Ali Thameem
Naba Nishan, 15, and Nayara Usama Ali, 17, have qualified for the girls’ singles round of sixteen at the ITF Maldives Junior Open 2025.
Competing in the first round of the main draw, Both Nayara and Naba claimed victory with two straight set wins in their respective games. As two of the highest-ranked female tennis players in the Maldives, Naba and Nayara had been seeded directly for the main draw.
Naba faced an Indian player, Jahnavi Chowdary Madaramittla, who made her way through the qualifying rounds. Although Jahnavi kept the pressure and forced a tiebreaker in the first set, Naba came out on top, winning 7-5. Naba won the second set comfortably with a score of 6-1.
“It felt really great being able to showcase my skills, also to play against a foreign opponent at home court – which we never really done before”, said Naba after the game, via local news Javiyani MV. “I would say it is a good start to the tournament, winning the first round.. (It’s) my first ITF tournament at home court, with everybody’s support…” For these reasons, Naba says it is a welcome experience for her – one that she “will forever cherish”.
Naba’s next opponent, Yishan Xu of China, is the fifth seed. Xu, who defeated Keyara Usama Ali in the first round yesterday, is 1855th in the ITF Junior singles rankings.
Nayara’s first-round opponent was a 15-year-old Russian, Veronika Vylegzhanina. Nayara booked her spot in the RO16 with a win of 6-3, 6-4. Nayara’s next opponent is Mengxi Sun of China.
The Maldives champion Nayara said, via Javiyani MV, that she is hoping to see more even more supporters in audience for the upcoming games. “When I played today I saw a lot of new faces, but I’d like to see a lot of more new faces.. because each match, for each player, is really important, so.. we’d like to see a lot more supporters. A lot more clapping. A lot more cheering.”
Three Maldivian players will compete in the singles round of sixteen – Nayara, Naba, and Manha. The latter had defeated the top-seeded player in the tournament; Tamara Ermakova of Kazakhstan, at yesterday’s first round of games.
