DUBAI: Hsieh Su-Wei claimed a stunning comeback against fourth seed Karolina Pliskova to win 6-4 1-6 7-5 and reach the semi-finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Thursday. Her victory came a day after she had beaten fifth seed Angelique Kerber. The 2015 finalist had recovered well from losing the opening set by surrendering the last 11 points, easily winning the second …

DUBAI: World Number 1, Naomi Osaka spent an afternoon with Chef Ramola Bijendra from Jumeirah Creekside Hotel – the tournament hotel and spoke about all her favourite foods, her eating regime before and after matches and her go to ‘cheat meal’ which is French fries! Both Chef Ramola and Naomi were challenged to produce a great tasting salad, they spent …

DUBAI: Playing her first match since winning the Australian Open and her first as the world No. 1, Naomi Osaka was beaten 6-3 6-3 by an inspired Kristina Mladenovic at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Tuesday. “I thought I played pretty bad,” said Osaka, while also admitting that she is not accustomed to being in the spotlight and …

By Muhammad Rafiq DUBAI: Over 300 school children from across the UAE took to the courts today at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium. Children from a number of schools enjoyed the WTA J.P. Morgan Kids’ Day which included a tennis clinic for all ages and skill levels, entertainment, photo opportunities and the chance to meet some top WTA players. …

DUBAI: Aliaksandra Sasnovich staged a dramatic fightback to defeat Ekaterina Makarova 0-6 7-5 6-4 and reach the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Sunday. Makarova has been ranked in the top 10 and last year she enjoyed wins over former world No. 1s Caroline Wozniacki, Karolina Pliskova and ninth-ranked Julia Goerges, as well as victories the year before over world No. 1 Angelique Kerber and No. …

DUBAI: Reigning Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber was welcomed by the team at Porsche Centre Dubai, Al Nabooda Automobiles LLC, on Sunday. Her visit took place ahead of the 2019 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships which Porsche Centre Dubai is an official sponsor of, in line with the brand’s strong heritage in the sport. The news follows Porsche’s latest announcement, which …

DUBAI: Elina Svitolina, who is attempting to become the first WTA player to win the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title in three successive years, faces an intimidating challenge as she is in the same quarter of the draw as double Grand Slam champion and world No. 1 Naomi Osaka as well as former No. 1, French Open and Wimbledon …

By Muhammad Rafiq DUBAI: Elina Svitolina, who is attempting to become the first WTA player to win the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title in three successive years, faces an intimidating challenge as she is in the same quarter of the draw as double Grand Slam champion and world No. 1 Naomi Osaka as well as former No. 1, French Open and …

SHENZHEN: The Shenzhen Genzon Golf Club will be the venue for the 25th staging of the Volvo China Open when China’s National Open Golf Championship returns to the city from May 2-5, 2019. Although the tournament was originally scheduled to be held in Chengdu, the Volvo China Open committee has decided to change the venue in order to avoid any possible …

DUBAI: Thursday’s Gulf News-sponsored seventh evening of the 2019 Dubai World Cup Carnival included a pair of stylishly won Group 2 $250,000 events, but it was the Group 3 $200,000 Firebreak Stakes and a blowout performance by Muntazah that arguably burned the brightest on the night that set alight Dubai World Cup hopes for the Doug Watson trainee. A pair of handicaps …