Rad Al Masry (Abu Dhabi)
The Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open Women’s Tennis Championship is looking forward to determining the identity of the players who qualify for the semi-finals, with the quarter-final matches being held today, amid confrontations between an elite group of the best players in the world, who are participating in the activities of the event organized by the Dubai Sports Council within the tournaments of the Association of Women Tennis Professionals. Of the 500 points category, it will continue in Zayed Sports City until next Sunday.
At the forefront of the quarter-final matches is the match between Tunisian Ons Jabeur, ranked second in the tournament and sixth in the world, against Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maya, who is of Lebanese origins, ranked 13th in the world, and ranked sixth in the tournament.
Tunisian Ons Jabeur’s qualification came after she started her journey in the round of 16, where the draw spared her from entering the first round, and she started strongly last night, in front of the fans who filled the stands to support her, especially from the Arab and Tunisian communities, to achieve victory over Britain’s Emma Raducano.
In two sets, 6-4 and 6-1.
The Tunisian star needed only 78 minutes to overthrow the player who won the US Open title in 2021, after a strong performance, especially in the second set, which she controlled tightly.
After her victory in the match, Anas Jaber thanked the fans who supported her, and said: “Thank you to everyone who came to encourage me, especially the Tunisians. When I see these fans, I feel fun playing, and I hope to see more fans in the next match.”
She added: “My coach will be happy with this victory, because I followed his technical directions very well. I am happy that my performance is improving, and I look forward to continuing to play this way and to improve more in every match I play.”
Regarding facing Brazilian Maya in the next round, the Tunisian said, “She is a great player. She enjoys playing tennis a lot, so the match will be strong, but I will try to give the best performance possible, and I look forward to being ready in this match.”
The Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maya reached the quarter-finals after she in turn defeated the Polish Magda Linnet, two sets to one, by 7-6, 6-7, 6-1, which is the match that is considered the longest in 2024, in terms of professional women’s tennis competitions. 3 hours and 42 minutes (a total of 222 minutes).
Ironically, the Brazilian player herself achieved victory in the longest match in 2023, when she defeated Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo at Roland Garros, in a match that lasted 3 hours and 51 minutes, in which she prevailed, one set to one, by 6-7, 6-3, 7. -5, and the Brazilian player has become known over the past two seasons for playing long-lasting matches, as this is the 11th time since 2022, in which her matches have exceeded at least two hours, and her score in these matches amounts to seven wins compared to four losses.
The Brazilian said, laughing after the win: “I think my team members should take care of their hearts. Sometimes tennis makes it difficult to control your emotions, especially in the decisive moments. I used to feel a little nervous, but at the same time I felt like I was always able to come back.”
On the other hand, Romanian Sorana Kirsta continued her surprises. After knocking out Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia in the first round, she was able to defeat Greek Maria Sakkari, the third seed in the tournament, in the round of 16, in two sets to no response, 6-2, 6. -1, and will meet in the quarter-finals with Russian Daria Kasatkina, who defeated American Ashlyn Kruger, in two sets to none, with a score of 6-3 and 7-5.
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