WTA
In women’s professional tennis, heading into the first two of 10 Hologic WTA Tour 1000-level events, the teeth of the 2024 Middle East swing, it’s still the equivalent of early morning. In the wake of the Australian Open, here are terrific back-to-back opportunities to create some momentum.
It started on Sunday with the Qatar TotalEnergies Open in Doha, followed by the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships next week.
No.2-ranked Aryna Sabalenka has been hot out of the box, going 11-1 to start the year -- but the two-time Australian Open champion is sitting out Doha. No.3 Coco Gauff, with a title in Auckland and a semifinal appearance in Melbourne, is 10-1. No one has as many victories (13) or more titles (2) so far than Jelena Ostapenko. On Sunday, No.5 Elena Rybakina matched Ostapenko’s title count at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.
But, like so many of us, there have been a few notably sluggish starts. Eighteen-time Grand Slam singles champion Martina Navratilova examines the prospects of a handful of players who could use strong runs to get back on track as the Middle East double unfolds.
Ons JabeurcColor:> The favourite daughter of the region has scuffled a bit to start the year, posting a 2-2 record while nursing an injury. The World No.6 was stunned in the second round of the Australian Open by 16-year-old Mira Andreeva. In Abu Dhabi, she defeated Emma Radacanu in straight sets but fell to Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-3, 6-4.
“I have been struggling with the knee for a long time, and last week was very, very tough,” Jabeur said Sunday at Media Day in Doha. “Hopefully I can recover in time and then play better here in Doha.
“For me personally, it is very important to be here to connect with Arabic crowds. I feel so much love here in the region, and obviously that’s one of the reasons I chose to play Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Dubai, because I feel so good here.”
The pride of Tunisia missed last year’s Middle East swing while nursing an ailing knee but has reached the quarterfinals in Doha twice. Her second-round opponent will be Lesia Tsurenko. With two wins here, Jabeur would become the first African player to reach 50 WTA 1000 match-wins.
Navratilova’s takecTypeface:> “It will be interesting to see if the pressure of ‘playing at home’ hurts her or helps her. These are her countries; she represents everybody there. Is it a plus or a minus?
“She got beaten badly by Andreeva (6-0, 6-2), so I don’t think her confidence is too high. That she lost wasn’t bad, but how she lost was. But maybe, hopefully, playing there will bring the confidence back -- a new sense of confidence, energy concentration. I hope so because the game is better with her near the top.”
Naomi Osaka: The four-time Grand Slam champion left tennis for 16 months and gave birth to daughter Shai. After losing two of her first three matches in Brisbane and Melbourne, Osaka took a wild card into Abu Dhabi last week -- and promptly fell in straight sets to Danielle Collins 7-5, 6-0.
Glass half full: The losses were to Karolina Pliskova, Caroline Garcia and Collins, all former Top 10 players. Glass half empty: Even with significant time to train for the coming season, it’s been “a bit of a harsh reality.”
Her first-round opponent in Doha? Garcia, again. If Osaka loses it will be only the fifth time in her WTA career she’s lost four straight matches.
Navratilova’s take: “I’m glad she’s playing so much. She’s putting herself out there, which is great, and maybe those losses don’t mean as much, especially as she continues to work her way back into playing shape. It’s easier to deal with in a way. But I’d like to see her start winning and get her confidence back.”
Maria Sakkari: The No.9-ranked player in the world had an encouraging start to 2024, going 3-0 in United Cup matches, helping Greece to a berth in the quarterfinals. But the only player she beat ranked in the Top 500 was Leylah Fernandez. She won only a single match at the Australian Open, losing to No.74 Elina Avanesyan.
Navratilova: “She’s such a competitor, good for the game. You have to admire her perseverance.”
