Strong field for Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge

DUBAI: Three top-100 women’s players will be joined by a former champion when the 28th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge gets under way at the Habtoor Grand Resort from December 1-7.

Ukrainian Daria Snigur, a runner-up in 2019 went on to win the singles crown in 2021, is the only former champion who has confirmed her entry at this annual tournament.

But heading the field is Austrian Julia Grabher with a WTA Ranking of No.92, alongside Latvia’s Darja Semenistaja (No.94) and Dubai regular Dalma Galfi of Hungary (No.96).

Completing the top-five line-up will be Anastasia Zakharova at No.101 followed by Austria’s Sinja Kraus at No.105.

The final list of players was confirmed following the deadline for withdrawal late on Tuesday.

The top players come in to Dubai with some notable performances during the year. The 29-year-old Grabher won her second WTA 125 title in October 2025, claiming the trophy at the Florianopolis Open in Brazil, defeating Carole Monnet in the final and marking her return to the top 100 for the first time since November 2023.

Currently No.2 on the list, Semenistaja qualified to make her major debut at the US Open, losing to Peyton Stearns in the first round. But, the Latvian managed to reach the top 100 at world No. 90 in the rankings in the second half of October 2025, following her title run at the Les Franqueses del Valles W100 event.

Number three Dalma Galfi of Hungary – the 2015 ITF Junior World Champion – will be another player to watch out for. The 27-year-old has had a pretty solid season winning her first WTA 125 title at the Oeiras Ladies Open in April and then claiming the WTA 125 Catalonia Open the following week.

The pick of the lot will be former champion Snigur. In 2024, Snigur achieved her best Tour results on her favourite surface of grass at Wimbledon and Nottingham. She also made it to the main draw at the Australian Open.

The Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge began as a $25,000 (AED 91,250) event that was later classified as a $75,000 tournament between 1999 to 2015. In 2016, the event was upgraded to a $100,000+H competition on the ITF Women’s Circuit.

The brainchild of Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, Founding Chairman of the Al Habtoor Group, the annual tournament has managed to live up to its hype of encouraging the development of women’s tennis in the UAE and the region, while raising the profile of the sport across the Arab world.

Included in the long list of past champions are former Grand Slam winners and top-class players such as Sorana Cirstea (2020), Ana Bogdan (2019), Peng Shuai (2018), Belinda Bencic (2017), Kimiko Date-Krumm (2012), Sania Mirza (2010), Maria Kirilenko (2007), Kateryna Bondarenko (2006), Marion Bartoli (2005), Jelena Jankovic (2003) and inaugural winner Kyra Nagy (1998).

The much-awaited tournament is set to begin with the singles qualifying rounds on Sunday, November 30, where players will compete fiercely for a chance to earn their place in the main draw.

This opening stage promises intense action and high stakes, setting the tone for the competition.

Following the qualifiers, the main draw for the singles event will officially commence on December 1, bringing together top-ranked players and rising stars for what is expected to be an exciting and fiercely contested tournament.