Muscat, Jan 5 - Oman’s veteran tennis player Ahmed al Saeedi sealed a spot in the second round of the 45 years singles category in the seventh Arab Veteran Tennis Championship which is underway in Muscat until January 8. Al Saeedi registered a crucial win against Yemen’s Yasser Husaain 4-2, 4-0 on Sunday morning at tennis courts of the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. In the same category, Saudi Arabia’s Essam al Jazeri beat Yemen’s Nabil Mohammed 4-0, 5-3. Oman’s Jihad al Raisi suffered a shock loss from Jordan’s Moammed Ali while Iraq’s Malik Hadi won against Saudi’s Abdulaziz al Muhanna 4-0, 4-0. Libyan Al Hadi Salim outplayed Saudi’s Ali al Dokhi 4-1, 4-0. Oman’s Salman al Raisi lost against Kuwait’s Ahmed Dashti 4-2, 3-5, 6-8).
In the 65 years singles category, Bahrain’s Hussain Jafar beat Jordanian Shaher Taher 4-0, 4-0, Jordanian Faisal Adil won against Kuwait’s Adnan al Essa 4-0, 4-0, Egypt’s Mahmood Abdulameed beat Jordan’s Omar Waef 5-3, 4-2, while the Sultanate’s Madani Babaker qualified to the next stage after getting a walkover. The top Arab tennis senior event recorded tough competitions among the 143 participants from 14 nations including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE, Egypt, Yemen, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Algeria, Libya, Lebanon, Palestine and hosts Oman.
The official opening ceremony was held on Sunday under the auspices of Dr Abdullah bin Mohammed al Saeedi, Minister of Legal Affairs, in presence of ambassadors, dignitaries and officials. Majeed al Asfoor, the chairman of the organising committee, said: “It is our honour to welcome the players of Arab countries to take part in the Arab Veteran Tennis Championship. The main objective of the tournament is the Arab family gathering under an umbrella of the tennis sports,” he said.
Al Asfoor hoped the tournament boosts the tennis profile in the Sultanate. He thanked the Ministry of Sports Affairs (MoSA), Oman Olympic Committee, Oman Tennis Association and all the private sponsors who joined together to stage the event.
Shaikh Rashad al Hinai, Under-Secretary at MoSA, said the Arab Veteran Tennis Championship is being organised as one of the events to support and enhance the sports tourism.
“It is a remarkable event to see all the veteran players from different parts of Arab region. I wish all the best for all the participated players,” he said.
Khalifa al Essai, General Director of Sports Activities at MoSA, said the event is a great gathering of all the veteran players from different Arab countries in Muscat city. “Oman has hosted many top events in tennis and other sports. The tournament reflects the high standards of the Sultanate’s sports infrastructure too,” he added.
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