Dar girls reign supreme at national meet
Fast-rising badminton players Abida Hassanali (left) and Nazneen Abbas pose with their trophies as they celebrate their victory over Farheen Hassanali and Ridha Hassanali in the ladies doubles during the National Open Championship in Dar es Salaam yesterday. PHOTO | BROWN MSYANI.
What you need to know:
Organised by Tanzania Badminton Association (TBA), the tournament attracted 10 Dar es Salaam-based teams, which have been pooled in two groups.
Dar es Salaam. Badminton prodigy Abida Hassanali of Khalsa A beat Nazneen Rahim 21-13, 21-15 in an exciting National Ladies badminton Open Championship match at the Dar es Salaam Institute court yesterday.
Organised by Tanzania Badminton Association (TBA), the tournament attracted 10 Dar es Salaam-based teams, which have been pooled in two groups.
Hassanali, one of the best female badminton players in the country at the moment, had little mercy on her opponent in the match.
She has magnificent defence, quick reflexes in the game and deftness of touch that usually put her opponents at bay.
After a bright start, Hassanali faced some anxious moments later as she trailed behind at one point before asserting her supremacy to silence her opponent and launch her title defence campaign with a bang.
“Nazneen is a great player, she played some attacking shots,” the exited Hassanali said shortly after the game.
“I made a few mistakes here and there, but in the end it was a good win,” she admitted.
She added: “I was getting a lot of my strokes in, so I am very happy with the way I played today (Tuesday).”
In the second match, which was Ladies double, Abida Hassanal partnered Nazneen Abbas to beat Farheen Hassanali and Ridha Hassanali 21-15, 21-12.
“We had to be prepared for long rallies as Farheen Hassanali and Ridha Hassanali are strong players,” Nazneen said after the thrilling 25-minute match.
The teams are competing in the singles and mixed doubles at the tournament.
