Abu Dhabi has been added to the WTA Tour's annual calendar, which means a professional tennis tournament will be held in the capital every year. Ahead of the inaugural event, here is everything you need to know about the 2023 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.
What is it?
The 2023 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open is a WTA Tour tennis tournament. It is a 500-level event, placing it behind only the four Grand Slams and the Masters 1000 tournaments in level of importance.
Where is it?
The Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open will be held at the International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City.
When is it?
The main draw action begins on Monday, February 6 and concludes with the final on Sunday, February 12.
Who's playing?
A competitive field makes up the inaugural Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, including nine of the world's top 20. The top-ranked player in the field presently is world No 8 Daria Kasatkina from Russia, while Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, ranked 10th, will be among the favourites after her impressive run to the Australian Open final.
The Kazakh will be one of five Grand Slam champions in Abu Dhabi, with two-time major winner Garbine Muguruza, 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, 2021 Roland Garros winner Barbora Krejcikova, and 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu also in the line-up.
Other notable names include former world No 1 Karolina Pliskova and Olympic champion Belinda Bencic.
Tunisian superstar Ons Jabeur had been expected to headline the event but the world No 3 withdrew due to injury.
Hasn't Abu Dhabi hosted tennis before?
The capital has been hosting the annual Mubadala World Tennis Championships (MWTC) for the past 14 years, and in 2021 the one-off Abu Dhabi WTA Women's Tennis Open was created to help get the season up and running amid major scheduling issues because of the pandemic.
However, while MWTC routinely attracts the biggest names in the game, it is a pre-season exhibition tournament, so no ranking points are available. The Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, by comparison, is an officially-sanctioned tournament with progressive prize money and ranking points up for grabs.
And compared to its 2021 predecessor, the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open is here to stay and will be staged every year.
Are tickets available?
Tickets for the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open are available at ticketmaster.ae.
How to watch on TV in the UAE?
All matches will be available to watch on Abu Dhabi TV across the Mena region.
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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