Week 7 - WTA Premier - Dubai, UAE

wolf · Tennis legend

Week 7 - WTA Premier - Dubai, UAE

PockyTastic · Futures level

Ines seems to be one of those players who gets lots of random wildcards....I'm guessing she has connections? Or does she just apply for a lot of them?

wolf · Tennis legend

Well there are 6 byes in the draw anyway so it doesn't matter if she got a WC or not.

PS 20 points for winning one match I hope Kucova doesn't retire.

Peter too · Tennis legend

Ines sometimes appears at the last minute in WTA events to fill a gap after a late withdrawal.

wolf · Tennis legend

QR1: Kristina Kucova (SVK) WR 191 beat Ines Janbakhsh UNR 6-0, 6-0

19 points...

Happycynic · Pro player

Or, as Ines would see it, 1 ranking point....

steven · Tennis legend

In fairness, 19 points is 4 more than ForeverDelayed managed against Dawid Celt in Exmouth qualifying last March and I remember being quite impressed with that at the time!

Silver · County player

I think this article is worth a read:

"She may be only 18, but she certainly has a burning desire for making a dent in world of women's tennis. For baby-faced Ines Janbaksh has got an additional reason to be fiercely competitive - she wants her tennis career to bloom from this very region.

Janbaksh's father John migrated to Great Britain from neighbouring Iran some years back. And when Janbaksh showed an inclination for tennis, he was among the first to encourage her. "I simply love this game and I want to do well here because I feel so close to home," Janbaksh told Gulf News.

Given a wild card entry in the qualifying round, the British girl did not do too well in her debut here, losing in straight sets to Kristina Kucova. "I did not make use of the chances that came my way. I tried to be aggressive from the start but that only led me to making too many unforced errors," she admitted.

This is Janbaksh's second year on the WTA Tour and she feels she still has a long way to go while trying to fulfill a childhood ambition. "I want to win a Grand Slam," she said.

"I know this is not going to be easy as I will need to practice more and play in more tournaments to get there. But I know I will achieve my goal," Janbaksh confided. "But my first visit to Dubai was not an experience, it was a missed opportunity. But don't worry I will be back and better next year."

PockyTastic · Futures level

Silver wrote:

I think this article is worth a read:

"She may be only 18, but she certainly has a burning desire for making a dent in world of women's tennis. For baby-faced Ines Janbaksh has got an additional reason to be fiercely competitive - she wants her tennis career to bloom from this very region.

Janbaksh's father John migrated to Great Britain from neighbouring Iran some years back. And when Janbaksh showed an inclination for tennis, he was among the first to encourage her. "I simply love this game and I want to do well here because I feel so close to home," Janbaksh told Gulf News.

Given a wild card entry in the qualifying round, the British girl did not do too well in her debut here, losing in straight sets to Kristina Kucova. "I did not make use of the chances that came my way. I tried to be aggressive from the start but that only led me to making too many unforced errors," she admitted.

This is Janbaksh's second year on the WTA Tour and she feels she still has a long way to go while trying to fulfill a childhood ambition. "I want to win a Grand Slam," she said.

"I know this is not going to be easy as I will need to practice more and play in more tournaments to get there. But I know I will achieve my goal," Janbaksh confided. "But my first visit to Dubai was not an experience, it was a missed opportunity. But don't worry I will be back and better next year."

Oh wow.... I'm not sure what to say. Well at least she is confident. I wish her all the best.

john · Top national player

She sounds deluded and insane

wolf · Tennis legend

I love the way you never hide your true feelings on a matter, John.

Smidster · Challenger level

Okay she is highly unlikely to achieve her goals but good on her.

She is pursuing her dream which is something the majority of us don't do in life.