UAE No1 Behrouzian aiming for Wilson Cup glory

Mahak Mannan 11:47 29/01/2014
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  • Home comforts: Omar Behrouzian is determined to win in Abu Dhabi.

    UAE number one Omar Behrouzian is determined to claim victory in the first amateur tennis trophy of the year when the Wilson Tennis Cup presented by Healthpoint gets underway this Thursday at Zayed Sports City.

    The 31-year-old always looks forward to playing in his home tournament and is impressed with the facilities on offer, however, he did express his disappointment about the lack of competitive competitions in the UAE.

    “The Wilson Cup is very well organised and the courts are excellent, so it is one I look forward to,” explained Behrouzian. “But there aren’t enough competitive tournaments here, so this one in Abu Dhabi is very important.

    “When I was a child there were about ten, now there are about three each year, which is why I have to go abroad to play competitively.”

    Nevertheless, the vastly experienced Behrouzian believes he is playing his best tennis in a number of years after impressing in a recent tournament in the UK, and is confident he can compete for the title.

    “I go into every tournament hoping to win, and this is no different,” he said. “I was very pleased with how I played in the UK recently and I am enjoying my tennis at the moment, so I am really looking forward to this one.”

    Behrouzian is the hot favorite to claim the Men’s Open title this year after 2013 winner, Peter Wessels, was ruled out with a knee injury.

    “It’s a shame Peter is not playing,” added Behrouzian. “He is a great guy and we have a mutual respect for each other. He doesn’t play too often because he does a lot of coaching, but when we play each other he is consistently at a very high level.”

    Despite his main competitor for the title being out of the running, Behrouzian knows he will still have to play against tough competition.

    The UAE’s number two, Hamad Abbas Al Janahi will be another threat and he will be hoping he can defeat his mentor for the first time. 

    “Hamad and I are very good friends," admitted Behrouzian. "He has never beaten me, but tennis is one of those games where you can never take anything lightly.

    “There are a whole lot of young players coming through who will be waiting to make a name for themselves. I have learned over the years that the more successful I am, the more people want to beat me. They play better because they have nothing to lose, whereas I have everything to lose.

    “There are also new coaches coming to the country all the time. No one knows how good they are until they play in a tournament like the Wilson Tennis Cup.”

    As well as the number one and number two Emirati players, other known contenders for the title include the Netherlands’ Roy De Valk, whose brother-in-law is current ATP star Robin Haase (currently ranked 45 in the world).

    Kirk Rebuyas, a 19-year-old from the Philippines who will soon be studying in the US on a tennis scholarship is one to look out for, as is Sasa Ljumic, who has been tipped for big things.

    In the Ladies Open, favourite Magali De Lattre will hope to retain the title, but faces tough opposition from prodigious 17-year-old Sanjana Sudhir.

    For more information please visit: www.zsc.ae.

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