Curtains came down on a successful Women’s Shuttle Time Dubai Program at the weekend, with Roudha Al Hajeri emerging triumphant among Emiratis and India’s Irene Eisa Alexander winning the expatriate title in the Shuttle Time Dubai Women’s Championships.

Organised by the Women’s Sports Committee of Dubai Sports Council in association with UAE Badminton, the tournament saw 16 ladies take part in the Emiratis-only category, while the expatriate section had a draw of 32. The matches were played at Dubai Sports World, Dubai World Trade Centre, on September 19 and 26.

Rawda Al Mahrezi, Chairman of the Women’s Sports Committee, crowned the winners of the two categories, in the presence of Fouzeya Faridoon, Manager of Dubai Sports Council’s Women’s Sports Development section as well as the Women’s Sports Committee.

In the Emirati section, the 16 participants were divided into four groups of four each and, after round-robin matches, the top two from each of the groups moved to the knockout stage of eight.

Coming through the group stages by winning all three of her matches – defeating Amna Saleh 15-2, 15-1; Zahra Al Mulla 15-3, 15-2 and Eman 15-0, 15-0 – Al Hajeri started off her knockout campaign with a comfortable 21-5, 21-9 win over Bushra Al Najar and then booked her place in the final with a 21-7, 21-9 victory over Shaima Ahmad.

In the final, Al Hajeri, survived a spirited challenge from Muna Al Sahlawi before eventually prevailing 21-17, 25-27, 21-17.

In the expatriate section, Irene opened her campaign with a 15-0, 15-0 romp over Latifa Essarokh and then cruised past Diana Wu 15-7, 15-5. In the quarterfinals, she defeated Mia Lyn Rizon 21-9, 21-10 before edging Nepal’s Gyanu Baral 21-18, 21-10 to book a title-clash with compatriot Arunima K Biju, where she prevailed 21-18, 21-10 to bag the crown.

The Shuttle Time Dubai Women’s Championships was a culmination of the Women’s Shuttle Time Dubai Program, which launched by the Council in early August with the purpose of attracting new recruits to the sport and training them.

The tournament was organised to give participants of the Program an opportunity to test their skills in a competitive atmosphere and, at the same time, motivate and encourage, and support them.

“The Dubai Sports Council is always keen to support and develop women’s sports by organising exclusive tournaments, training courses and workshops for them,” said Fouzeya Faridoon.

“We are proud to see our efforts bear fruits. A number of government and private institutions now have a women’s sports team in their organisation with professional trainers, and you can see them participating in all the different tournaments organised or supported by the Council.”

RESULTS

Emirati Singles Final: Roudha Al Hajeri beat Muna Al Sahlawi 21-17, 25-27, 21-17. Third Place: Shaima Ahmad beat Shamma Abdulla Saeed 21-5, 21-14. Semifinals: Roudha Al Hajeri beat Shaima Ahmad 21-7, 21-9; Muna Al Sahlawi beat Shamma Abdulla Saeed 21-8, 21-14.

Expatriates Singles Final: Irene Eisa Alexander (India) beat Arunima K Biju (India) 21-18, 21-10. Third Place: Gyanu Baral (Nepal) beat Jenni Escolar (Philippines) 21-13, 24-22. Semifinals: Irene Eisa Alexander (India) beat Gyanu Baral (Nepal) 21-3, 21-5; Arunima K Biju (India) beat Jenni Escolar (Philippines) 21-12, 21-13.