MUSCAT: Oman beat Nepal 2-1 in the Davis Cup under-16 championship being held in Sri Lanka.
At the Sri Lankan Tennis Association (SLTA) in Colombo, Oman went ahead after the first rubber when Issa al Sulaimani defeated Nishal Kiasta 6-3,6-4.
In the second singles, Nepal made it 1-1 after Raj Bir Pradhan beat Ali al Busaidi 6-3, 6-1.
In the doubles,Issa al Sulaimani and Ali al Busaidi came back brilliantly after losing the first set to edge Nepali duo of Nissan Kiasta and Raj Bir Pradhan with a score of 2-6, 6-4, 10-5.
The under-16 national boys team lost its first match against the third-ranked Singapore team on the opening day 3-0.
Issa al Sulaimani went down to Luke Koh 6-0, 6-1 and Mikhail Khomenez beat Ali al Busaidi 7-5, 6-0 to claim the rubber. In the doubles, Al Sulaimani and Taha al Wahaibi suffered a 6-0, 6-0 loss against the Singaporean duo of Mikhail Khmenez and Maxmus.
Oman juniors will next play against the Maldives.
The under-16 Davis Cup for boys and the under-16 girls Billie Jean King Cup tournaments which began on February 19 will conclude on February 27. The tournament is conducted by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
Billie Jean King Cup
In the Billie Jean King Cup, Oman lost their first two matches against Iraq and Uzbekistan.
In the first match, the Omani girls were beaten 3-0 by Iraq.
Oman’s Majda al Amriyah fought hard before going down 7-6, 6-2 against Iraq’s Zalal Khalil.
In the second match, Iraq’s Larry Hassan defeated Aisha al Busaidiyah 6-2, 6-0.
In the doubles, Omani duo of Rayan al Busaidi and Majda al Amriyah lost 6-2, 6-3 against the Iraqi pair.
Oman also lost 3-0 against Uzbekistan.
Shakhnoza Marikova blanked Majda al Amriyah, 6-0, 6-0 and Sabrina Olmjnova beat Aisha al Busaidiyah 6-2, 6-0. In the doubles, Rayan al Busaidi and Majda al Amriyah lost 6-2, 6-3 against the Uzbek pair.
Junior Davis and Fed Cups will go on at SLTA till Saturday (February 26).
Two countries each, out of a total of 16 in both boys and girls, will qualify for the next round. Sri Lanka is neither taking part in the Junior Davis Cup nor the Billie Jean King Cup as they have already qualified for the Final Qualifiers of the region according to their tournament results last year. Last year, Russia and the Czech Republic won the Junior Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup, respectively, beating France and Japan in the finals held in Antalya, Turkey.
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