Twenty-one-year-old Abdelkader entered the tournament via a wildcard after a local player withdrew due to injury. According to her registration, the Egyptian trained since she was 14 years old, and this was her first major event.

However, Abdelkader appeared dressed like a casual player, in leggings, a t-shirt, and glasses, and quickly lost 0-6, 0-6 in 37 minutes.

Beyond the lopsided score, Abdelkader's performance led observers to question if she had ever played tennis at junior levels. She committed 20 double faults, had a first serve percentage of just 8%, a second serve percentage of 9%, and at times appeared confused about her service stance. Throughout the match, Abdelkader scored only three points, all due to her opponent's unforced errors, including two double faults.

The ITF World Tennis Tour is the lowest of the three professional competition tiers, ranking below the WTA, ATP, and Challengers Tour. Even so, top players often participate in ITF events to improve their rankings after long absences.

The W35 tournament in Nairobi, Kenya, this week is played on clay courts at the Parklands Sports Club, featuring seven players in the top 500 worldwide and offering 30,000 USD in prize money. Players eliminated in the first round still receive around 300 USD. After defeating Abdelkader, Lorena Schaedel will face the seventh seed Ren Yufei in the next round.

Abdelkader's poor performance has led many to suspect that the organizers sold a wildcard spot, a practice prohibited by the Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). According to the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program, all organizations and players are forbidden from directly or indirectly offering or receiving money to grant a wildcard.

Wildcards are intended for promising regional players who were not otherwise selected for the main draw. In the case of the Nairobi tournament, the Kenya Tennis Federation holds the right to grant wildcards. The tournament CEO has not yet commented on the matter.

Vy Anh