“Yulia will play against Sonai Kartal in the first round of selection of the five-hundredth player in the UAE”, — write: sport.ua
In the first round of selection, the Ukrainian will play against the representative of Great Britain, Sonai Kartal (WTA 66).
The match will take place on January 31 and will start at 09:00 Kyiv time. The winner of the confrontation will face either Priscilla Hone (Australia, WTA 121) or Aleksandra Sasnovich (WTA 104) in the final.
Previously, Starodubtseva and Kartal played each other twice – the score was 1:1. In August 2024, Yulia passed Sonai in the final of the US Open qualification, and then lost to the Brit in September in the quarterfinals of the WTA 250 competition in Monastir (Tunisia).
Last year, Yulia also performed on the courts of Abu Dhabi and lost in the first round of selection to McCartney Kessler.
The main draw matches in Abu Dhabi will be held from February 1 to 7.