Balasubramannian clinches treble at Oman Open championship

MUSCAT: The Oman Open Badminton Championship 2026 concluded on Saturday at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher, with India’s Balasubramannian N G emerging as the standout performer after winning three titles in men’s singles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles.
Organised by the Oman Racket Sports Committee(ORSC) from May 7 to 9, the championship brought together players from Oman and the expatriate community, producing strong competition across three main categories.
Balasubramannian sealed the men’s singles title with a 21-13, 21-15 victory over second seed Ali Shahhosseini in the final. He then partnered Diya Anil to win the mixed doubles crown after a hard-fought 19-21, 23-21, 21-14 win over Vaishakh Nair and Bita Mansouri. His third title came in the men’s doubles, where he teamed up with Rajesh Ravi to defeat Jeswin Mathew and Vaishakh Nair 18-21, 25-23, 21-14 in one of the most exciting finals of the day.
The closing ceremony was held in the presence of Hisham al Sinani, Director-General of Sports Welfare and Development at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, and Dr Abdulrahim al Droushi, Chairman of ORSC, who later crowned the winners.

After the conclusion of the matches, Hisham al Sinani and Dr Abdulrahim al Droushi crowned the winners. In the men’s singles, Balasubramannian took first place, Ali Shahhosseini finished second, while Philip Afolabi and Varun Lakshman shared third place.
In the men’s doubles, Balasubramannian and Rajesh Ravi claimed first place, followed by Jeswin Mathew and Vaishakh Nair in second. Ved Yogendra Katiyar and Naufal Ligo Saufik, along with Ajmal Ali and Ali Shahhosseini, finished third.
In the mixed doubles, Balasubramannian and Diya Anil won the title, Vaishakh Nair and Bita Mansouri came second, while Rajesh Ravi and Christine Danith, and Ali Shahhosseini and Sara Shabani, took third place.
Dr Abdulrahim said the championship represented a successful conclusion to the 2026 Oman badminton season, noting that the series of events reflected progress beyond the court.

“The Oman Open Badminton Championship came as the closing event of our 2026 badminton activities, and we witnessed very high technical levels,” he said. “Across the three open championships, nearly 185 matches were played, managed by 23 Omani referees and supported by seven organisers. These numbers are important indicators that go beyond the tournament itself.”
He added that the committee, two and a half years after its formation, was pleased with the organisational standards achieved. “We are satisfied with the level of performance and with the commitment to the standards of the Badminton World Federation in terms of organisation and implementation. We also focused this year on tournaments for Omani players, women players and the Centres for Athlete Development, with the total number of matches over around 12 days reaching 210.”

Al Sinani praised the standard of play and said such tournaments would support the growth of badminton in Oman. “We were pleased to attend and take part in this championship, where we saw excellent technical levels and strong performances. These tournaments are an important motivation for players in the Sultanate of Oman, both Omanis and residents, and they also create opportunities to discover Omani talents who can support national teams in future external participation.”
Balasubramannian said winning three titles was beyond his expectations. “I am very happy, especially because I did not expect to win in three categories. I started preparing three months ago, and it was difficult to balance my work as a coach with training as a player,” he said. He also praised the organisation, officiating and crowd support, adding that Oman has promising young players who can develop strongly if they begin training at an early age.
Mixed doubles champion Diya Anil also praised the tournament’s organisation. “It was a very good experience. The championship was well organised, and the umpires and line judges did a good job. Everyone had a chance to play, and that made the competition positive,” she said.