Dubai: Al Wasl Club capped an amazing year lifting the UAE National Tennis Championships for a record seventh time with a 2-0 win against Dubai Police at the Aviation Club courts last weekend.
Leading from the front was the UAE's top player Omar Behroozian with a fluent 6-1, 6-3 win against Neil Bulilan, and then Rabah Abdul Fattah weathered a resilient Asfand Farooq before winning in three sets 3-6, 6-2, 11-9.
Mansour Falaknaz of Falak Holding gave away the glittering winner's trophy to Al Wasl skipper Bahroozian and top officials Omar Abbas and Zayed Abbas along with Hamdan Sulaiman and Slah Bramly from Tennis Emirates.
"Our consistent success only proves that we have been doing something right for the past few years," Al Wasl Club's tennis manager Omar Abbas told Gulf News.
"We have targeted youngsters with a good mix of senior players to carry forward our motives in being the best for a record seventh year," he added.
Al Wasl Club's chief coach put it down to sticking to the basics. "I think we have a good group of coaches and a highly motivated bunch of players," Jean Francois Danican said. Coming to the end of yet another successful season, Behroozian was proud of what the club has achieved.
"It has been hard work no doubt, but it has been more of a belief that we can achieve the results. The conditions were hot and humid today, but it was the same for both teams," Behroozian said.
Meanwhile, Tennis Emirates has slotted an AGM of all clubs and officials sometime this week to dissect the season gone by and plan for next year.
Results
(Winners) Al Wasl Club; (Runners-up) Dubai Police; 3. Al Nasr Club; 4. International Team.
Al Nasr bt International Team 2-0: Michael Van Herck bt Christian Dietrich 6-1, 6-2; Hamad Abbas Al Janahi bt Philipp Kober 6-2, 6-0.
Al Wasl bt Dubai Police 2-0: Omar Behroozian bt Neil Bulilan 6-1, 6-3; Rabah Abdul Fattah bt Asfand Farooq 3-6, 6-2, 11-9.
Al Wasl ‘D' drew Al Bustan 2-2: Kaushik Murali/Dylan Mendonca bt Admar Orale/Jerome Camero 5-7, 6-1, 10-7; Michael Melville/Rohit Kambhar bt Samer Gazi/Akbar Khan 6-3, 6-1; Jerome Camero/Admar Orale bt Michael Melvill/Rohit Kambhar 6-1, 7-5; Samer Gazi/Akbar Khan bt Kaushik Murali/Dylan Mendonca 6-2, 6-7, 10-5. Al Wasl ‘D' declared winners due to a superior game difference 38-37.