Junior tennis team begins Arab U14 Championship in Tunisia

MUSCAT: Oman's national junior tennis team will kick off their participation in the Arab Under-14 Championship, hosted by the Tunisian capital from August 17 to 23, with the participation of ten Arab countries competing for the title. The team will be represented by six players in both the boys’ and girls’ categories.
The tournament officially begins today following yesterday’s draw for the opening rounds. Over the past two days, our players have completed their preparations through intensive training sessions held on the tournament courts. In addition, the squad benefited greatly from participating in a joint training camp in Egypt, organised by the Oman Tennis Federation. The camp, which lasted three weeks, included a large group of Omani players from different age categories and featured numerous friendly matches and tournaments, providing valuable experience and technical readiness ahead of this championship.
The national team’s delegation for the U14 competition includes: Ahmed al Balushi (Head of Delegation), Mohammed al Dairi (Team Official), Sufiat Dube (boys’ coach), Sergei Persikhin (girls’ coach), along with players Moataz al Mazrouei, Abdulrahman al Rahbi and Azan al Busaidy, and female players Arin al Azkawi, Talia al Busaidy and Salma al Riyami. The ten participating countries are: Oman, Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Iraq.

The matches will be played on clay courts at Marsa Club, presenting a new challenge for Omani players who are more accustomed to hard courts used in official competitions. Speaking about the preparations, Ahmed al Balushi, Head of Delegation, said, “This participation is very important for our U14 players, as this age group needs such opportunities to gain experience and collect international ranking points. We aim to achieve advanced positions in this championship. The players have prepared well through the Egypt camp, which lasted nearly three weeks, where they were trained and guided by specialists at the Smash Academy.”
He added that the championship is crucial for helping players earn ranking points that will serve them in future events. He praised the promising talent within this group and expressed hopes for their success, extending thanks to the Oman Tennis Federation for providing the necessary support and preparation, as well as to the Tunisian Tennis Federation for their cooperation and hospitality.
Player Abdulrahman al Rahbi said, 'I am very happy to participate in this championship, which brings together a strong field of Arab players. Everyone is striving to achieve top positions and earn ranking points. We are well-prepared after the long camp in Egypt, which gave us strong technical benefits. Now it is up to us to give our best, achieve good results and gain valuable experience from this competition. We hope all players will work hard to deliver their best in this important tournament.'