Dubai: Padel international stars made winning starts in the International Federation of Padel Championship (Rise category) of the 11th Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament.
Leading the field of 46 teams of men and women it was the performance of the pairing of Xavier Masson and Jorge Hernan Tupayachi Llanos that stood out at Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex hall.
The duo ousted Alejandro Chaveli Canovas and Alvaro Clemente Jimenez 6-2, 6-4 to ease their way into the next round. Arthur Hugouneno and Pierre Vincent came up with an equally dominant showing to beat Saif Al Hammadi and Qasim Al Sherafi 6-0, 6-1, while Romain Sichez and Philippe Francois Martelli struck good form while skipping past Khaled Megdiche and Khalil Ben Lallahom 6-2, 6-2.
Rodrigo Aza Casaseca and Mikel Blanco Dorao were always in a hurry following their 6-0, 6-1 win against Mahmood Al Attar and Ahmad Al Muhairi, while Arsham Moradi Nejad Marian and Sohrab Darafshi Ghahroudi were made to work hard before securing a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 win against Ramtin Fatoorechi and Aria Jafar.
Sebastiao Mendonca and Plinio Ferrao had a tough outing before coming back from behind to win 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 against Philip Orloff and Ivan Lopez Munoz, while Martin Martinez Perez and Hugo Caparros Basterra kept off the pair of Agustin Molinero Fernandez and Alexis Jesuan Gonzalez Dalbene 6-1, 6-7, 6-4 to advance to the next round.
Other winners on the night was the pairing of Javier Navarro Rodriguez and Julian Lacamoire easing past Bohdan Levchuk and Danyil Yevdokimov 6-2, 6-3, while Ignacio Gonzalez Gadea and Javier Puerto Elvira beat Oliver Szakacs and Andre Biro 6-2, 6-1.
Volleyball competition
A total of eight teams will be participating in the volleyball competition with Group A consisting of Zabeel (1), The Emperor, Fohood Zabeel and Alameed, while Group B comprising of Al Jawareh, Zabeel (2), HMS and The King.
Friday’s opening encounters will see Zabeel (1) facing Fohood Zabeel, while The Emperor will take on Alameed. On the following day (March 23), matches from Group B will be held with HMS playing Al Jawareh, while Zabeel (2) will be up against The King.
There will be a rest day for teams following the conclusion of preliminary round matches on March 27. The semi-finals will be played on March 29, followed by the fight for third place on March 30 and the final on March 31.
Obstacle Race to end today
More than 400 participants will know their fate at the end of the Obstacle Challenge Race when the winners of the event are announced Thursday.
With a total fund of Dh290,000 on offer for the top finishers in the male and female categories, all eyes will be on the first-placed athletes and the Dh100,000 that each champion is scheduled to walk away with.
The competition consists of covering a total of 11 obstacles spread out over a distance of 400 metres in the fastest possible time, with a maximum time limit of 4 minutes.
Wheelchair Basketball continues
The qualifying matches of the wheelchair basketball will continue at the Dubai Club for People of Determination, with Mai Dubai facing Dubai Courts at 9.30pm on Thursday, while Dubai Municipality will be up against the Roads and Transport Authority from 10.10pm.
The Community Development Authority team will meet Al Bustan Center and Residence at 10.50pm, followed by the match between Dubai Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship versus Dubai Electricity and Water Authority at 11.30pm.
