(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) A day after a spectacular ceremony officially opened the fifth Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat in Turkmenistan, Oman's campaign ended in indoor tennis singles as both its players crashed out in the first round.
Oman's tennis star Fatma al Nabhani, one of the title contenders, was seeded third in the women's singles and took on unseeded Thailand's Chompoothip Jundakate in the first round on Monday.
There were high hopes from Fatma, who has recently showed good form on the ITF circuit and had even won an ITF doubles title in Spain last month. However, on Monday, the Omani's play was hampered by her back injury that recurred recently. Despite a late fightback, Fatma lost to the unfancied Chompoothip, who clinched the match 6-3, 6-2 in one hour 14 minutes.
Chompoothip hardly gave Fatma time to settle as she broke the Omani's serve twice to race to a 4-0 lead in the first set. Fatma then held her serve and but the Thai made it 5-1 on her serve before the Omani fought back to make it 3-5 only for Chompoothip to secure the set in 41 minutes by breaking her rival's serve.
Fatma started well in the next and seemed to have got into her groove as she took a 2-0 lead. But Chompoothip drew level and then broke Fatma's serve twice to clinch the match.
Fatma will now team up with her regular partner Sarah al Balushi in the doubles event.
Speaking to Muscat Daily from Ashgabat, Fatma said, 'I was not competely fit as my back had been hurting since last week. I tried my best but the injury didn't help.'
Fatma had given a walkover at a recent ITF event in doubles in Cairo, Egypt, where she participated to prepare for Ashgabat Games. 'Even my doctors advised me not to play but I was keen to represent Oman and win. Had I been fully fit, I was certain of a medal here,' the 26 year old said.
With the doubles not starting till Thursday, Fatma said that the break will help her recover and she hopes to do her best with Sarah. Besides Fatma, Oman had also fielded Maryam al Balushi in the singles. The 17 year old began the sultanate's campaign on Sunday night but went down fighting to Fiji's Ruby Coffin 6-7 (4-7), 6-7 (2-7).
Athletics' coach Hamood al Dalhami (centre) is flanked by Ahmed al Saadi (left) and Barakat al Harthi in Ashgabat
Later in the evening, there was drama as initially Oman's Ahmed al Saadi had failed to make it to the 400m final, having finished third in the semifinal heat No 2 with a time of 49.50s. Only the best two from the three semifinal heats advance to the final. But a late decision by the ground jury to disqualify Pakistan's Ali Mehboob, the winner of the semifinal heat No 2 race, gave the Omani a place in the final. Following Mehboob's disqualification, second-placed India's Amoj Jacob (47.94s) took the first place and Saadi qualified as second best for the final tomorrow.
The 28 year old Saadi had won a bronze in 400m at the Asian and Arab Championships earlier this year. He raised hopes of another good show when he finished second in the preliminary heat with a time of 49.36s in the morning session.
And on Tuesday, Oman's star sprinter Barakat al Harthi will be in action in the 60m tomorrow. The 2010 Asian Games 100m bronze medallist best timing is 6.67s said that he is 'ready to give his best and hoped to be on podium' with the final scheduled for Tuesday
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