Tennis Kenya has admitted to a mistake in granting a wildcard to unranked Egyptian player Hajar Abdelkader, following a lopsided match that went viral. The 21-year-old lost 6-0, 6-0 to world No. 1026 Lorena Schaedel in just 37 minutes at an ITF tournament in Nairobi.
Abdelkader won only three points during the match, two from Schaedel's double faults and one from a German unforced error. She double-faulted 20 times from 24 serving attempts and appeared unfamiliar with the rules, requiring Schaedel to instruct her on court positioning.
In a statement, Tennis Kenya explained that a late withdrawal left organizers with no other options, and Abdelkader had indicated she had an appropriate level to compete. The federation acknowledged the wildcard should not have been granted and vowed to prevent such occurrences in the future.
The incident has reignited debate over wildcard integrity in lower-tier tennis, echoing controversy from last year when US billionaire Bill Ackman played doubles at the Hall of Fame Open. Tennis figures including Andy Roddick and Martina Navratilova criticized that match, with Roddick calling it a disaster.
