The qualifying race for the Dubai World Superseries Finals is heading for a tense finish with only two events to be played before the line-up for the lucrative US$1 million (Dh3.67m) season-ending tournament, which will be held at the Hamdan Sports Complex between December 14-18, is finalised.
With only the China Open and the Hong Kong Open remaining on the 12-event series, some of the top stars, such as India’s Saina Nehwal, are not assured of their place in the Finals yet and will have to pull out all the stops in the events left.
• Tickets go on sale for badminton's season-ending Dubai World Superseries Finals
To qualify for the Finals, players must finish in the top eight of the Destination Dubai rankings after the 12 tournaments. But with the Olympic gold medallists all but guaranteed a wild card for Dubai this year – provided they are ranked in the top 20 – only seven qualifying spots each could be available in the men’s and women’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles categories.
Nehwal, who has not played since the Rio Olympics because of a knee injury, is currently ranked No 8. But with Olympic women’s singles champion Carolina Marin, who is currently at No 10, assured of a Dubai wild card, the Indian will have plenty of work to do when she returns to action at the China Open.
Tai Tzu-ying, the 2014 Dubai Finals champion, is currently at the top of the women’s ranking. She is followed by Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi, who took the titles in South Korea and Denmark, and Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand.
“I loved winning the Dubai title in 2014 and I really hope I can do it again this year,” Tai of Chinese Taipei said. “I should qualify based on my ranking now but I will continue working hard in the rest of tournaments to make sure I get there.”
The men’s singles Olympic and world champion Chen Long will also be getting a wild card to Dubai as he is ranked No 20. The top three in the men’s singles ranking at the moment are Son Wan-ho of South Korea, China’s Tian Houwei and Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark.
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Schedule
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The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
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Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FOLD5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Results
6.30pm: Madjani Stakes Group 2 (PA) Dh97,500 (Dirt) 1,900m, Winner: RB Frynchh Dude, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,400m, Winner: Mnasek, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Grand Dubai, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 2,200m, Winner: Meqdam, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Dubai Creek Mile Listed (TB) Dh132,500 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Thegreatcollection, Pat Cosgrave, Doug Watson.
9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,900m, Winner: Sanad Libya, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,400m, Winner: Madkhal, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
Company%20Profile
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Match info
Manchester United 1 (Van de Beek 80') Crystal Palace 3 (Townsend 7', Zaha pen 74' & 85')
Man of the match Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
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Fast%20X
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Moving%20Out%202
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Company%20profile
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Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
In%20the%20Land%20of%20Saints%20and%20Sinners
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERobert%20Lorenz%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Liam%20Neeson%2C%20Kerry%20Condon%2C%20Jack%20Gleeson%2C%20Ciaran%20Hinds%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
The chef's advice
Troy Payne, head chef at Abu Dhabi’s newest healthy eatery Sanderson’s in Al Seef Resort & Spa, says singles need to change their mindset about how they approach the supermarket.
“They feel like they can’t buy one cucumber,” he says. “But I can walk into a shop – I feed two people at home – and I’ll walk into a shop and I buy one cucumber, I’ll buy one onion.”
Mr Payne asks for the sticker to be placed directly on each item, rather than face the temptation of filling one of the two-kilogram capacity plastic bags on offer.
The chef also advises singletons not get too hung up on “organic”, particularly high-priced varieties that have been flown in from far-flung locales. Local produce is often grown sustainably, and far cheaper, he says.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
