Credit: International Tennis Federation
A professional tennis match turned into a farce when one of the players proved incapable of even playing recreational tennis.
Monday’s match between an unknown Egyptian named Hajar Abdelkader and Lorena Schaedel — a German ranked just outside the world’s top 1,000 — will go down as one of the most one-sided matchups in professional tennis history.
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It ended 6-0, 6-0 against Schaedel and lasted 37 minutes, during which the German player conceded three points: two double faults and one unforced error.
The gap in quality at the International Tennis Federation-sanctioned W35 event in Nairobi was evident in the warm-up, and then at the start of the match, Abdelkader had to be told by her opponent where she should stand during her serve.
At one point in the opening game, Abdelkader tossed the ball over her head and behind her on the toss while her opponent waited patiently at the other end. Abdelkader struggled to serve correctly, frequently landing the ball on his side of the court. She hit just eight percent of her first serves and committed 20 double faults in the competition.
Credit: International Tennis Federation
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Although not part of the WTA TourW35 events – formerly known as “Futures” tournaments due to their developmental role – are part of the second tier of the ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour. A W35 tournament offers a total prize pool of $30,000.
For comparison, the last W35 held in the UK – which took place in Birmingham in October – was contested by some of the country’s most promising players and was won by Mika Stojsavljevic, the 2024 US Open Junior Champion which is currently ranked 291.
However, these second-tier events are spread across the globe and all fringe players know that there are certain regions – usually Africa and the Middle East – where the level is considerably lower.
Ultimately, it is up to local organizers to control participants in such tournaments. Sometimes there are not enough applicants and anyone who registers can then fill one of the vacant spots, whether or not they have a playing history.
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Such disparities can present integrity issues, however, as betting companies collect data on second-tier events and bettors wager money even on these less prestigious matches.
Telegraph sport have contacted the International Tennis Federation for comment.
