka; Camila Giorgi vs Katerina Zavatska
Court 7 (Start at 10.30am) Junri Namigata vs Danka Kovinic; Bernarda Pera vs Marketa Vondrousova; Christina McHale vs Amandine Hesse; Eden Silva vs Zarina Diyas
