(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Oman's star Fatma al Nabhani was the favourite to claim the title at the Arab Tennis Championship that is under way at the Moroccan capital of Rabat.
And the Omani did not disappoint as she claimed the title on Friday with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Tunisian Chiraz El Bechri.
Speaking to Muscat Daily from Rabat, Fatma said, 'I am very happy and proud to win the title as it coincides with the National Day celebrations.
'I was a bit stressed going into the final as I had lost two finals during my ITF campaign in Morocco. But I fought well and I did well to win the title. I am much relieved now as I was under enormous pressure to deliver.'
The 25 year old, who is currently ranked No 445 in the world, said, 'The gold medal at this Arab meet will be close to my heart as the title is a gift from me to Oman.'
Salman al Balushi, the head of the Oman delegation, said, 'We have been proud of Fatma's achievements over the years. Once again Fatma has proved that she is a shining star.'
The women's singles event featured only nine players from three nations including Oman, the other two being Tunisia and hosts Morocco.
Fatma had a smooth sailing all through the event. She raced past local girl Lilia Hadab in the second round with a 6-0, 6-1 win and then in the semifinals breezed past another Moroccan girl Lamia Aziz, winning 6-1, 6-0.
With Tunisian No 1 player Ons Jabeur deciding to give the Arab tournament a miss, Fatma's title chances rose ahead of the tournament. The 22 year old Ons is ranked No 196 in the world and is the top Arab player on the circuit.
In the summit clash, Fatma overpowered another Tunisian despite her rival taking the second set into a tie-breaker.
Earlier, Fatma's teammates, Sara al Balushi and Mariam al Balushi, suffered opening round defeats. While Sara lost to Lamia 0-6, 2-6, Mariam was whitewashed by Moroccan Diae El Jersi 0-6, 0-6.
Fatma in action during her semifinal match at the Arab Tennis Championship in Rabat, Morocco on Thursday
Fatma had gone into the Arab meet with her confidence high after playing three successive tournaments in Morocco - two in Casablanca and the last one in Rabat.All the three events were on the ITF US$10,000 pro circuit. Out of the three, Fatma finished runner-up twice in the singles. She also finished second in the doubles event twice with her Spanish partner Olga Parres Azcoitia.
Meanwhile, a chance for a golden double in the women's doubles event was lost by Fatma and Sara as the duo lost to the local team of Lamia and Diae 5-7, 2-6 in the semifinals. The event featured only four pairs.
In the women's team competition, Oman is playing against the hosts in the semifinals. The teams were level 1-1 when rain stopped play on Saturday with Fatma winning her singles and Mariam losing the other singles. The deciding doubles is yet to be played. A win will ensure another medal for Oman.
In the men's team opening round, Oman lost to Jordan 0-2 in the five-team competition.
In the men's singles, Oman's Younis al Rawahi, Fawaz al Mandhari, Abdullah al Barwani and Abdulrahman al Hajri lost in their respective opening round matches. Kuwait's Abdullah Maqdes routed Rawahi 6-0, 6-0, Moroccan Yassine Idmbarek trounced Mandhari 6-1, 6-3, Morocco's Khalid Allouch blanked Hajri 6-0, 6-0 and Tunisian Med Ali Bellalouna defeated Barwani 6-2, 6-1.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.