Bahrain women compete in Saudi tennis event

Bahrain Tennis Federation’s Women’s Committee continued its push to provide players with greater competitive exposure by taking part in the Strategy Academy Women’s Doubles Tournament in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia.

The event, played under the Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) system, featured 22 players of various nationalities and competitive levels, with matches held in a round-robin format.

Representing Bahrain were Jameela Al Nashaba and Gharam Isa, Madina Malallah and Alaa Al Aradi, Dina Al Refaei and Rudaina Al Alawi, as well as Samar Khalid and Doaa Al Dehaim.

Al Nashaba, a Bahrain Tennis Federation board member and chairwoman of the Women’s Committee, partnered Isa in one of the Bahraini contingent’s strongest performances.

The pair advanced into contention for third place following a series of competitive matches.

They faced Egypt’s Mai Al Hijazi and Saudi Arabia’s Aya Al Dosari in a closely fought encounter, with the contest eventually decided by a tie-break, which Al Hijazi and Al Dosari won 7-2.

Al Nashaba and Isa also recorded a 6-3 victory over Samah Al Dulayjan and Shareen Konjaba during the tournament.

Fellow Bahrain representatives Malallah and Al Aradi enjoyed success of their own, defeating Saudi pair Noura Al Dosari and Noor Al Bassam 6-3.

Al Nashaba said competing in tournaments of this nature formed part of the committee’s efforts to complement its training programmes with more competitive match experience.

She added that facing players from different countries and playing backgrounds would help the Bahrainis develop technically and tactically while becoming better equipped to deal with different match situations.

Al Nashaba also highlighted the support provided by Bahrain Tennis Federation president Shaikh Abdulaziz bin Mubarak Al Khalifa towards increasing opportunities for the kingdom’s female players to compete abroad.

At the conclusion of the tournament, Al Nashaba joined organisers from Strategy Academy in presenting medals to the leading players.

The participation follows the Women’s Committee’s recent training camp in Istanbul, Turkey, which formed part of its programme to raise playing standards and provide greater international exposure.

The committee plans to continue entering UTR-based competitions, with the rating system allowing players to face opponents of comparable ability and gain further competitive experience.

The initiative forms part of wider efforts to develop women’s tennis in Bahrain and increase participation in the sport.