13 December 2005
Event seeks to give breaks to Gulf players
By Alaric Gomes, Staff Reporter
Dubai: One of the top officials expects the Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge to grow proportionately with time.
"We've started small and come a long way in the past seven years. Yes, there is a possibility of some very exciting things happening to the tournament in the near future," stated Fareed Jayussi, the tournament director for the Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge.
Jayussi has been with the tournament since its inception and he has seen the tournament grow from a $25,000 event on the WTA calendar to its present status of a $75,000 competition.
"This competition has been growing at such a rapid rate, and we are keen to see it grow even more," Jayussi added.
Asked if there is a likelihood of an increase in the prizemoney, Jayussi said: "You never know. We are keen to always improve on the quality of the field we get every year."
Though starting on such a small scale, the Al Habtoor Challenge has had its fair share of challenges. For one, this was a ground-breaking tournament in the region meant exclusively for women. "We are proud at what we have started and what we have achieved so far," Jayussi stated.
"But we definitely want more and more. We will not stop here," he stressed.
It was a couple of years later that Dubai Duty Free stepped in and organised the Dubai Tennis Open. "Khalaf Al Habtoor had this vision to see women tennis players coming out from this region, and this is the main aim for having a tournament like this one," Jayussi stated.
"We want lady players from the Gulf and from the Arab world to make use of this opportunity to play against some of the best players on the WTA Tour right here in Dubai," he added.
[ BACK ]
