The five-time Grand Slam champion will go head-to-head with Ajla Tomljanovic…

The news that the Mubadala World Tennis Championships (MWTC) in returning to Abu Dhabi was met with excitement from the UAE’s avid tennis fans.

An all-star line up of six men and two women will play in the championships and it’s just been announced that five-time Grand Slam women’s champion Maria Sharapova will go head to head with rising women’s tennis star Ajla Tomljanovic in the women’s game.

Taking place at the International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City, it will be the 12th edition of the world-famous tennis competition, which will run from Thursday December 19 to Saturday December 21.

Standard adult tickets are available online at ticketmaster or Virgin Megastores across the UAE, priced from Dhs100 on Day 1, Dhs250 on Day 2 and Dhs350 on Day 3. Three day packages are priced from Dhs520 per adult.

ALSO READ: Rafael Nadal to lead all-star line-up at Mubadala World Tennis Championship

Sharapova is one of the biggest names in women’s tennis, having won the World No. 1 singles title five times from the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) the first being back in 2005. She has won 36 titles throughout her career so far.

Tomljanovic will be the first Australian (man or woman) to take part in MWTC and the match will also be the first ever meeting between the two women.

The exciting news follows the equally exciting announcement on October 2 that tennis legend Rafael Nadal will take on Russian pro Daniil Medvedev in the men’s games during the competition.

During the three day event, tennis super-fans will have the opportunity to get up close to their sporting heroes, with meet-and-greets, autograph signing and even watching the players whilst they train for the big games.

Mubadala World Tennis Championships (MWTC), The International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City, Thursday December 19 to Saturday December 21. ticketmaster.ae

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Images: Getty