Canadian tennis star Bianca Andreescu relishing shot at Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open

02.02.2023 - 09:49 arabnews.com

Former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu is delighted to finally see the UAE capital added to the WTA calendar with the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open —a contest that would “mean a lot” to her if she became its first winner.

The 22-year-old Canadian is among the top stars set to compete at the inaugural WTA-500 level event from Feb. 5-12 at the International Tennis Centre in Zayed Sports City.

With the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open being the latest elite tennis event in the city following the 2021 WTA Women’s Tennis Open and the annual exhibition Mubadala World Tennis Championships, Andreescu is relishing the opportunity of returning to the Emirate after being impressed by what she saw during a day trip back in December 2020.

The 2019 US Open champion said: “Whenever there’s a chance that I can play a tournament, I will but specifically for this tournament it’s a WTA 500 and is being staged in a great location in Abu Dhabi. “I’ve been there before and I always wanted to go back.

tennis Australian Open Elena Rybakina Belinda Bencic Aryna Sabalenka Novak Djokovic Tommy Paul Bianca Andreescu Daria Kasatkina Veronika Kudermetova Stefanos Tsitsipas Russia Usa Australia Abu Dhabi Uae county Centre Sport

In a first-round matchup of former Grand Slam champions, ninth-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan beat Canada's Bianca Andreescu 6-3, 6-4 on Monday in the Dubai (United Arab Emirates) Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Australian Open success whetted Sabalenka’s appetite for more glory

DUBAI: Aryna Sabalenka says her maiden Grand Slam triumph at the Australian Open last month has further fueled her hunger for success, as she looks to add more silverware to her cabinet. The world No.2 is undefeated so far in 2023, having won both tournaments she has contested to accrue a perfect 11-0 record. Sabalenka will put her winning streak on the line in Dubai this week, where she will make her first on-court appearance since lifting the trophy in Melbourne with victory over Elena Rybakina in the final three weeks ago.

17 of world’s top 20 female players enter draw for $2.9m Dubai Tennis Championships

DUBAI: With only days to go until the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships get under way, a throng of the elite 64-player field — including last month’s Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and World No.1 Iga Swiatek — are already arriving in the emirate ahead of Saturday’s main draw when they will discover their pathways to the $2.9 million prize purse.

Wildcard Andy Murray relaxed and ready for Dubai Tennis Championships

DUBAI: British tennis legend Andy Murray has heaped praise on the ongoing evolution of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships which gets underway this weekend with the women’s WTA 1000 event followed by the men’s ATP 500 tournament.

Abu Dhabi champion Belinda Bencic finally gets chance to fulfil skydive wish

When Belinda Bencic won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in 2019, ending a near four-year title drought, she vowed to celebrate with a skydive.

Sania Mirza and partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands crash out of Abu Dhabi Open

Sania Mirza and her American partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands suffered a straight-set defeat against the pair of Kirsten Flipkens and Laura Siegemund in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Open here.The Sania-Bethanie duo lost 3-6, 4-6 to their Belgian-German opponents in the match that lasted one hour and 13 minutes Monday night to make an early exit from the tournament.Sania, a six-time Grand Slam winner, is set to retire from professional tennis after playing in the Dubai Tennis Championships beginning February 19.Last month, Sania and Rohan Bopanna had finished runners-up in the mixed doubles in the Australian Open in Melbourne as they lost to Brazilians Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos in the final.