Ons Jabeur to partner Naomi Osaka in doubles at Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open

On Jabeur will compete in the singles and doubles events at the 2024 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open (Supplied)
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Updated 29 January 2024
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Ons Jabeur to partner Naomi Osaka in doubles at Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open

  • Tunisia’s and America’s stars are involved in the singles tournament, and will play as a team for the first time

ABU DHABI: World No. 6 Ons Jabeur and Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka will compete in the doubles at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, which begins on Saturday, after being awarded a wild card.

Hosted by Mubadala and presented by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the WTA 500 event returns to the International Tennis Centre, Zayed Sports City, for its second edition, running from Feb. 3 to 11.

A star-studded singles lineup includes eight of the world’s top 20, with Elena Rybakina, Maria Sakkari and Barbora Krejcikova all competing for the title, alongside wild card entrants Osaka and Emma Raducanu, winner of the 2021 US Open.

While the singles competition will undoubtedly generate huge interest, eyes will also turn to the doubles because Jabeur, a fan favorite and Grand Slam finalist, will partner four-time Grand Slam winner and former world No. 1 Osaka for the first time.

While both players are more commonly known for their singles careers, Osaka has competed in the women’s doubles at all four Grand Slam tournaments, while Jabeur has played in the US Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Jabeur previously partnered 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams at Eastbourne in 2022, where the duo reached the semifinals before being forced to withdraw after the Tunisian picked up an injury.

The Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open doubles competition begins on Monday Feb. 5.

Jabeur, meanwhile, will begin her pursuit of singles glory at the event on Wednesday, Feb. 7.

While her opponent will not be revealed until the tournament draw takes place on Saturday, the date of her first appearance in the competition is confirmed, subject to the final WTA schedule.

Last week it was announced that Osaka, a champion at both the US Open and Australian Open on two separate occasions, would be joining the main draw in Abu Dhabi having been awarded a wild card.


Joint wins Eastbourne title to end Eala’s history bid

Updated 28 June 2025
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Joint wins Eastbourne title to end Eala’s history bid

  • Joint survived a tense clash lasting two hours and 26 minutes, emerging with a 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (12/10) win to seal her second WTA Tour title.
  • It was a painful defeat for Eala, who was so close to becoming the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour title

EASTBOURNE, UK: Australian teenager Maya Joint saved four match points to clinch the WTA title at Eastbourne with a dramatic victory over Alexandra Eala that ended the Filipino’s history bid on Saturday.
Joint survived a tense clash lasting two hours and 26 minutes, emerging with a 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (12/10) win to seal her second WTA Tour title.
In the youngest Eastbourne final since 1981, world number 51 Joint staved off the four championship points in a gripping final-set tie-break.
She finally wrapped up the title by drilling a backhand winner before collapsing to the turf in delight.

Australia's Maya Joint reacts at match point after beating Philippines' Alexandra Eala in their women's singles final tennis match in the Lexus Eastbourne International tennis tournament in Eastbourne, England, on June 28, 2025. (AFP)

“I’m very happy right now, feeling very relieved as well. It was a very difficult match, I’m proud of myself for coming back and staying in the match,” Joint said.
“I’m glad I was able to find a way back. Alex played really well today. She definitely tested me and after the first set she got very aggressive.
“What an amazing crowd, you guys came and supported me every day so thank you.”
Having also defeated former Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu at Eastbourne over the last week, Joint has underlined her status as one of the rising stars of the women’s tour.
After winning on clay in Rabat in May, the 19-year-old has proved she can thrive on grass as well ahead of the start of Wimbledon on Monday.
Joint was unable to make it two trophies in one day as she and partner Hsieh Su-wei were beaten 6-4, 7-5 by Marie Bouzkova and Anna Danilina in the doubles final.
It was a painful defeat for Eala, who was so close to becoming the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour title.

Philippines' Alexandra Eala reacts after losing the women's singles final against Australia's Maya Joint on June 28, 2025. (Action Images via Reuters)

The 20-year-old wiped away tears of frustration during the on-court trophy presentation.
Eala had become the first Filipino to reach a WTA final after beating Varvara Gracheva in the last four at Eastbourne on Friday.
“I want to congratulate Maya for a great match and great tournament,” Eala said.
“This is my first WTA final, it’s a big deal for me and for my country too because it’s historic. I guess that’s also why I’m so emotional.
“Wimbledon is next week so hopefully I’ll forget about this match soon.”
Eala’s run to the final has made the world number 74 one to watch in the coming months.
After progressing through qualifying to make the main draw, Eala beat Lucia Bronzetti, former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, Nottingham Open finalist Dayana Yastremska and France’s Gracheva.
She had burst onto the scene with three shock victories over Grand Slam winners Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek to reach the Miami Open semifinals in March.
Eala is due to face reigning champion Barbora Krejcikova in the Wimbledon first round on Center Court on Tuesday.
But Krejcikova is struggling with a thigh injury that forced her to pull out of the Eastbourne quarter-finals on Thursday, putting the Czech’s title defense in doubt.
 


Pegula eases past Swiatek to win Bad Homburg title

Updated 28 June 2025
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Pegula eases past Swiatek to win Bad Homburg title

  • US star denies the Pole her first career title on grass, days before the start of Wimbledon

BAD HOMBURG: Top seed Jessica Pegula contained Iga Swiatek’s heavy topspin game on grass to earn a 6-4 7-5 victory on Saturday and lift the Bad Homburg Open title.

The American held serve throughout and gave up just one breakpoint in the match, denying the Pole her first career title on grass, just two days before the start of Wimbledon.

Swiatek has not won a singles title since her 2024 French Open victory.

“I know you say you can’t play on grass but you are very, very good on grass,” Pegula said, addressing Swiatek after the match. “It was a special week.”

Pegula won a break at 3-3 in the first set to move 5-3 up.

The 31-year-old world No. 3, chasing her third title of 2025 and her first since April, landed the first set soon afterwards when the Pole sent a forehand long.

Swiatek put up a fight in the second set, edging close to a break but failing to carve out a break point.

It was Pegula who earned a breakpoint at 5-5 and she converted it with a sizzling crosscourt forehand.

Pegula held serve to seal her second career title on grass, following last year’s win in Berlin.

For Swiatek, who shed tears while waiting for the trophy ceremony, it was still a successful week after reaching her first career final on the surface.

“You have an amazing game and you showed it throughout the tournament,” Swiatek told Pegula. “Hopefully we will have many more finals together.”

“I feel it is going a good way and thank you for the opportunity to play here. This tournament shows there is hope for me on grass,” Swiatek said.

Separately, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is hoping an outburst after her French Open final defeat to Coco Gauff will prove a turning point in maintaining her emotional control in the biggest matches.

The three-time Grand Slam champion threw away a one-set lead to lose to the American in Paris earlier this month.

Afterwards, Sabalenka described her performance as the “the worst final I’ve ever played.”

The Belarusian later apologized to Gauff for her comments and the pair put their differences aside by performing a dance together on the Wimbledon lawns for social media.

“I was just completely, like, upset with myself, and emotions got over me. I just completely lost it,” said Sabalenka at a pre-Wimbledon press conference on Saturday.

“I believe I get overemotional at the last stages of the tournaments because I have this desire of winning.

“Sometimes it (gets the better of) me and I can lose control over my emotions. So, I would love to improve that at the last stages of the tournament.

“But honestly I’m kind of glad what happened to me at Paris because I was able to learn a lot. I was able to sit back and being open to myself, not just to ignore some things. I think I realized a lot of things about myself in those last stages of the tournaments.”

Sabalenka’s comments after the French Open were fiercely criticized in the US for taking the shine off Gauff’s second Grand Slam title.

“Of course, she got my respect. She knows it,” added Sabalenka.

“I’m happy that she was, like, ‘yeah, it’s all good, don’t worry’. As you saw the (dancing) video, I was talking, we are good, we are friends. I hope the US media can be easy on me right now.”

Sabalenka has never gone beyond the semifinals on the Wimbledon grass and begins her quest for glory against Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine, a player she admitted to having limited knowledge of.


Coco Gauff says criticism of Aryna Sabalenka’s French Open comments went ‘too far’

Updated 28 June 2025
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Coco Gauff says criticism of Aryna Sabalenka’s French Open comments went ‘too far’

  • The Belarusian later wrote to apologize to Gauff and said her comments were “unprofessional”
  • Gauff is trying to make sure the criticism stops

LONDON: It didn’t take long for Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka to patch up their relationship after this month’s French Open final.

Now as Wimbledon is about to start, Gauff is hoping everyone else can also forget what the top-ranked Sabalenka said in the wake of her loss to the American at Roland-Garros.

A day after dancing together on Wimbledon’s Center Court in a TikTok video, the two tennis players faced more questions on Saturday about the aftermath of Sabalenka’s comments right after the final, when she said her loss had more to do with her own mistakes than Gauff’s performance.

The Belarusian later wrote to apologize to Gauff and said her comments were “unprofessional,” but not before she faced some major backlash from fans and pundits — especially in the United States.

Gauff is trying to make sure the criticism stops.

“I’m not the person that will fuel hate in the world,” said Gauff, who opens her Wimbledon campaign against Dayana Yastremska on Tuesday. “I think people were taking it too far. … It was just really targeting and saying a lot of things that I felt were not nice. I didn’t want to fuel that more.”

Sabalenka, who faces Carson Branstine on No. 1 Court on Monday, said she hopes the
TikTok video shows that all is well between the two.

“We are good, we are friends,” the three-time major winner said. “I hope the US media can be easy on me right now.”

Sabalenka reiterated that she never meant to offend Gauff.

“I was just completely upset with myself, and emotions got over me,” she said. “I just completely lost it.”

Gauff did acknowledge that she was initially tempted to hit back publicly at Sabalenka, who said the American “won the match not because she played incredible; just because I made all of those mistakes from ... easy balls.”

But after Sabalenka reached out to apologize, she was quick to bury any grudge.

“I preach love, I preach light,” Gauff said. “I just want us to be Kumbaya, live happily, hakuna matata, and be happy here.”


Alexandra Eala makes tennis history for Philippines by reaching Eastbourne final

Updated 28 June 2025
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Alexandra Eala makes tennis history for Philippines by reaching Eastbourne final

  • In Saturday’s final she will face 19-year-old Australian Maya Joint
  • It will be the youngest Eastbourne final since 1981

EASTBOURNE, England: Alexandra Eala became the first Filipino to reach a WTA Tour final as she beat fellow qualifier Varvara Gracheva 7-5 2-6 6-3 at the Eastbourne Open on Friday, while lucky loser Jenson Brooksby will meet holder Taylor Fritz in the men’s final.

Left-hander Eala, ranked 74th in the world, edged a tight first set before losing five games in a row in the second as the match appeared to be slipping away.

But the 20-year-old regrouped in the decider and survived a tough seventh game before breaking her French opponent’s serve to lead 5-3. She then enjoyed a love service game to seal victory.

In Saturday’s final she will face 19-year-old Australian Maya Joint who beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5 6-3.

It will be the youngest Eastbourne final since 1981 when Tracy Austin faced fellow American Andrea Jaeger.

“I’m super happy because that was a tough match and there were some really tough moments,” an emotional Eala, who is based in Mallorca and trains at the Rafa Nadal Academy, said on court.

“It was tough physically and mentally because she is a tough player and also came from qualifying.”

Eala’s run will not have gone unnoticed by Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, who has been drawn to play her in the first round at the All England Club next week.

Krejcikova reached the quarter-finals at Eastbourne but withdrew with a thigh injury on Thursday.

Joint continued her impressive run as she reached her first WTA final on grass, coming from 5-3 behind in the opening set against Pavlyuchenkova to take control.

“I’m very excited,” the 51st-ranked Joint said on court. “I’ve learned to love playing on grass this week.”

Three-times champion Fritz overcame Spanish sixth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3 3-6 6-1 and will now face fellow-American Brooksby after the lucky loser beat French fourth seed Ugo Humbert.

Fritz broke the Spaniard’s first service game as he comfortably won the first set, and while Davidovich Fokina fought back to force a decider, the American broke twice in the last set to reach the final for the fourth time.

Brooksby won his first ATP title in April at the US Men’s Clay Court Championship, where he began as a wildcard in the qualifying rounds and his 6-7(7) 6-4 6-4 win over Humbert sees the American make it to another final.

“I think it’s a lot less pressure when you don’t expect to be in the main draw and get the opportunity,” Brooksby said.

“You just want to make the most of it.”

Humbert came from 5-3 down to win the opening set on a tiebreak, before Brooksby bounced back despite the Frenchman’s battling spirit.

The American took a 3-0 lead in the next two sets and Humbert drew level on both occasions, but Brooksby clinched both sets with a break of serve.


Swiatek cruises past second-seed Paolini to reach first ever grass final

Updated 27 June 2025
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Swiatek cruises past second-seed Paolini to reach first ever grass final

  • “I just did my job and I knew what I wanted to play and I went for it,” Swiatek said
  • The Pole did not play any other grass tournaments this season

BAD HOMBURG, Germany: Five-times Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek crushed second seed Jasmine Paolini 6-1 6-3 on Friday to reach the Bad Homburg Open final and stay in the hunt for her first career title on grass.

With Wimbledon starting next week, the former world number one showed she was on the right track on the surface, outclassing the Italian, last year’s Wimbledon finalist.

“I am super happy and I was not expecting this. I just did my job and I knew what I wanted to play and I went for it,” Swiatek said in a post-match interview.

“I’m happy I kept the momentum going until the end of the match. Jasmine, you can’t let her get back in the game because she’s a fighter. I just wanted to go for it, and go for my shots.” Swiatek has a 5-0 lead in their head-to-head matches.

The Pole, who has won the French Open four times along with one US Open, did not play any other grass tournaments this season ahead of next week’s Wimbledon start, instead opting for a week of training in Mallorca before competing in Bad Homburg.

She was never troubled by the Italian in the first set as she raced through it in 29 minutes courtesy of three breaks.

The pair traded breaks at the start of the second set but Paolini continued to struggle to hold serve and contain the aggressive Pole who went 4-2 up.

Swiatek sealed victory with a forehand winner on her third match point to book a final spot where she will face either top seed Jessica Pegula or Czech Linda Noskova in Saturday’s final.