Euro 2020 Tennis: Doha and Dubai have become two and has their 40 love history

Doha and Dubai have become two of the most prestigious stops on the WTA calendar with an all-star list of former champions and many milestones – and this year has been no different.

Twelve years ago something special was starting in a fast-developing part of the world. The Middle East had hosted a few WTA tournaments before but 2001 was a landmark year, with what is now referred to as the Middle Eastern swing kicking off in Doha, Qatar and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

That year it was then-World No.1 Martina Hingis who dominated the swing, defeating Sandrine Testud for the Doha title and then another Frenchwoman, Nathalie Tauziat, for the Dubai title. The Swiss understandably remarked afterwards, “I am very happy with my two weeks here in the Middle East.”

And year after year, those sentiments have been echoed time and time again by the WTA’s biggest stars, and it has been those biggest stars who seem to shine in the region – 25 of the 27 champions at WTA events held in Doha or Dubai have been ranked in the Top 10 at the time, and the other two were barely outside of that, ranked No.11 at the time (Anastasia Myskina and Elena Dementieva).

Doha, the capital of Qatar and the country’s cultural, commercial and financial center, has been a WTA tournament stop in two incarnations – a regular season event from 2001 to 2008 and from 2011 to present, and an additional three years as the season-ending WTA Championships from 2008 to 2010.

Dubai, one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates and a global attraction for its innovative real estate projects, has been a regular season tournament from 2001 to present.

Although she wasn’t able to compete at the tournament this time around, World No.1 Serena Williams has a particular affinity for Dubai. “It’s a city everyone feels like they should come to,” Williams commented. “You feel like you’ve made it if you’ve made it to Dubai. At least where I’m from in the Western part of the world, it’s the city you want to travel to, like, ‘Wow, you’ve been to Dubai, no way, what is it like? I heard they have all these buildings and malls.’ So it’s really a top place to go to.”

In her groundbreaking first match in Dubai, Peer faced a 4-2 third set deficit to Yanina Wickmayer but fought back to win, 36 62 75, and her words after the match resonated. “It doesn’t really matter how well I played in the match – to win today, for me, was so important,” she said. “That’s why I was screaming so much after I won. I’m so happy that I won. It was important for me. I’m really excited.”

Venus Williams ended up winning the Dubai title and praised Peer and the tournament. “Shahar is just brave,” she said. “She’s got so much character. I can’t imagine being in her shoes. I can’t imagine playing so well with these circumstances. I just have to give her congratulations and props.”

Read also:

http://en.africatopsports.com/2013/02/23/tennisdubai-errani-and-kvitova-made-it-to-the-finals-video/


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