UAE fencers impress at NAS Sports Tournament

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Fencers from the UAE put up a splendid show at the ongoing Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament, a press release said.

Fares Al Baloushi and Alanoud Al Saadi qualified for the finals in the men’s and women’s epee in the international category.

Al Balushi will take on Egypt’s Abdul Rahman Hafour for the men’s title, while Al Saadi will contest against UAE-born Tunisian fencer Sarah Basbas for the women’s crown on Thursday.

Al Balushi made it to the final after he defeated Tunisian Mohammed Ayoub Al Ferjani 15-14, while Abdul Rahman Hafour got the better of Hungarian fencer Robert Kiss 15-13. Al Ferjani later took the third place following a narrow 15-12 win over Daniel Robert.

Meanwhile, in the women’s category, Al Saadi was quite at ease following a 15-10 win over fellow Emirati fencer Mira Al Hammadi, while Sarah Basbas was authoritative in her 15-4 over Sheikha Al Zaabi.

Al Zaabi later won the third place with a 15-11 decision against Al Hammadi.

The NAS Sports Tournament, the largest sports tournament of its kind held during the holy month of Ramadan at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex under the slogan ‘Limitless Abilities’, will continue until March 31.

This year’s event includes nine sporting disciplines including volleyball, padel, jiu-jitsu, fencing, wheelchair basketball, road running, cycling, tug-of-war and obstacle course race.

Meanwhile, the UAE padel team got off to a rousing start with a determined 2-1 win over Bahrain on the opening day of the NAS Padel Challenge for teams.

The Netherlands also secured a 2-1 result against Kuwait in the second encounter of the night.

The UAE’s next challenge will be against Iran on Thursday, while the Netherlands will be up against Qatar.

There are six teams participating in the Padel competition for teams, and the top four sides will advance to the semifinals which will be held on Friday. The final will be played on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Padel competition for women/Arab women got under way with the UAE duo of Alia Taher and Fatima Al Janahi securing an easy 6-1, 6-0 win over Nouf Omar and Fatima Al Awadhi.

Sarah bin Kazem and Sheikha Al Janahi also ended up in the winner’s circle with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Najla Issa and Noura Al Hashemi, while Fatima Shahdour and Maryam Shahdour also commenced on a winning note with a 6-4, 6-3 verdict against Maryam Al Hashemi Rashid and Aisha Ali Abdullah Yateem.