The beginning of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open is just knocking at the door and in addition, three wild card players have now been announced. Yara Alhogbani from Saudi Arabia and Ena Koike from Japan will be entering directly into the qualifiers, at the same time  Alexandra Eala from the Philippines going to participate in the final draw during the second installment of this tennis tournament.

The championship of this year is going to take place at the Zayed Sports City, International Tennis Centre from February 3 to February 11. The competition will feature a star-studded line-up which will include Elena Rybakina from Kazakhstan, Maria Sakkari from Greece, and Barbora Krejčíková from the Czech Republic.

Emma Raducanu and Naomi Osaka, the Grand Slam Winners, along with Ons Jabeur, the fans’ favorite will compete. The fans can equally look forward to watching various best female players from across the world challenging to win at the grand event of the WTA 500 (Women Tennis Association).

Yara Alhogbani, who turned into a professional player at the age of 14, became the very first woman from Saudi Arabia who win a professional tennis event back in 2022with a final scoreboard line of 6-4, 6-2 by defeating Tamara Ermakova to glory in the J5 Isa Town tournament took place in Bahrain.

The 19-year-old female tennis player, Yara Alhogbani“I’m very happy to have been awarded a wild card for the qualifiers at this year’s Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open and I’m looking forward to testing myself against some great players, It’s so pleasing to see these types of tournaments take place in the Middle East and I’m sure it will be another exciting competition”.

Ena Koike, who was a quarterfinalist at the 2023 US Open junior singles tournament also shared her excitement about taking part in the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open. According to her, it is a huge opportunity to be part of a renowned event.

Alexandra Eala, who has been a Junior Grand Slam Winner three times is making her way to join the incredible main draw against some of the top players across the world. She is a 17-year-old female player who won her very first junior singles prize during the 2022 US Open. She has equally won double titles during both the Australian Open and the French Open.

According to her taking part in this huge competition is a big opportunity for her to gain experience additionally at a high level. In this particular stage of her career, she believes in testing herself by competing against some of the best players. The player also said that she is very thrilled and excited to showcase her talent in front of tennis fans in the United Arab Emirates.

The Tournament Director at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, Nigel Gupta added further,  “With the tournament now less than two weeks away, we are really pleased to announce Alexandra, Yara and Ena, three talented young players, as part of the event. We need to showcase not only the leading players in the world right now, but also some aspiring talents, and I’m sure fans attending will enjoy watching all three players perform.”

The incredible tennis journey of Yara Alhogbani began in Ohio, the place where she was born, and later, continued and grew up in Virginia, USA. Her family has been a consistent support system for her throughout and endorsed her aspirations for tennis. She is equally very grateful to them for supporting her while following her passions. She remembers the sacrifices her parents made, and that have played an important role in shaping her current standing in her sports career. 

Yara Alhogbani was born in 2004 and took the position of becoming the pioneer and the first female identity of professional tennis player in the Kingdom. Currently, she is ranked at 946 by the International Tennis Federation. The record of a young tennis player showcases 21 defeats and 22 victories which reflects her fabulous talent and commitment to the game and looking forward to achieving much more in the future.