Oman rally past Malaysia in Asian junior padel

MUSCAT, NOV 7
Oman overturned an early deficit to defeat Malaysia 2-1 in their opening tie at the FIP Junior Asia Padel Cup 2026 in Jakarta on Saturday, with victories in the under-16 and under-18 matches securing a winning start.
The result earned Oman two points in Group D of the boys’ second phase, putting them level with Kazakhstan, who beat Qatar by the same margin in the other opening encounter. Malaysia and Qatar each collected one point.
Oman next face Qatar on Sunday, November 8, on Court 2 at Pluit Padel Parq in Jakarta. The tie is scheduled for 10 am local time, equivalent to 7 am in Oman.
Malaysia took the early advantage through the under-14 match, in which Firas al Lawati and Amer al Saadi represented Oman. The Omani pair produced a competitive performance, but errors proved costly as they lost in straight sets, leaving their teammates needing to win both remaining matches.
Azzan al Busaidi and Hadi al Lawati responded in the under-16 contest. After an uncertain start to the opening set, they regained confidence and settled into their game, securing a straight-set victory to bring Oman level at 1-1.
AL QASSABI-AL HASANI CLAIM DECIDER
That left the under-18 pairing of Abdulrahman al Qassabi and Mohammed al Hasani to contest the deciding match. Despite some errors, the duo made the necessary adjustments and completed another straight-set win to seal the overall victory.
The comeback gives Oman encouragement ahead of the Qatar encounter, with the players demonstrating their ability to recover from a difficult start. Reducing errors and maintaining concentration will remain priorities as they seek to build on their opening success.
Oman are making their second overseas appearance at junior level, following their debut at the Arabian Gulf Padel Cup in Qatar in September 2025.
The eight-player squad compete across the under-14, under-16 and under-18 categories under coach Mohammed al Rawahi, supported by fitness coach Abdulrahman al Rahbi. Adil Sultan heads the delegation.
Preparations began earlier this year, with training increasing from weekly sessions to three padel sessions per week for each age category from July. Three weekly fitness sessions were added from September before the squad travelled to Indonesia for their final preparations.
The championship continues until November 14 and serves as a qualifying event for the FIP Junior World Cup 2027.