DUBAI: World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, five-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek, and reigning Dubai champion Jasmine Paolini lead a star-studded lineup featuring the world’s top 10 WTA players in the 25th anniversary Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships’ women’s tournament.

In an incredible year for Paolini, she has tied the record for the highest-ranked Italian woman in WTA rankings history, with the World No. 4 winning her second career title in Dubai, finishing runner-up at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and then triumphing in doubles at the Paris Olympics and in Malaga.

Sabalenka, meanwhile, was recently voted WTA Player of the Year for the first time after winning four titles in 2024, including a second Australian Open and maiden US Open triumph. That form allowed her to reclaim the top ranking from Swiatek, who was beaten in straight sets by World No. 3 Coco Gauff in Saudi Arabia’s season-ending tournament.

“The tournament’s elevation to permanent WTA 1000 status last year underlines the caliber of talent this competition consistently attracts … with the world’s top 10 players now confirmed to participate,” said Ramesh Cidambi, managing director of Dubai Duty Free and chairman of the tournament’s organizing committee.

Another former Dubai champion, Barbora Krejcikova, will feature at the WTA 1000 tournament, as well as World No. 5 Qinwen Zheng,  who made history by winning China’s first tennis singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics this year.

Daria Kasatkina, a finalist in Dubai in 2018, and Jessica Pegula, a semi-finalist here in 2023, will also compete at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium.

Meanwhile, a strong men’s lineup is primed for the 33rd edition of the ATP Tour event.

AUSTRALIA: As the party continues across Saudi Arabia after last week’s historic awarding of the FIFA World Cup 2034 to the Kingdom, the win is also being felt across the wider Asian Football Confederation.

The event in 2034 will mark just the third time football’s global showpiece will be held on Asian shores, after Japan-Korea 2002 and Qatar 2022, and will again focus the world’s attention on the best that Asian football has to offer.

The AFC’s president, Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa, was the first to congratulate the new hosts. “This is a momentous occasion for Saudi Arabia, the AFC, and the whole of Asia,” he said.

“Saudi Arabia’s successful bid is a testament to the Kingdom’s vision, commitment, and passion for football. We have full confidence in their ability to host an extraordinary FIFA World Cup that will leave a lasting legacy for the sport in Asia and beyond.

“The AFC is committed to working closely with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and FIFA to ensure the successful delivery of the FIFA World Cup 2034. Together, we will create an unforgettable experience for football fans around the globe.

“This historic achievement marks a new chapter for Asian football. With Saudi Arabia hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2034, we are confident that Asia will continue to play a leading role on the global stage.”

Rhysh Roshan Rai, a former Singapore footballer and now commentator, having covered some of Asian football’s biggest moments, including the AFC Asian Cup, AFC Champions League and Asian Qualifiers, is excited about the possible developmental benefits for the region.

“Asia is huge and diverse, so it’s hard to speak for everyone, but I’m sure it’s exciting for fans in that part of the continent,” he told Arab News.

“Being given the opportunity to host a massive event like that. They’re big football fans in Saudi Arabia and very passionate about the game.

“Speaking for myself, as a fan of Asian football, I’m looking forward to it and hopefully it’ll be something that can benefit the game in Asia.”

These comments are echoed by Dejan Damjanovic, the all-time leading scorer in the AFC Champions League.

The 43-year-old, who retired from football last year after a glittering 25-year career, is best known for his time in Korea with FC Seoul.

He holds the record for the most goals in the AFC Champions League with 42, five more than Korea’s Lee Dong-gook and 10 more than Saudi Arabia’s Nasser Al-Shamrani.

“I think it’s going to be amazing,” said Damjanovic, who enjoyed a six-month loan spell with Al-Ahli in 2006.

“Everyone knows how much Saudi invested in the last couple of years and how much they will invest in the coming years. I am sure they will make it an unbelievable World Cup.

“I think this is going to be (an) amazing promotion of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East in general.”

It may only have been six months that Damjanovic spent in Saudi Arabia, at a different time in the Kingdom’s football development, but it clearly left an impact on him and the fans.

“I was just on loan there, and now when I look back I am really sorry that I didn’t stay longer,” he said.

“When I came back in 2013 (for the AFC Champions League quarterfinal) after six or seven years, still the fans welcomed me really nicely and the game was unbelievable.

“It’s really nice memories, and when I am with friends I am always speaking about (it). It’s really nice to have so many nice memories from ACL.”

Meanwhile, Roshan Rai was in the Kingdom in October to commentate on Saudi Arabia’s 0-0 draw with Bahrain, in what proved to be the last game of the Roberto Mancini era.

Having experienced firsthand the passion of the Saudi fans, not to mention the hospitality of the locals, the 39-year-old was left in no doubt about Saudi Arabia’s capacity to host the world’s biggest sporting event.

“They will be great hosts,” he said. “They’ve already been moving towards opening up the country for a while now and hosting big sporting and other events.

“They have the infrastructure in place and certainly have the resources to build on and improve on anything required to ensure that they can be the best host possible.

“From my own experiences there, the people have been warm, friendly and welcoming. I believe that will be the case as well once the World Cup comes around.”

He also spoke about the impact of hosting the World Cup. “Obviously in a football sense there are benefits … businesswise and so on there will be benefits.

“But from a human perspective there will also be a benefit to this. People might sometimes perceive things about certain places around the world. Stereotypes help us make sense of our world so it’s normal but it helps to challenge those stereotypes at times.

“I’ve been lucky enough to travel across the continent and world and have met with people from different cultures and backgrounds. There are many things in common that we have and also differences to celebrate, respect, discuss.

“There will be analysis and coverage of this event for a long time to come and that will put things under the spotlight and on the table for discussion, to work on things that need to be worked on by all parties.

“There is no perfect place on this planet, but an open mind and a willingness to learn about each other will go a long way towards our development as a species.”