Fujairah: The top two seeds were headed towards a showdown in the singles final of the GCC Cup Men's and Women's Tennis being played at the Fujairah Tennis and Country Club (FTCC).
In the first quarter-finals, top seed Mohammad Al Gareeb of Kuwait dumped fifth Fahad Al Saad of Saudi Arabia 6-1, 6-4, while playing in the lower half of the draw, second seed Omar Behroozian of the UAE easily got past Kuwait's Mohammad Abd Aal 6-1, 6-2.
In the other two quarter-finals, Mahmoud Nader Al Baloushi became the second player from the host nation to qualify to the last four stages of the competition with a 6-2, 6-2 win against Abdul Rahman Al Awadhi of Kuwait, while Oman's Mohammad Al Nabhani booked a meeting against Behroozian with a hard-fought 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win against Kuwaiti's youngster Ziad Hussain.
"It has been a good tournament and I am trying to improve with every match," Behroozian told Gulf News after his terse victory against Abd Aal.
"The idea was to keep the points short and conserve energy as there are going to be tougher challenges ahead," the UAE champion added.
Seeded seventh here, the UAE's Al Baloushi was relishing a tough match against the top seeded Al Gareeb today. "I suppose you see newer elements of the game as you go on in years. I have added new insights into my game, small things that I hope will make a difference in the long run," Al Baloushi said.
Long lay-off
Meanwhile, Al Gareeb — who is making a comeback after an injury lay-off of nearly two years — was hopeful he can keep his momentum going. The top-seeded Kuwaiti took a break from tennis following a severe inflammation of the back disc coupled with a problem with his serving shoulder.
"But all that is behind me now and I hope I can continue winning and hopefully have a fruitful tournament that will benefit me in the long run," Al Ghareeb said.
In today's semi-finals, Al Gareeb will face the UAE's Al Baloushi while Behroozian will take on Oman's Al Nabhani at the picturesque tennis courts of the FTCC.
The women's singles finalists were also decided with the UAE's Fatma Abbas Al Janahi beating Assil Al Kandari of Kuwait 6-2, 6-1, while top seed Fatma Al Nabhani of Oman got past Kuwaiti girl Sara Bahbahani 6-2, 6-1.
RESULTS
Mohammad Al Gareeb bt Fahad Al Sa'ad 6-1, 6-4; Mahmoud Nader Al Baloushi bt Abdul Rahman Al Awadhi 6-2, 6-2; Mohammad Al Nabhani bt Ziad Hussain 6-2, 3-6, 6-3; Omar Behroozian bt Mohammad Abd Aal 6-1, 6-2.
