The Kuwait team with other teams on the podium during the awarding ceremony.

KUWAIT CITY, April 17: The curtain came down on the Gulf Tennis Championship for national teams in the under-12, under-16, and general age categories, held at the Sheikh Jaber Al-Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah International Tennis Complex. The tournament, organized and hosted by the Kuwait Tennis Federation from April 11 to 16, featured spirited participation from all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations.

The event concluded with high drama as Kuwait’s national team triumphed in the general age category, defeating Saudi Arabia 2-1 in a gripping final match played in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.

In the final, Issa Qabazard gave Kuwait the early lead by overcoming Ammar Al-Haqbani in a tight three-set singles match. Saudi Arabia leveled the tie as Saud Al-Haqbani beat Bader Al-Qahtani in straight sets. The decider came down to the doubles match, where Qabazard and Al-Qahtani teamed up to defeat the Al-Haqbani brothers in straight sets, securing the gold medal for Kuwait.

Saudi Arabia finished as runner-up, while Qatar claimed third place in the general category.

In other age groups: Bahrain won the under-16 title, with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia placing second and third, respectively.

Saudi Arabia secured gold in the under-12 category, followed by Kuwait (silver) and Bahrain (bronze).

The tournament also recognized outstanding individual performances:

Ilias Thamer Al-Ghafli (Saudi Arabia) received the Best Player award in the under-12 category.

Ahmed Al-Sayed and Marwan Al-Janahi (Bahrain) shared the award in the under-16 category.

In the general category, Saud Al-Haqbani (Saudi Arabia) and Issa Qabazard (Kuwait) were both honored for their exceptional performances.

The championship highlighted the growing talent in Gulf tennis and celebrated a week of high-level competition, sportsmanship, and regional unity.