DUBAI // Spain reigned supreme on centre court last night as Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria-Jose Martinez Sanchez dispatched Kveta Peschke of the Czech Republic and Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 in the doubles final of the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships.
It is the Spaniards' ninth title toget-her and makes it a Middle East double after the pair clinched the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha in October. But their bid for success did not start well with Peschke-Srebotnik breaking their opponents at the earliest opportunity in the second game, with Llagostera Vives double-faulting to lose to love.
Indeed, the East European pairing - particularly Peschke who won the doubles title here in 2006 alongside Francesca Schiavone - looked far more comfortable early on with Peschke dominating at the net and Srebotnik hitting long, hard forehands down the lines to race to a 5-2 lead.
But they could not finish their opponents off and when, in the ninth game of the first set, the pair suffered a breakdown of communication, they found themselves chasing the game from the baseline after Martinez Sanchez aggressively returned Srebotnik's serve.
The Spaniards broke again in the 11th to take the lead for the first time in the match and momentum had clearly swung in their favour. With Peschke-Srebotnik holding serve, a tie-break ensued and after a resolute battle the Spaniards, who both competed in the singles event, took the first set.
The second set was equally hard-fought, with Peschke-Srebotnik claiming another early break in the third. But again they failed to hold on and the Spaniards broke back straight away. In the crucial ninth, however, the Spaniards broke again to take the lead late in the set. They did not let their advantage slip and quickly closed out the final game to clinch their 13th doubles title together.
Martinez Sanchez said her long-term partnership with Llagostera Vives was key to victory.
She said: "In doubles, if you are focused all the time you have a chance in every game. If you can have the same partner for a long time, this is the key [to success]. I think that it is important that we are from the same country. After Doha, this is the second premier event we have won. Our next goal is to win a grand slam."
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Jawan
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The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Power: 272hp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 331Nm from 5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.7L/100km
On sale: now
Price: Dh149,000
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5