Dubai // Flavia Pennetta rounded off a flawless performance for Italian tennis yesterday at the Aviation Club when she defeated Jelena Dokic at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
The 6-2, 6-2 triumph completed a trio of wins for women representing the Italian tricolour after Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci both won earlier in the day.
Francesca Schiavone was given a bye into round two courtesy of her world No 4 ranking.
The reward for such strong performances sees Vinci face Vera Zvonareva, the world No 3, while Errani will meet Samantha Stosur, the Australian ranked No 5 in the world.
Pennetta, who made light work of her wild-card opponent Dokic, conceded her compatriots face tough tasks, but added she has faith that they can progress.
"Of course it's going to be really tough," she said. "They play against two really good players, but I think you have to go on the court and believe you can beat anybody. If you don't do that, it's better you don't go on the court. [Sara and Roberta] have the tennis to be dangerous against these players."
Pennetta, the world No 16, will expect a tougher match against the Czech Republic's Klara Zakopalova than she was given by Dokic, who blamed her mistake-strewn match on the condition of her health and the condition of the weather.
"I only arrived from Paris two days ago and I got sick, so I only hit once since I arrived," said the Australian.
"I don't feel like I'm hitting the ball bad at all, [but] it's very different conditions to what I played in last week in Paris; it's a bit tough to go from indoor to outdoor so quickly."
When asked why she opted for Paris rather than the Thailand Open in Pattaya, which would have allowed her a chance to adapt, Dokic said she wanted to play the bigger event.
And that she is in love with Paris.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
UAE v IRELAND
All matches start at 10am, and will be played in Abu Dhabi
1st ODI, Friday, January 8
2nd ODI, Sunday, January 10
3rd ODI, Tuesday, January 12
4th ODI, Thursday, January 14
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULTS
6.30pm: Emirates Holidays Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Lady Snazz, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
7.05pm: Arabian Adventures Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Zhou Storm, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7.40pm: Emirates Skywards Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Rich And Famous, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: Emirates Airline Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Rio Angie, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Emirates Sky Cargo (TB) Dh 92,500 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Kinver Edge, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
9.15pm: Emirates.com (TB) Dh 95,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Firnas, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
Ukraine
Capital: Kiev
Population: 44.13 million
Armed conflict in Donbass
Russia-backed fighters control territory
Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
'Spies in Disguise'
Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane
Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
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Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
The specs
Price: From Dh529,000
Engine: 5-litre V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 520hp
Torque: 625Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.8L/100km
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
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Match info
Athletic Bilbao 0
Real Madrid 1 (Ramos 73' pen)
The%20specs%3A%20Macan%20Turbo
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