Oman beach volleyball, tennis teams win

Muscat, August 19 - Oman beach volleyball and tennis teams registered a good start at the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia as both teams won their opening matches on Sunday. Oman beach volleyball ‘B’ team beat Chinese Taipei, while tennis team defeated Sri Lanka team. Oman swimmers and shooters finished with disappointing results in the qualification stages. Oman tennis national mixed team comprising Fatma al Nabhani and Mohammed al Nabhani won against Sri Lanka represented by Anika and Ranjana 6-4, 6-3. Despite an injury, Mohammed al Nabhani played with precision to lead Oman to win along with his partner and experienced Fatma. Oman will next play against China. Oman beach volleyball team comprising Haitham al Shuraiqi and Ahmed al Hosni beat Chinese Taipei 2-1. Chinese Taipei stunned the Omani duo with a 20-16 score in the first set. The Omani staged a strong comeback in the second set by winning it 22-20. In the decider, Al Shuraiqi and Al Hosni were on top as Oman finished with 15-12. Oman will play against Hong Kong on Monday. Shikha Bader al Rawas attended the match and congratulated the team for their crucial technical performance during the match. Oman shooting team played a very tough competition with other shooters. Oman mixed team for 10 metres rifle ended in the 16th place with 811.2 points. The team comprised of Issam al Balushi and Amina al Tarshi. On the other hand, Oman mixed team for 10-metre pistol were positioned at 14th place with 751 points. The team included Ismail al Abri and Wadha al Balushi. Omani shooter Isam al Balushi will take on competitions of 10 metre rifle for men, while Amina al Tarshi and Siham al Hasani will take part in the same event in the women competitions. Hockey team meet Bangladesh Oman national hockey team will begin its campaign by facing off Bangladesh on Monday. Oman are keen to secure the qualification to the next round. The national team, coached by Taher Zaman, completed all the preparations and is set for the first match. Oman played two friendly matches in Indonesia — one against South Korea which finished in a draw, while Pakistan beat Oman 4-2. Omani swimmers, Abdul Rahman al Kulaibi and Issa al Adawi failed to qualify to the next stage. In the opening day competitions, Issa participated in 200 metres freestyle and finished with a timing of 1:58:18, while Al Kulaibi finished with 2:16:06. On Monday, Abul Rahman will take part in the qualification for 200 metres freestyle, while Issa al Adawi will compete in 50 metres freestyle.