TENNIS – RUSSIA’S Alevtina Ibragimova is set to lead the qualifying draw hopefuls for the W75 Manama Bahrain Open – the first-ever tournament on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Women’s World Tennis Tour Calendar to be hosted by the kingdom.
The qualifiers are scheduled to get underway today at the Public Security Officers Club in Gudaibiya.
The tournament, which offers $60,000 in total prize money, features some of the world’s top women’s professional players with leading Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings.
W75 tournaments on the ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour offer 75 WTA ranking points to the singles winner. These competitions are in similar standing to a men’s ATP Challenger event within the international tennis structure.
Ibragimova, ranked 307th in the world as of last night, is qualifying’s top seed. She will be facing compatriot and ninth seed Ekaterina Ovcharenko, ranked 480th in the world, for one of the eight available spots in the competition’s singles main draw.
Also in the qualification phase are second seed Rina Saigo from Japan, ranked 309th in the world, third seed Wushuang Zheng from China, ranked 338th internationally, and fourth seed Isabella Shinikova from Bulgaria, currently 361st on the WTA rankings.
According to the tournament website, Victoria Jimenez Kasinteseva from Andorra, who is currently 114th in the world, is currently the top-ranked player on the main draw direct acceptance list.
She is joined by world number 125 Hanne Vandewinkel from Belgium, Arantxa Rus (133rd) from the Netherlands, and Maria Timofeeva (138th) from Uzbekistan.
A number of the participating players, both in the qualifying and main draws, have already arrived in the kingdom and have begun with their preparations at the tournament venue.
Speaking ahead of today’s action, Bahrain Tennis Federation (BTF) president Shaikh Abdulaziz bin Mubarak Al Khalifa affirmed that the kingdom’s hosting of the W75 Manama Bahrain Open is part of the BTF’s strategy aimed at consolidating Bahrain’s position as a centre of tennis in the region, while supporting plans to develop the local game.
Shaikh Abdulaziz noted that these events also contribute directly to expanding the game’s base and increasing its popularity in the community, especially amongst youth and junior players. He pointed out that the BTF, in co-operation with the relevant authorities, exerted every effort to ensure the tournament’s success in all organisational and technical aspects.
He invites all fans to attend the matches at the Public Security Officers Club. The W75 Manama Bahrain Open is the latest major international tennis event hosted by the kingdom in the past few months.
In November and December of last year, the kingdom staged an ATP Challenger Tour event, a pair of competitions on the ITF Men’s World Tennis Tour, and the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group V. There were also junior tournaments under the ITF and Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) banners, as well as Arab and Gulf championships at the elite men’s and juniors levels.
Bahrain is also currently staging an ATF 14&U Tournament West Asia, currently being held at the BTF courts in Isa Town.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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