Dubai, UAE: Two of the most popular sports in the UAE joined forces over the weekend to celebrate UAE National Sports Day with the UAE Table Tennis and Badminton Women’s Open Championships.
The competition was organized in four age categories in table tennis and three categories in badminton in a round robin competition before the knock out rounds to ensure players gained valuable competition experience.
The badminton competition saw 63 matches contested and unearthed some new talent, particularly in the Under 13 category. In a display of great racquet skills and footwork, the category was won by Nidhi Shailendra Desai from Dubai, with a victory over Rinitha Rajith of Ajman.
The under 17 category was one of the most hotly contested of the tournament, with young star Tanisha Crasto adding to her impressive tally of victories in the region with a win over Nidha Abdul Najeeb.
In the women’s doubles, five times Pakistan national champion Palwasha Basheer and Nafeesa Sara Siraj, a Kerala State Champion and a Silver Medallist at the CBSE India Nationals, defeated Elme De Villiers and Amritha Kuttikrishnan in the Finals.
The table tennis was contested in four age groups, Under 12, Under 15, Under 18 and Over 18 years of age, in total of 142 matches were played.
In the Under 12 category the winner was Melody Van Es, with Gopika Ramesh runner-up. The Under 15 winner was Theola Johnes who defeated Christy Joseph in the final, while in the Under 18s Aishwarya Chockalingam overcame Soniya Bhat to take the title. The over 18 category was won by Jaymee Yanga, with Menwa Majid the runner-up.
