Russian Panova eyes glory at 18th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge

The 18th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge (AHTC) is poised to open with a tantalising clash between Russian Alexandra Panova and Nadiia Kichenok of Ukraine.

Panova is seeking revenge against Kichenok who rallied to eliminate the No.3 seed in the last year's quarter-finals.

“This is a rematch and I am looking forward to getting my revenge,” Panova, the world no 135 said. “This is the only match I am looking towards. If I win this one, then I will look beyond. We just have to play every match."

A doubles winner last time, Panova is hungry for glory.

“This time I am here to win. This tournament always has a high calibre of players and you never know who is out there trying to win. This has been a great tournament and it’s always so nice to come back to Dubai," said Panova speaking after the draw ceremony at Habtoor Grand Beach Resort & Spa, Autograph Collection on Sunday.

“We are looking forward to a very competitive tournament here yet again,” Khalid Al Ali, Public Relations Executive, Al Habtoor Group said in the presence of Faisal Al Bannai, General Manager, Tennis Emirates and Fredrik Reinisch, General Manager, Habtoor Grand Beach Resort and Spa.

“Our patron and chairman Khalaf Al Habtoor has been a pioneer while making this the first-ever professional women’s tennis tournament in the region. We have kept on evolving as an event and this is why our players keep returning each year. By doing all this we are merely keeping with our tournament motto of ‘Bringing to Dubai today the stars of tomorrow’,” Al Ali added.

Top seed Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania has been drawn with Martina Caregaro of Italy in her opening round match.

However, Dulgheru is stuck in Romania as she awaits an immigration clearance to enter the UAE.

She has been travelling with a temporary passport since the middle of the year and while Romanian citizens can get a visa on arrival here, rules stipulate the entry permit cannot be stamped on a temporary passport. The tournament organisers said they are trying to resolve the issue.

The AHTC which will run from November 9-14 has attracted more than 200 players and is part of the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) women’s circuit.

Launched in 1998 to encourage the development of women’s tennis in the UAE, it was the first-ever professional women’s tennis event in the Middle East.

It has kick-started the careers of players such as Simona Halep, Marion Bartoli and Jelena Jankovic.

This year’s highest ranked players includes Klara Koukalov from the Czech Republic (#67), the number two seed.

However, organisers are hoping to bring the tournament forward by two weeks to attract even higher ranked players next year.

“One of the things Mr Habtoor is trying to do is to bring the tournament forward by two weeks and make this the last tournament on the tour before the WTA Championship,” said Hany El Khafif, the International Tennis Federation supervisor who conducted the draws in the presence of the first Al Habtoor champion and now tournament director Kyra Nagy.

He said: “This will help us in grabbing players before they go into the winter break. Bringing the tournament forward by two weeks will make the tournament even more attractive to the players.

“We would love to bring higher ranked players and have tough tennis matches, because this is what people love to watch.”

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.