Overview
- Hajar Abdelkader, 21, lost her ITF debut in Nairobi 6-0, 6-0 in 37 minutes to Lorena Schedel, recording 20 double faults and needing guidance on where to serve.
- Event officials told The Telegraph she is suspected of submitting false ranking and performance information to gain entry and that attempts to locate her after the match have failed.
- Tennis Kenya acknowledged the wild card was an error and pledged steps to ensure a similar occurrence does not happen again.
- Organizers said Abdelkader had repeatedly emailed from December 26 seeking a place and was admitted only after a Kenyan professional’s last‑minute withdrawal opened a slot.
- An ITF profile lists her as playing since age 14, and the Egyptian Tennis Federation confirmed she is an Egyptian national living in Kenya who has not competed in Egypt.