Burgess, Areen clinch U18 titles at junior tennis tourney

MUSCAT: The Junior Tennis Championship 2026 concluded at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex courts in Bausher after 10 days of competitive action, bringing together 70 boys and girls across different age groups.
Organised by the Oman Tennis Association (OTA), the event underlined the steady growth of junior tennis in Oman, with strong contests, close finals and valuable match exposure for young players. The closing ceremony was held under the auspices of Munther al Barwani, OTA Secretary, in the presence of association members, coaches, officials and parents.
In the U8 category, Elias bin Luqman al Maskari claimed first place, followed by Dingman, Kimi and Rio. Fayadh al Hilali won the Under-9 title, with Julian Paul second, Ali al Riyami third and Muhannad al Najjar fourth.

In the Under-10 category, Omar al Shaibani secured the title after a strong run, while Hood al Hashmi finished second. Salima Saykova won the Under-12 girls crown ahead of Serena Varghese, while Rayaan Tyagi captured the Under-12 boys title, with Adhiraj Singh finishing runner-up.

AREEN WINS GIRLS U18, TALYA CLAIMS U14 TITLE
Talya al Busaidy took first place in the Under-14 girls category, followed by Hiti Mistry. Abdulrahman al Rahbi won the Under-14 boys title, with Richard finishing second. In the Under-18 girls category, Areen al Zakwani claimed first place, while Talya al Busaidy added another strong result by finishing second.

The final highlight came in the Under-18 boys category, where British player Brodie Burgess won the title, while Abdulrahman al Rahbi finished runner-up after a demanding campaign in which he competed in more than one age category, winning the Under-14 crown and reaching the Under-18 final.
Faisal al Balushi, Tournament Director, said the championship achieved its technical and organisational goals. “We saw good levels and clear progress from several players. The participation of 70 players reflects the growing interest in tennis among junior age groups. These tournaments help us follow player development through the local ranking system and identify talents capable of representing national teams in the future,” he said.

National team coach Sofiane Doul said the event produced important technical gains, adding that Omani players showed a strong presence across most categories. He noted that Al Rahbi’s performance in the U18 final was affected by fatigue after competing in two categories, but praised his overall achievement. Doul also said that the participation of players from Britain, Nigeria, France, and other countries added technical value and gave Omani players valuable exposure.

Brodie Burgess said the final featured high-quality tennis. “I am very happy with this experience. I thank everyone who watched, the coaches and the OTA for organising this tournament,” he said.
Al Rahbi said winning the U14 title and reaching the U18 final gave him valuable experience. Elias al Maskari also expressed his delight after winning the Under-8 title, saying his ambition is to join the national team and raise Oman’s flag high.