WTA TENNIS NEWS / HOW DID DUBAI DUTY FREE GET IN SUCH A MESS? WHERE WAS CAROLINE WOZNIACKI?

Written by: Staff on 18th February 2016

WTA TENNIS NEWS / HOW DID DUBAI DUTY FREE GET IN SUCH A MESS? WHERE WAS CAROLINE WOZNIACKI?

epa05165980 The logo of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) at the Centre Court during the Dubai Duty Free Tennis WTA Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 17 February 2016. Play was suspended due to rain. EPA/ALI HAIDER |

WTA To Explain Why Top Players Pulled Out Of Dubai

Massive hail stones fell on the Arabian desert as a prelude to a dramatic exodus of seeded players joining those star names that pulled out of the Dubai Duty Free Championships before play started. Now Micky Lawler, president of the WTA, is faced with explaining the sorry state of this year’s tournament with one of the tour’s most loyal sponsors.

Dubai Duty Free is most miffed at the no-show of Caroline Wozniacki who just a couple of days previously informed the tournament she could not play because of a knee injury and was then photographed appearing at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition launch in New York.

Wozniacki is one of two Brand Ambassadors for Dubai Duty Free, the other being Ana Ivanovic who today was contesting the tournament’s quarterfinals after beating top seed and defending champion Simona Halep.

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia returns the ball to Simona Halep of Romania during their second round match of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis WTA Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 17 February 2016. EPA/ALI HAIDER

Previously Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman of Dubai Duty Free, referred to Wozniacki as a ‘supreme professional and an excellent ambassadors for women’s tennis and for Dubai Duty Free.’ Now the organizers are looking for some kind of explanation.

Petra Kvitova, Garbine Muguruza and Carla Suarez-Navarro joined Halep as high profile losers in a tournament that was already bereft of world no.1 Serena Williams, no.2 Anglique Kerber and WTA Finals champion Agnieszka Radwanska.

So all eight seeded players – Halep, Muguruza, Kvitova, Suarez-Navarro, Belinda Bencic, Karolina Pliskova, Roberta Vinci and Svetlana Kuznetsova lost their opening matches at Dubai.

Although the Dubai Duty Free Championships was the first tournament in the Middle East to offer equal prize money, this year the rival Qatar Total Open, taking place next week, has been afforded Premier 5 status, which means more prize money and ranking points.

Halep, beaten 7-6, 6-2 by Ivanovic, said: “I’m not very upset. I’m disappointed but it’s okay.” She then added she is now heading to Doha.

Muguruza hit 68 unforced errors to lose 7-6, 6-3 to Elina Svitolina of the Ukraine while Kvitova allowed early dominance to subside as she slipped to a 0-6, 7-6, 6-3 defeat by Madison Brengle of the United States.

Garbine Muguruza of Spain returns the ball to Elina Svitolina of Ukraine during their second round match of Dubai Duty Free Tennis WTA Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 17 February 2016. EPA/ALI HAIDER EPA/ALI HAIDER

“I think I’m not really ready to compete,” said Muguruza who has been suffering from a foot injury connected to her plantar fascia since the beginning of the year. “I think I just need to start from zero again and kind of forget these couple of tournaments, I guess.”

Contents Via Bob Larsen Tennis News Service With permission

Topics: 10sballs.com, Ana Ivanovic, Belinda Bencic, Carla Suarez Navarro, Caro Wozniacki, Dubai Duty Free tennis, Garbine Muguruza, Ladies tennis, Petra Kvitova, Simona Halep, Sports, Tennis News, Wta