Top seed Galfi eyes strong start at Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge

Back after a five-year hiatus, top seed Dalma Galfi has promised to hit the ground running in her opening round encounter against one of the qualifiers at the 28th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge that got under way at the Habtoor Grand Resort here from Sunday.

The 27-year-old from Hungary, who had a career-high singles ranking of world No. 79 in September 2022, last played in this W100 ITF World Tennis Tour event in 2020. Her best performance in Dubai, however came when she reached the semi-finals also as a wild card entrant in the 2019 edition.

Galfi showed a lot of promise in the earlier stages of her career, and in 2015, she was pronounced the ITF Junior World Champion after winning the junior girls’ title at the US Open followed by the girls’ doubles crown with Fanny Stollar at Wimbledon.

“I love being in Dubai, and for sure I would love to do well during the week. I am excited, not just because I am returning to Dubai after five years, but also because I have some great memories here,” Galfi said after the singles draw was held on Sunday.

“It’s certainly nice to be back in a place I love being in, and for sure, I want to work hard to ensure I last the whole week here,” she added.

Khalaf Al Habtoor, founder and chairman of the Al Habtoor Group, was the main guest along with Nasser Al Marzooqi, General Secretary of UAE Tennis Federation, Tournament Director Noura Badawi, ITF Supervisor, Sheetal Iyer along with a few players, including Galfi, Viktoria Hruncakova of Slovakia and promising teenager Vendula Valdamannova of the Czech Republic.

In case she gets past the qualifier in the first round, Galfi could end up against 41-year-old Vera Zvonareva, one of the four wild cards here this year. “No match is going to be easy, and I am confident I can do some good hard work out there,” she smiled.

Holding up the lower end of the draw is second seed Anastasia Zakharova and her opening round opponent will be Elena Pridankina, while her opponent in the second round could be Dubai resident and former world number one in doubles, Kristina Mladenovic of France. Further into the tournament, the second seed may have to take on Croat’s Petra Marcinko, champion at last week’s Fujairah

“Each year, our tournament keeps getting better. Tennis is such a sport that actually combines enjoyment with entertainment,” Khalaf Al Habtoor related.

“Our tournament is the first tennis event for women in this part of the world. We are proud of what we have achieved since 1998. Over nearly three decades, we have witnessed Dubai as the central point in the world of sports,” he added.

A regular here and making a ninth appearance, Slovakia’s Viktoria Hruncakova admitted she is willing to go the extra mile. “I expect myself to fight all the time. It is a tough draw, and I will be prepared for some tight matches here during the week,” Hruncakova observed.

“It’s nearly the end of the season, and I am more than happy to use this competition as part of my preparations for the new year starting with the Australian Open.

Perhaps, among the most exciting players this year could be Czech Republic’s Vendula Valdamannova who will turn 18 on December 10. “For sure, I am going to be the underdog here this week. But I do not feel any sort of pressure even though there are some great players here. I am here to win this tournament,” Valdamannova pledged.

The singles main draw matches will commence from Monday alongside the final rounds of qualifying at the Habtoor Grand Resort courts in Mina Seyahi.