Bachmann likes to shop in Dubai

Shopping is her passion and she came early for the $75,000 Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge so that she can enjoy the Dubai Shopping Festival. Seventh-seeded German Angelika Bachmann was impressed with the promotion of the festival and her joy was doubled last night with an easy first round victory at the Metropolitan Resort and Beach Club.

The German is here for the second successive year and vows to come back again and again. "I love here," she said, adding that everything about the Al Habtoor ITF women's Challenger event was so pleasing that most girls love to return. And, "Hani Al Khafef makes everything easy for us," she said.

A product of the Baveria National development project in Germany, Bachmann has come here without a coach.

"We are now part of the Adidas sponsored Baveria development project and there is only one coach, who is busy with two other girls in Germany, hence could not join me here," said Bachmann, who turns to her doubles partner for help during this tournament.

Bachmann, who will turn 22 next month, plans to launch her website, she added: "I would like to learn more about developing websites and if other players on the WTA circuit like that I would help them develop their own sites."

Bachmann, who indulges in Tae Bo (kind of a shadow boxing) for physical exercise, thinks that the trend of working on physical strength among the women's players was a good sign.

"Of course tennis is more than physical strength, but one should not ignore this aspect of the game too," she said. Bachmann is trying to improve her game at the net to catch up with the rest of the players in a bid to climb further from her current ranking of 150.

"I have began playing doubles basically to get stronger at the net," she said, emphasising that playing doubles had helped her strengthen her ability to volley.

Bachmann had a fruitful season last year although she didn't win any title. "I qualified to play in the main draw in the French and U.S. Open," she revealed her Grand Slam achievements with a sense of pride in her voice. Braving the heat here in the first match of the main draw, Bachmann announced, "I am here to win the tournament this time."