emirates7 - Young Croatian Petra Marcinko won the 28th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge after defeating veteran Russian Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-3 in Saturday’s final at the Habtoor Grand Resort in Dubai.

Marcinko, 20, won last weekend’s inaugural Fujairah W75 Championships. In 2019, she won back-to-back tournaments in Fujairah and Dubai while on the ITF Junior Circuit. Six years later, she is the only one replicating this feat at the same destinations.

Following the final, Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, Chairman of the organising committee, crowned the new champion in the presence of Ahmed Abdul Malik, Vice President of the UAE Tennis Federation, Nasser Al Marzooki, General Secretary of the UAE Tennis Federation, and Noura Badawi, Tournament Director.

Sunday’s title also helped Marcinko cap a successful 2025 season. She began with her first WTA 125 title at the 2025 ATV Tennis Open in Rome, followed by two tournament wins in the USA with titles at the Landisville Challenge and Tyler Challenge in August and October, respectively. This was followed by the Fujairah W75 triumph at the end of November and Sunday’s crowning moment at the Habtoor Grand Resort.