Al Dhaheri completed two years of racing in the Italian F4 and Euro F4 series and will be remaining with Prema Racing Team
sports2 days ago
If Jelena Ostapenko looked far disproportionately pleased about her comfortable opening-round win over Ukrainian qualifier Katarina Zavatska, she had a very good reason – it was her mum’s birthday on Monday and she was watching from the stands.
The 25-year-old Latvian, who beat Veronika Kudermetova in the final last year, started the defence of her Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title in fine style with a 6-1, 6-4 win in just 75 minutes.
Jelena Jakovleva introduced her daughter to tennis at the age of six, and was also her first coach.
After dedicating the win to mum, Ostapenko said: “It’s great to have her here. I wanted her to be happy. I wanted to bring her some good mood with my win. Now we can celebrate it for a little bit, because I have to play again tomorrow.
“She travels most of the time with me except some tournaments because we have two dogs at home that she has to take care of. And of course, she’s still coaching other players, kids. She works when she’s at home because she really loves that. It’s like her passion.”
Winner of the 2017 French Open, Ostapenko said she loves the feeling of coming back to a city where she had won before, but tried not to think too much about it.
“I try not to think about it. Dubai is a great city, and this is a great tournament. I really love to play here. But I just try not to put extra pressure on myself since the French Open (where she lost in the first round during her title defence in 2018). I think I had enough of it.
“I just take one match at a time. Obviously, the draw here is very strong. Last year, I beat four Grand Slam champions to win the tournament. I never have easy draws.
“Of course, it would be amazing to win another title here, but I will just take it easy and take one match at a time. I think it's the best to get ready for each match.”
Al Dhaheri completed two years of racing in the Italian F4 and Euro F4 series and will be remaining with Prema Racing Team
sports2 days ago
Fifa already confirmed over a year ago that the joint proposal led by Morocco, Spain and Portugal was the sole contender for 2030
sports2 days ago
Scott is no stranger to success in the Middle East, with the 2013 Masters champion counting two wins in Qatar in his illustrious career
sports2 days ago
Arakji will immediately join the Dubai Basketball squad for their next fixture against Mornar on Sunday
sports2 days ago
Armed with a hot putter and an eagle on the 9th the former Asian Tour pro recorded a four-shot win in the Trump International Golf Club-sponsored event
sports2 days ago
Dubai’s Rayhan Thomas set to compete in PGA Tour Final Qualifying School Presented by Korn Ferry in Florida this Thursday
sports2 days ago
Ajman and Al Ain take centre stage as part of the European Tour Group’s long-term partnership with the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF)
sports2 days ago
Fans came from everywhere — France, South Africa, Great Britain, Germany, Kyrgyzstan and even Reunion, a small French island on the Indian Ocean
sports3 days ago