Yara Alhogbani is a force to be reckoned with as the first female professional tennis player in Saudi Arabia. At such a young age she has achieved incredible milestones and works hard to make her dreams a reality. From the USA to Saudi Arabia, she has had the adventure of a lifetime and reached new heights. Below, GRAZIA tells you about the tennis star who is set to make history.
Who is Yara Alhogbani?
Born in Ohio on November 16, 2004, Alhogbani later moved to Virginia, USA, where she spent her childhood and developed a passion for tennis when she was young. Encouraged by her family to follow her dreams, her ambitions to become a professional tennis player began when she was just 14.
In 2022, at the age of 17, she made history becoming the first Saudi woman to win a professional tennis tournament. She was victorious in her match against Tamara Ermakova of Russia at the J5 Isa Town tournament in Bahrain.
Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open
The first female professional tennis player from the Kingdom is now preparing to compete at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open. The International Tennis Centre in Zayed Sports City will host the tournament from February 3 to 11. Moreover, notable players such as Ons Jabeur, Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu are among the renowned players set to compete in the tournament.
Alhogbani will face the best players on the WTA Tour to test her skills. However, she first will compete through two qualifying rounds. The 28-player main draw will be composed of 18 direct entries, six qualifiers and four wildcards.
Stating her excitement about the imminent challenge, Alhogbani said, “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.”
