Sorana Cirstea serves to Caroline Garcia during their first round match at Mubadala Abu Dhabi on Monday. Associated Press

Gulf Today, Sports Reporter

Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia defeated Chinese wildcard Xiyu Wang 6-2, 7-6 (4) to reach the second round of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open on Monday.

The sixth seed will face the winner of the match between Filipino wildcard Alexandra Eala and Polish player Magda Linette in her next round. Overcoming a challenging start where she was 4-1 down and faced two set points in the first set, Sorana Cirstea staged a remarkable comeback to beat Caroline Garcia in three sets.

Despite having suffered defeats in her first two encounters with the French player in 2017 and 2019, one of the top stars from Romania Cirstea has now emerged victorious in their last three matches, all occurring since 2023. In a clash between two American qualifiers, Ashlyn Krueger secured a victory over Bernarda Pera in a three-set battle.

Krueger managed to close out the match after initially leading 3-0 in the second set and commanding a 5-0 advantage in the third. No.7 seed Daria Kasatkina edged qualifier Diane Parry in a 2-hour, 35-minute three-setter in her first round maytch, improving to 2-0 overall against the Frenchwoman. World No.5 Elena Rybakina and No.6 Ons Jabeur top the draw, followed by No.9 Maria Sakkari and No.11 Barbora Krejcikova. Belinda Bencic won the title last year, saving three match points in the final to edge past Liudmila Samsonova. Bencic, who is on maternity leave, will not defend her title. Samsonova is seeded No.8 and will face Lesia Tsurenko in the first round.

Coming off her resurgent quarterfinal result in Melbourne, No.4 seed Krejcikova was drawn into the top half. After a first-round bye, the Czech will face either Veronika Kudermetova or a qualifier.

Meanwhile, this year’s Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, a tournament which celebrates the power of women on and off the court, will host two panel discussions for invitees, focused on the most pressing health issues facing women and girls across the region and around the world and solutions to allow them to live healthier, more productive lives.

Taking place on Tuesday, as part of the tournament’s Mubadala Women’s Day, the panel discussions, hosted by the WTA Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and WTA Tour title sponsor Hologic, aim to bring greater visibility, priority, and resources to women’s health and nutrition.

Ann Austin, WTA Foundation Executive Director: “The latest Hologic Global Women’s Health Index found three in 10 women cannot afford the food or shelter they or their families need, and that billions of women went untested for potentially life-threatening conditions in the past year. This is unacceptable. Together with our partners, we hope to shine a light on these health gaps and drive impact for women and girls everywhere.”

Sarah Buhayar, Director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Gender Norms Learning Agenda, added: “Healthy women help everyone rise. Yet today, more than one billion women and girls are undernourished, and on average spend 25% more of their lives in poor health than men. We must ensure they have access to the healthcare and nutrition they need to perform better in school, grow their income, and strengthen their communities.”

The event will feature roundtable discussions highlighting topics such as the state of women’s health and nutrition in the UAE and around the world, critical funding gaps, and opportunities for new collaborations.