Dubai:
Shaikh Saeed Bin Hasher Al Maktoum and Omar Sharif were one step away from contesting for the padel tennis final for Emiratis when they brushed off Ali Al Hai and Saeed Al Jabri at the Third Nad Al Sheba (NAS) Ramadan Sports Tournament late on Thursday.
In a lopsided contest that lasted for less than half an hour, Shaikh Saeed and Sharif toyed with an opponent who never really measured up to their superior quality of play. They will next meet the Ahli brothers Mohammad and Abdullah, and should they win, Shaikh Saeed and Sharif will meet title favourites Omar Behroozian and Mohammad Al Janahi in the final.
Last year, Behroozian had teamed up with Abdul Rahman Al Janahi to win the top prize. And on Thursday, Behroozian was unrelenting as he and the older Al Janahi powered past Shaikh Saeed Juma Al Maktoum and Hassan Sharif to advance to the final with two wins out of two.
Shaikh Saeed did not want to look too far ahead after their easy win against Al Hai and Al Jabri. “I appreciate the way these two players worked in keeping the ball in the court. Ultimately I think it was our tennis experience that helped,” Shaikh Saeed said.
The winning pair will next run into the Ahli brothers with a win assuring them of a place in the July 8 final against Behroozian and Al Janahi. “One win, and one more to go. It has to be one match at a time and we will try our best to go one step better than last year,” Shaikh Saeed promised.
Meanwhile, the Hamdan Heritage Centre (HHC) was the eighth and final quarter-finalist with a win over the Zabeel Office Team in the futsal competition.
Tied 2-2 midway through the second half, the Zabeel Office Team had to look on in dismay as the referee disallowed a goal even though the ball had clearly crossed the line. The team remonstrated, but the official refused to budge. The Zabeel Office Team then went on an all-out offensive leaving their goal unguarded and allowing HHC to score two quick goals to advance to the knockout stages.
HHC will now meet Al Jokar in the quarter-finals, while Surprise will face Group C toppers Tornado, XCAT will cross swords with Al Zeer and defending champions Fohood Zabeel will take on Fohood Jumeirah on July 6.
