publish time

06/03/2018

author name Arab Times

publish time

06/03/2018

DUBAI, UAE, March 5: Khalaf Ahmad Al-Habtoor, Founding Chairman of the Al-Habtoor Group and Founder of the Al-Habtoor Tennis Challenge met with Tunisian tennis player Malek Jaziri. Al-Habtoor congratulated Jaziri on his outstanding achievement to become the first Arab finalist in the 2018 ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.The 34 year-old Tunisian tennis pro is the first Arab tennis finalist at the Dubai Duty Free Championships since Younes El Aynaoui 16 years ago. Currently ranked 117 in the men’s ATP World Tour, Jaziri was given a wild card into the main draw in Dubai and upheld his winning streak against top players, including Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov and the 43-ranked Dutch player Robin Haase, to claim a semifinal spot by beating Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas.Al-Habtoor said, “We must support local and regional talent across all sports. I am proud of Malek Jaziri and his great achievement in this year’s ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. I appreciate his style, staying on the offense rather than defense, it is the way to win.”Al-Habtoor has been an active supporter of tennis in the Middle East and founded the region’s first-ever women’s tennis tournament in 1998. Today, the Al-Habtoor Tennis Challenge is the highest ranked International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament in the world within the $100,000 +H category. It has kick-started the careers of many well-known female players, including Jelena Jankovi, Karolina Pliskova, Marion Bartoli, Simona Halep, Angelique Kerber, Elina Svitolina, Kristina Mladnovic and many more.In January 2017, Al-Habtoor opened the Al-Habtoor Tennis Academy, a world-class facility and a tennis lifestyle destination located in the heart of Al-Habtoor City, Dubai’s latest hospitality, leisure and residential complex.  The Academy caters for year-round tennis with UAE’s only an indoor air-conditioned court, including three outdoor tennis courts. The tennis hotspot is sought out for its high-end tennis coaching services, which includes several top international tennis professionals. In addition to free-play, the complex offers private and group outdoor/indoor lessons, kids group lessons and ladies’ clinics. For more information visit www.alhabtoortennisacademy.com.