Toomaj Salehi risks being hanged after the conviction on the Shariah charge of "corruption on Earth" by a Revolutionary Court
Ons Jabeur became the first Arab woman to win a WTA title on Sunday when the Tunisian beat Daria Kasatkina of Russia 7-5, 6-4 in an engrossing hour and a half tussle in Birmingham.
Jabeur, the second seed, gained a measure of revenge as she secured her first title at the expense of Kasatkina, one of two women to have beaten her in her previous finals appearances.
“I knew I had to go for it, I had to win this title to at least breathe and give an example,” said Jabeur.
“There’s not a lot of Tunisian or Arabic players playing, so I hope this could inspire them, and I want to see more Arabic (players) and Tunisians playing with me on tour.”
Jabeur, ranked 24 in the world, has been in fine form this season where she ranks alongside former world number one Ashleigh Barty in terms of matches (28) won.
The 26-year-old held her nerve despite Kasatkina breaking back when Jabeur served for the first set at 5-4.
Jabeur, though, broke world number 35 Kasatkina immediately and this time she made no mistake in serving to win the set.
Kasatkina had beaten Jabeur twice in three-set affairs.
However, her opponent did not give her a sniff of a chance of a repeat of forcing her into a decider as she raced into a 4-0 lead in the second set.
Kasatkina, winner of two titles this season, fought her way back to 4-3 down but the Tunisian remained focused, sealing the title on her first match point when the Russian netted.
Jabeur revealed the pain of her defeat to Kasatkina in a final in Moscow in 2018 where she pleaded with her to be more generous the next time they met.
“Last time we played was in Moscow, she (Kasatkina) won, and I was crying, it was a great battle,” said Jabeur.
“I told her, ‘Can you please share some titles with me, at least, let me win my first WTA?’”
Toomaj Salehi risks being hanged after the conviction on the Shariah charge of "corruption on Earth" by a Revolutionary Court
Aid groups warn any invasion would add to already-catastrophic conditions for Gaza's 2.4 million people
The American they will face Australia and Serbia on July 15 and July 17 as part of their preparation for the Paris Olympic Games
The leaders emphasise that the deal to release the hostages would bring an immediate and prolonged ceasefire in Gaza
Dubai-based Sumit Augustine has had a philosophical approach towards spending
The regional upswing also defies oil production cutbacks
It's a treatise that would determine the course of your life, not just academically, but as a person too
A US-based company is developing an eVTOL aircraft for commercial passenger service and is expected to start operations by 2025 or early 2026