JEDDAH, 18 July 2003 — Pakistan’s Ahmed brothers — Zulfikar and Waqar — clinched the doubles title of the inaugural Prince Talal ibn Mansour Tennis Cup before a capacity crowd at Albilad Hotel Tennis courts last night.
The Pakistani duo put paid to the hopes of the second seeded Filipino pair, Manny Valleramos and Jovie Llevares, with a straight sets defeat in the final. The Ahmad brothers won 6-4, 6-3 but the scores belied the excitement in a match that saw power and finesse in abundance. Both the teams covered the baseline with grit, combining with some sweet net plays. The first set saw the pairs evenly-matched and in the end unforced errors on the part of the Filipinos tilted the scale the Pakistani team’s way.
One brief moment of flash from the Filipinos, down 4-5 in the first set, was quelled by the steadier Pakistanis by attacking their backhand and that in the end — the weaker backhand strokes from Valleramos and Llevares — proved decisive. The Pakistani pair grew stronger in the second set and sealed the title with swift breaks.
“We were looking forward to the challenge by the Filipino pair. We did not take the match for granted as they (Manny and Jovie) have shown that they can extricate themselves from some tight spots. We prepared for it and went into it with a game plan that turned out to be productive,” Zulfikar told Arab News during the prize distribution ceremony. Valleramos congratulated the Ahmed brothers and said they were better equipped today and their techniques were solid. “We’re sorry we disappointed our supporters by not winning, but we did turn in a fine display. The final was an exciting affair and they did get to see good tennis.”
Zulfikar, Valleramos and Llevares praised the organizers, Jeddah Tennis Organization, for initiating the tournament and provide an opportunity to young and budding Saudi and expat talents.
The Pakistani brothers received a cash prize of SR8,000 and British Airways return tickets to London along with the trophy.
Mohammed Al-Saaed of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a JeTO member presented the trophy. The doubles winners and runners-up received cash prizes of SR8,000 and SR5,000 respectively from JeTO Chairman Sergio Y. Taga on behalf of Prince Talal.
BA Country Commercial Manager Chris Phipps, who presented tickets to the winners, said: “The tournament has been well organized and the standard of play has been high. BA is delighted that it has been one of the cosponsors of the event. We’ve been supporting tennis worldwide and we’ve done it here, may be, after a gap of seven years. We hope to support such tournaments in the future.”
Phipps’ wife said she was interested in tennis and she was satisfied with the standard displayed here. Attar Travel, Tudor Watches, Cyprus Airways and Abuljadayel Beverages (Bison) are among the other cosponsors. Abdul Rahman Omar Bajar, a Saudi who plays tennis for the Ittihad Club, said: “I won matches in the first two rounds of the tournament but lost in the third round. It was wrong to surmise that I was easily defeated. After all, I have been playing tennis for the last 12 years. Last year, Ittihad won the championship in the Saudi Tennis League. And we won it without sponsors and coach.” Bajar teamed up with his compatriot Hatem Jawi and lost to the doubles’ runners-up in earlier rounds.
Abdul Rahim Abid Al-Harpi, a Saudi tennis enthusiast, said: “I’ve been watching the tournament and have started getting interested in the game.”
Bob Wilson, Albilad’s recreation manager, said: “The Ahmed brothers have been playing here regularly and have partnered each other in doubles play. This provided them with the extra edge against the Filipinos, who do not play as a team regularly.”
Reena Santos, a Filipino female pharmacist at King Faisal Specialty Hospital and Research Center, said: “I’ve been an avid tennis fan. The tournament has been good from the point of skills displayed by young entrants. Such tournaments will surely go a long way to discovering right talents and grooming them.”
Tony Dosdos, a Filipino airconditioning technician, said: “The match was excellent, although I was disappointed that my compatriots lost.”
Mohammed Jameel, a Pakistani working in a hotel kitchen, said: “I’m happy the Pakistani pair won. They were a better combination and deserved to win.”
Zulfikar and Manny play the singles final at 7.30 p.m. today, according to Tournament Referee Reggie Sanosa.
