Ali Thameem
Aara Aasal Azim has defeated Nayara Usaama Ali in the under-16 final of girls’ singles at the ongoing ATF Maldives Junior Open tournament.
Aara won the game by 6-0, 6-4.
Aaara had made it to the final after defeating Kazakh player Aruzkhan Bayalina (6-3, 6-2) in yesterday’s semifinal. Aara had also played and won against Aishath Karin Saizan (6-2, 5-7, 6,3) and Manha Mohamed Ali (6-4, 6-1) in the quarterfinals and the round of sixteen respectively. Aaraa is the current women’s national tennis champion.
Runner-up Nayara had beaten Lara Yazeel 6-0, 6-1 in yesterday’s semifinal game. She previously defeated Sarah Saamee Mohamed (6-3, 6-1) in the round of sixteen, and Aishath Livia Khatheer (6-0, 6-2) in the quarterfinals.
Apart from being the girls’ singles finalists, Aaraa and Nayara are a pair in the doubles event of the tournament. The pair received a bye in the quarterfinals. They defeated the Livia-Aruzhan pair (6-4,6-3) in the semifinals. After the singles finals game this morning, Aaraa and Nayara are preparing to take on Aishath Karin Saizan and Hiu Lam Ella Wong in the girls’ doubles final this evening.
Although it is an international tournament, the majority of the participants in girls’ singles were Maldivian players.
The ATF Maldives Junior Open tournament, an international tournament for under-16 tennis players, is hosted by the Tennis Association of Maldives. This is the first time an ATF-sanctioned tournament is held in the country.
