Dubai, UAE - Dubai organizers of the Barclays Championships on Tuesday cited security concerns and "public sentiment" in the volatile Middle East as likely motives for a ban of Israeli player Shahar Peer from the event.

Three days after the United Arab Emirates government denied the number 45 a visa, the situation threatened to explode into a full-fledged diplomatic incident.

The recent Israeli air attacks on Gaza would not have helped the situation.

Dubai, Feb 17 : Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza on Tue

Dubai, UAE - Jelena Jankovic got on and off court in efficient style Tuesday, reaching the third round of the Barclays Championships over unconventional Romanian Monica Niculescu 6-3, 6-2.

The Serb third seed, a finalist in 2005, needed a fast adjustment from indoor play in wintery Paris to the mid-20s Celsius of the Gulf.

Niculesco, ranked 48th, strikes the ball double-fisted off both wings in a style similar to that of Frenchman Fabrice Santoro.

Jankovic, who had a bye in the opening round, said her opponent presented problems but nothing that the former number one could not solve.

Dubai, UAE  - Ana Ivanovic got off to a winning start under new coach Craig Kardon, reaching the second round in a stroll at the Barclays Championships on Monday.

The French Open winner only teamed with the American a week or so ago in hopes of stopping her slide after winning Roland Garros but failing to back up that big win.

The Serb defeated Russian Alisa Kleybanova 7-5, 6-4 to take revenge for a third-round upset loss in the Australian Open, the last time Ivanovic played a WTA match.

Dubai/Karachi, Feb. 16 : The ICC has briefed the Pakistan and Sri Lanka players, backroom staff and officials on the new ICC Anti-Doping Code (2009) which came into effect on January 1,2009.

The code has several changes from the ICC's previous anti-doping regulations, including the adoption of the International Registered Testing Pool (IRTP), made up of the leading players (according to the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings) from each of the top eight ranked ODI teams.

Dubai, UAE  - Israeli Shahar Peer lost her chance to make a political point as the Dubai government denied her a visa to play in the Barclays Championships starting on Sunday.

The 21-year-old ranked 48th, was to have travelled to the Gulf after a semi-final at the weekend in Pattaya, Thailand, and had been drawn to face 15th-seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze.

But tensions in the Middle East after Israeli's bombing campaign last month of Palestinians in the region ended any hope of a former Israeli soldier being admitted to the moderate Arab emirate.