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Hajar Abdelkader won just three points in her ITF W35 Nairobi debut, losing 6-0, 6-0 to Lorena Schaedel, sparking online ridicule and debate over the wildcard system in tennis.
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A wildcard entrant at a professional tennis tournament has gone viral for all the wrong reasons after a brutal debut that saw her win just three points — prompting online ridicule and uncomfortable questions about the wildcard system.
Egyptian player Hajar Abdelkader, 21, lasted just 37 minutes in her first-round match at the ITF W35 event in Nairobi, losing 6-0, 6-0 to Germany’s Lorena Schaedel.
Abdelkader won only three points in the entire match — two from her opponent’s double faults and one unforced error. She did not win a single game and managed just one rally point of her own, late in the second set.
Cutting an unusual figure on the dusty clay court, Abdelkader wore a black T-shirt and leggings and struggled visibly in the humid conditions. Her serving was particularly alarming: she hit 20 double faults, landed just 8.3% of first serves, and at times appeared unsure where to stand while serving.
When rallies did develop, Abdelkader’s returns often failed to cross the net, and her grip on the racket looked uneasy throughout. Schaedel, ranked world No. 1026, barely had to extend herself to close out the match.
According to her ITF profile, Abdelkader has been playing tennis since the age of 14, but Wednesday’s defeat marked her first-ever tour-level appearance.
The lopsided loss has since sparked widespread online mockery, with fans calling it one of the worst professional performances ever, while also raising renewed scrutiny over how wildcard entries are awarded — a long-standing and controversial issue in the sport.
January 07, 2026, 23:40 IST
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