Tikhonova and Hartono to renew rivalry at 27th Al Habtoor Challenge

Last year’s two finalists are among the star-studded field lined up for a return at next month’s 27th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge to be held at the Al Habtoor Grand Resort from December 2-8.

Anastasia Tikhonova who breezed past Arianne Hartono of The Netherlands in straight sets for the singles crown last year, and both are now on their way to keep their post-final promises by being among the early entrants showing up on the acceptance list after this week’s entry deadline of this ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour event.

Players will have till November 19 (Tuesday) as a withdrawal deadline from the competition.

Based on their current WTA Rankings, both finalists from 2023 may possibly have to take different paths into the singles competition this year.

Now with a WTA Ranking of 147, Hartono will make it into the direct acceptance for the Main Draw, while the No. 187-ranked defending champion from Russia would be required to possibly come through the qualifying rounds.

The field looks strong as usual with the top-11 lining up for the main draw ranked between 101 to 147 on the latest WTA Rankings.

Germany’s Tatjana Maria will be the top seed with a ranking of 101 followed by Australia’s Kimberly Birrell (No. 115) and Polina Kudermetova (No. 117). A second Australian Daria Saville (No. 120) is the fourth seed so far, while Latvia’s Darja Semenistaja (No. 121) will be the fifth seed.

Some of the one-time top players have also entered to play led by multiple doubles Grand Slam champion Kristina Mladenovic, Ekaterian Makarova and American Hanna Chang.

A Dubai resident for the past few years, Mladenovic’s presence will further bolster this competition. A former world No.1 in doubles, Mladenovic’s best singles ranking was world No. 10.

The 31-year-old Frenchwoman has been a nine-time Grand Slam champion, having won the 2016, 2020 and 2022 French Open women’s doubles, and the Australian Open in 2018 and 2020. Among the highlights in 2024 was Mladenovic reaching her third women’s doubles final in Flushing Meadows with Zhang Shuai as a partner. They lost to Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko in the final.

Playing with Veronika Erjavec, Mladenovic won the doubles titles at the 2024 WTA 125 Cali Open, defeating Tara Wurth and Katarina Zavatska in the final. Traditionally held at the end of the ITF Women’s Circuit season, this year’s 27th edition witnessed new champions in both singles and doubles. Tikhonova brushed aside Dutch girl Hartono 6-1, 6-4 for the singles crown, while the top-seeded pair of Timea Babos teamed up with former world No.2 Vera Zvonareva for a 6-1, 2-6, 1-0 (7) win against Great Britain’s Olivia Nicholls and Heather Watson for the doubles title. The Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge began as a $25,000 event that was classified as a $75,000 tournament between 1999 to 2015. In 2016, this was upgraded to a $100,000+H competition on the ITF Women’s Circuit.

The brainchild of Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, Founding Chairman of the Al Habtoor Group, the annual tournament has managed to live up to its hype of encouraging the development of women’s tennis in the UAE and the region, while raising the profile of the sport across the Arab world.

Extended local flavour this year: Organisers are also putting in place all facilities to host the 9th Al Habtoor Tennis Cup for UAE residents over the next two weeks.

The competition is scheduled to get under way from November 22 and go on till the finals scheduled to be held on December 8, a day after the 27th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge concludes.

The categories included this time are junior boys and girls aged 12, 14, 16 and 18, as well as the Men’s Open, Women’s Open and Masters (34 years and above). Organisers, led by Laith Al Ani are hoping for a full field in the competition for local players. “We anticipate around 250 to 280 participants, including both local players and residents. By far, this tournament is the largest event in the UAE Tennis Federation ranking circuit and we are more than happy to help develop the game here,” Ani said.