Exciting field lined up for Marbella Open tennis championships

Dubai: A clutch of UAE juniors along with invited players from neighbouring Oman are likely starters at the Bank of Sharjah's 23rd Marbella Resort Open Tennis Championships that get under way in Sharjah from April 29.

Held under the patronage of Shaikh Sultan Bin Ahmad Al Qasimi, Chairman, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), this year's competition is most likely to have a handful of UAE junior members along with some of the top expatriate players in the UAE.

"We have had a lot of interest from players, especially the juniors for this competition," tournament director Ajay Kumar told Gulf News.

"And since this competition is part of the UAE Junior Development Series we have been taking a lot of measures to ensure we have the best juniors participating," he said.

Competition will be held for boys and girls singles and doubles in the under-11, under-12 and under-14 categories starting from April 29, while the junior series for boys and girls singles and doubles under-16 and under-18 will start off from May 8. The men's and womens competitions will start from May 14 and conclude with the finals on May 21, when the final prize presentation will take place.

"We are expecting in excess of 200 entries in all age categories," Kumar confirmed. Joining the local players will be special invitees, including the Al Nabhani brothers from Oman in the men's competition.