Himmelreich, Turdieva advance at 9th Al Habtoor Tennis Cup

 Promising junior players made significant progress at the end of the opening rounds of the 9 th Al Habtoor Tennis Cup at the HUBB Tennis Club in Silicon Oasis, on Sunday.

Sophie Himmelreich, Cyrine Maazoun, Nika Yaghoubi and Emilia Balkanyi all advanced to the next round of the girls under-12, although in contrasting ways. Maazoun and Balkanyi got walkovers from Yasmine El Eit and Dilay Yerdelen respectively, while Himmelreich easily set aside Uchechukwu Uzokwe 6-0, 6-0, while Yaghoubi had to dig in deep for a 6-1, 4-6, 10-6 win against Reet Khanna.

There were some good results in the girls under-14 category with Aileen Turdieva, Nour Ben Mlouka, Alexandra Kryuchkova, Rama Farag and Cyrine Maazoun all advancing to the next round of the competition.

Turdieva got the better of Ria Joseph 7-5, 6-4 and Ben Mlouka set aside Aadya Agarwal 6-1, 6- 2, even as Kryuchkova defeated Cleopatra Carnes 6-2, 6-1, while Farag and Mohsen secured easy 6-1, 6-0 and 6-1, 6-3 wins against Mira Sagar and Lana Mohsen, respectively.

The boy’s under-12 witnessed Airu Nagata getting the better of Ali Al Ali 6-4, 6-3, while Yahya Karkouri beat Brian Pang 6-0, 6-3. At the lower end of the draw, Sami Khoury beat Kai Archer 6-1, 6-4, while Alec Larrouilh defeated Andre Lee 6-4, 6-4.

Nazario Pency Dioses, Ayaan Malik, Alexei Aldemita and Mohammad Abou Tayoum were among those advancing to the next stages of the boy’s under-14 category with convincing wins.

Dioses beat Ryan Hoef 6-0, 6-2, while Malik got the better of Siddharth Sagar 6-0, 6-0. Aldemita defeated Aum Phadnis 6-2, 6-0 and Dhruv Abraham went past Mohammad Abou Tayoum 6-3, 6- 0.

The annual tennis competition is being held for junior boys and girls in four separate age categories (under-12, 14, 16 and 18) and three contests for seniors - namely Men’s Open, Women’s Open and Masters (34 years and above).

Finals in all eleven categories to be held alongside 27 th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge on December 8.

This event is part of the ‘Road to Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open’ - the new community initiative developed by Mubadala in partnership with the UAE Tennis Federation, and under the umbrella of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.

The programme provides a unique pathway for aspiring players within the UAE to elevate their skills and make their mark on the global tennis stage. The Road to Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open series is fully sanctioned by the UAE Tennis Federation and will take place at multiple venues across Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Fujairah.

Points accumulated through the Road to Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open tournaments will not only contribute to a player’s official UAE ranking, but also to a distinct Road to Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open ranking.

At the end of the series, the top-8 players in each category will progress to a play-off system designed to determine the overall champions. The pinnacle of this competition will be witnessed during the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open in February, where the final Road to Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open will be played with the winners claiming their well-deserved titles.

Among an array of incredible prizes throughout the series, an unparalleled opportunity awaits the winners of the U-14 and U-16 categories — an all-expenses paid trip to train at the prestigious Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy in Spain. Renowned for nurturing some of the world’s most exceptional talents, the academy boasts an impressive group of players, including the reigning Wimbledon champion, Carlos Alcaraz.