BEIJING // China will have two seeds at Wimbledon for the first time next week with last year's semi-finalist Zheng Jie and the in-form Li Na looking to impress at the event where they achieved their best grand slam results.
Zheng captured the hearts of many at the All England Club last year when she beat the top seed Ana Ivanovic on her way to the last four as a wild card entry ranked 133rd in the world.
With an Olympic doubles bronze medal from the Beijing Games and the women's tour Comeback Player of the Year award in her trophy cabinet, Zheng is now ranked 16th in the world and is China's No 1.
The 25-year-old's fairytale run to the semis last year was the best performance by a Chinese player at a major, surpassing Li's quarter-final appearance at the grass court grand slam event in 2006.
"I am happy with our rankings and Li Na is very gifted," Zheng, a Wimbledon doubles champion in 2006, told Xinhua.
Li is indeed talented but has a notoriously fragile temperament, which many blame for her inability to build on her breakthrough at Wimbledon three years ago.
Last week, however, she showed the impressive form that has propelled her back into the world top 20 at No 19 when she reached the final at the Edgbaston Classic with a victory over former world No 1 and Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova.
The 27-year-old surrendered the title to little-known Magdalena Rybarikova, losing the first set of the final to love and blaming "excessive excitement" after beating Sharapova.
At least it was better than her experience at the tournament in 2007, where coughing brought on by an allergic reaction to the grass caused a stress fracture in a rib, which ended her season.
Last year, Li was knocked out in the second round at Wimbledon but weeks later reached the last four at the Beijing Olympics, the most significant event for all Chinese athletes in 2008.
On Wednesday, however, the injury problems that have blighted her career struck again and she withdrew from the Eastbourne International warm-up tournament. "She just felt a bit uncomfortable in the knee, it was not a big problem," said her husband and coach Jiang Shan.
Zheng had a patchy warm-up for Wimbledon, also beaten by Rybarikova at Edgbaston and then by the Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak at Eastbourne.
However, the petite Sichuanese, known for her mobility and smart tactics, said she was in good shape. "Both Li and me had serious injuries in 2007 but fortunately we both recovered well," said Zheng, who will play German Kristina Barrois in round one.
Both players are now coached by their husbands under a revolutionary initiative by the Chinese Tennis Association (CTA), which allowed four top women players to be freed from the Soviet-style sports system. They are now allowed to manage their own playing schedule as well as keep most of their prize money.
* Reuters
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Seoul from Dh3,775 return, including taxes
The package
Ski Safari offers a seven-night ski package to Korea, including five nights at the Dragon Valley Hotel in Yongpyong and two nights at Seoul CenterMark hotel, from £720 (Dh3,488) per person, including transfers, based on two travelling in January
The info
Visit www.gokorea.co.uk
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
FIGHT%20CARD
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The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders
Stuart Kells, Counterpoint Press
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
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BRIEF SCORES
England 228-7, 50 overs
N Sciver 51; J Goswami 3-23
India 219, 48.4 overs
P Raut 86, H Kaur 51; A Shrubsole 6-46
England won by nine runs
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The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
EA%20Sports%20FC%2024
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
The biog
Name: Atheja Ali Busaibah
Date of birth: 15 November, 1951
Favourite books: Ihsan Abdel Quddous books, such as “The Sun will Never Set”
Hobbies: Reading and writing poetry
