Last year Israeli tennis player Shahar Pe'er was ineligible to participate in the Qatar Open because she was still doing national service in the Israeli army. This year she will become the first competitor from the Jewish state to play in a top level tournament hosted by a Gulf State when she takes to the court today for her first round match. Pe'er says she is going for sport, not politics. Washington Jewish Week reports "Doha, the Qatari capital, was granted a tournament by the World Tennis Association on the condition that entry be based on merit and not any other factors."

Next week the Jerusalem Post reports that Israeli number two Tzipi Obziler will play in the Dubai Tennis Championships.