Dubai: Belgium will commence the defence of their title when they take on UAE ‘B’, while Iran will face Syria in the opening round of the 23rd Nations Cup tennis at the Al Nasr Leisureland tennis courts Thursday.

Play is set to start at 4pm with the opening day seeing only two encounters in this annual tournament.

While the men’s competition has attracted ten teams, the response for the women’s event has been lukewarm with only three sides confirming so far. The ten teams in the men’s competition have been divided into two groups of five each, while the women’s contest will most likely be played on a round-robin format.

Belgium, Iran, Syria, Tunisia and UAE ‘B’ have been put in Group A, while Group B consists of the Philippines, Ukraine, UAE ‘A’, Norway and India.

All matches will follow the Davis Cup format of two singles and a doubles. Teams will have to seed their players and nominate them before start of play with the two singles matches. All singles matches will be best of three sets with the super tiebreaker introduced in the third set.

The UAE’s top player Omar Bahroozian is once again expected to lead the hosts’ campaign in this annual tournament. “We expect a tough contest in the men’s section as most of the teams look evenly balanced,” Anjum Zia from organisers Al Nasr Leisureland told Gulf News.

“However, in a competition of this nature anyone is capable of putting up a fight. Entry is free and we encourage the general public to come and cheer their teams along. This year’s tournament is just before the two weeks of the Dubai Tennis Championships, so that will be an added incentive for tennis lovers,” he added.

Last year, the combined team of Russia and Belarus walked away with the women’s crown, while Belgium claimed the men’s title. The Philippines ended at the losing end in both finals, going down 0-2 against the joint team of Russia and Belarus in the women’s event, while the men’s lost 1-2 against Belgium.

This annual tournament, held by Al Nasr Leisureland, is among the oldest competitions for teams in the country.

Groupings

Group A: Belgium, UAE ‘B’, Iran, Syria, Tunisia

Group B: Philippines, Ukraine, UAE ‘A’, Norway, India

Fixtures:

(February 9) Belgium x UAE ‘B’; Iran x Syria; Philippines x Ukraine; UAE ‘A’ x Norway

(February 10) Belgium x Syria; Iran x Tunisia; Philippines x Norway; UAE ‘A’ x India

(February 11) Iran x UAE ‘B’; Tunisia x Syria; UAE ‘A’ x Ukraine; India x Norway

(February 16) Finals