DUBAI, February 18, 2019 (Press Release)

World Number 9, Aryna Sabalenka has landed in Dubai to begin her quest for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title. Before hitting the courts, Aryna spent her free time visiting Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital – the first dedicated children’s hospital in the UAE.

Aryna played tennis related games with the children along with the tournament mascots Ace and Annette, autographed tennis balls, gifted the children with a Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships goody bag and spent lots of time posing for selfies and getting to know the children.

Aryna Sabalenka said: “I like to be in Dubai, it’s an unbelievable city and this is my favourite tournament, and hopefully I can do well here. This is my first experience doing something like this and I really like it, we played skittles with the children and it was a lot fun, the kids are good. It’s really important for me, I like to share everything I have with the kids, I like to laugh, smile to enjoy, I hope they will get well soon.”

The state of the art medical facility was created under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai.