Updated 00.50 | Published 00.04
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Hajar Abdelkader made his professional debut.
And it was a bizarre one.
Among other things, the 21-year-old was responsible for 20 (!) double faults.
Here are the sports highlights of the weekend 9–11 January
0:31
37 minutes it took for German Lorena Schaedel, 24, to polish off Egyptian Abdelkader i in Nairobi. A tour tournament for professional players.
During the match, Abdelkader picked up a paltry three points, accounted for 20 double faults and even looked like she had never played a tennis match before. The match ended 6–0, 6–0 in Schaedel’s favor.
Two of the three points Schaedel gave up were on his own double faults.
Wild card
Abdelkader got a place in the tournament thanks to a so-called wildcard, and it’s safe to say that she was.
On Abdelkader’s serve, she repeatedly missed the right square by several meters and could also be seen throwing the ball behind her when throwing up before serving. The 21-year-old also seemed to have major problems even getting the ball over the net on serves. According to statistics from the match, Abdelkader managed to get the ball in the right box on eight percent of his serves.
Before an early serve, she seemed unsure which box she herself would be in.
Wildcards for tennis tournaments are often awarded to promising, young players who might not have managed to qualify for the tournament under normal circumstances. They are awarded by the national association responsible for the tournament.
Substantial prize money
The tournament in Nairobi was in the W35 class and although it is the class that pays the second worst prize money, the winner of the tournament will take home a pot of 22,000 pounds, approximately 273,000 Swedish kronor.
According to the ITF’s records, Abdelkader was registered as a player when she was 14 years old. The only competition she is registered as a participant in is this week’s tournament in Nairobi.
Lorena Schaedel is ranked 1026 in the world. Abdelkader has no registered world ranking.
