Dubai: The Uncle Saeed team of Shaikh Saeed Bin Juma Al Maktoum walked away with the team padel tennis title a swift 2-0 win against the Shaikh Saeed Bin Hasher Al Maktoum team at the Third Nad Al Sheba (NAS) Ramadan Sports Tournament late on Thursday.
With the Spanish trio of Juan Jose Matea, German Zunica and Javier Lopez Garcia, the Uncle Saeed team proved to be a formidable unit. In the first doubles, Hassan Sharif teamed up with Matea to power their way to an easy 6-1, 6-1 win over Omar Sharif and Emilio Misas for a 1-0 lead.
In the second doubles, Lopez Garcia and Zunica were equally devastating in their 6-1, 6-1 win over Javier Molina and Pedro Rios.
Earlier on Wednesday, the men’s open and UAE men’s winners were decided with Alexander Farquharson and Javier Lopez Garcia taking the men’s open, while Omar Behroozian had successfully defended his UAE men’s title along with Mohammad Al Janahi.
Ahmad Bin Manana, Chairman, Higher Organising Committee, was joined by Tournament Director Hassan Al Mazrouei and Mohammad Al Mutawa’a, Vice President, Emirates Padel Federation in presenting the winners with their medals and prizes.
“This title means a lot to our team. We started preparing many months in advance and tonight we can enjoy the fruits of our hard work,” Hassan told Gulf News.
In the inaugural year, the Uncle Saeed team had fallen at the quarter-final stage, and last year they had scooped the third place after losing in the semi-finals. “So this year is a huge improvement and we intend to keep this momentum going by continuing with our schedule,” Hassan said.
With the Dubai Padel Masters scheduled to be held at the end of the October in a unique format that will enable local players to participate in the qualifiers, the Uncle Saeed team now has a goal. “For sure we will try and get better so that we can be a competitive side at the international tournament. This will be a huge priority for us,” Sharif said.
The Shaikh Saeed Bin Hasher Al Maktoum team took failure to defend their crown graciously. “The Uncle Saeed team was compact. They have a lot of experience in their side and we were never in contention,” Omar Sharif admitted.
