UAE Women’s Padel Team Claims First Victory as Padel Makes Asian Games Debut

UAE padel players Fatima Al Janahi and Aisha Al Awadhi defeated Lebanon’s Lilia Msayki and Maria Bredi in straight sets, 6–3, 7–6, in the first round of the women’s doubles competition at the Asian Games Aichi–Nagoya 2026, to continue their campaign in the competition.

Aisha Al Awadhi expressed her delight with the performance she and Fatima Al Janahi produced, highlighting their strong understanding on court as one of the key factors behind the victory.

“Fatima and I have a great understanding on court. She not only complements my style of play, but also constantly pushes me to perform at my best. We always try to support each other in difficult moments, and today Fatima stepped up on the important points. I am proud of the level we produced as a team,” Al Awadhi said.

She added that winning their opening match had given the pair a positive boost and helped them settle further into the competition, while stressing the importance of treating every match as a fresh start. With each opponent presenting a different challenge, she said the pair would tailor their preparations accordingly.

“Our focus now is on the next match. We will study our opponents carefully, devise the right strategy and go into the match fully focused,” she said.

Reflecting on the most difficult stage of the encounter, Al Awadhi said the second set proved particularly challenging when the UAE pair were leading 5–4 and serving for the match, only for the Lebanese pair to break serve and draw level.

“It was a difficult moment mentally because we felt we had the chance to close out the match. But we managed to put it behind us quickly, focus on one point at a time and ultimately hold our nerve to seal the victory.”

She stressed that the pair’s ambition is to continue representing the UAE with distinction throughout the competition.

“We want to represent the UAE in the best possible way. We know the next match will be difficult, but we will go into it fully focused, give everything we have on court, fight for every point and enjoy the match, hoping that things go our way,” Al Awadhi said.

Fatima Al Janahi emphasised that padel is, above all, a team sport, highlighting the pair’s positive start to the competition.

“We started the competition very well, and I am happy with the level we produced today. We went through several difficult moments together, but continued to support each other until the final point,” Al Janahi said.

She added that their ability to perform under pressure is one of the pair’s key strengths.

“Aisha and I can perform under pressure, and we do not give up easily. That was one of the main reasons behind our victory today.”

Al Janahi also highlighted patience as a key element of their match plan.

“We made sure to remain patient throughout the match. Our strategy was clear: to take it one point at a time and not think beyond the moment on court.”

Looking ahead to their next match, Al Janahi said the UAE pair were aware of the challenge of facing the top seeds.

“We need to step up our preparations and produce our best. We will prepare mentally and physically for the next match and give everything we have on court.”

In archery, Aisha Al Ali advanced from the women’s individual 1/24 elimination round after defeating Jennifer Maia da Cruz of Timor-Leste 6–0, before bowing out in the 1/16 elimination round following a 4–6 defeat to Hsin-Tzu Hsu of Chinese Taipei. Hessa Al Awadhi lost 5–6 to Thailand’s Punika Jongkraijak in the 1/24 elimination round, while Khalifa Al Kaabi exited the men’s individual competition at the same stage after a 2–6 defeat to the Philippines’ Jervin Colleen Nigel Garcia.

In shooting, Sheikh Mohammed bin Dalmook Al Maktoum finished 21st in the men’s individual trap competition with 113 targets, while Yahya Al Muhairi placed 24th with 112 targets.

In esports, the UAE team, comprising Ahmed Al Suwaidi, Harib Al Mundhiri, Butti Al Mansoori, Khalifa Al Dhaheri, Faris Al Mazrouei and Mohammed Al Matrooshi, opened its Group A League of Legends campaign at the Asian Games Aichi–Nagoya 2026 with a 1–0 victory over Malaysia, before losing 0–1 to Saudi Arabia and 0–1 to Vietnam.

The UAE has won two medals in athletics, with Mariam Kareem claiming gold in the women’s 400m hurdles in 54.31 seconds, setting a new Games record and the world’s best U20 time of 2026. Sulaiman Abdulrahman secured silver in the men’s 400m in 44.99 seconds.

Tomorrow’s programme will see the UAE begin its golf campaign. Jonathan Selvaraj, Ryan Ahmed and Wissam Moulan will compete in the men’s individual event, while Asia Salim, Intisar Rich and Jaimie Camero will represent the UAE in the women’s individual competition.

In padel, Fatima Al Janahi and Aisha Al Awadhi will continue their women’s doubles campaign against Japan’s Saki Tsukamoto and Kai Tokumoto, while UAE pair Faris Al Janahi and Abdullah Al Abdullah will face the Philippines’ Abdulqaher Alyan and Raymark Golfo in the men’s doubles competition.

The UAE remained fifth among Arab nations and joint 24th overall in the medal standings at the Asian Games Aichi–Nagoya 2026, with one gold and one silver, level with Sri Lanka.

China continued to lead the medal standings with 247 medals — 140 gold, 60 silver and 47 bronze — followed by Japan with 178 medals — 43 gold, 70 silver and 65 bronze — and South Korea with 95 medals — 24 gold, 27 silver and 44 bronze.

Bahrain retained its position as the leading Arab nation and ranked eighth overall with 15 medals — nine gold, three silver and three bronze. Kuwait moved into second among Arab nations and 13th overall with nine medals — four gold, one silver and four bronze — followed by Qatar, third among Arab nations and 16th overall, with nine medals evenly split between gold, silver and bronze.

Jordan ranked fourth among Arab nations with one gold, one silver and one bronze. Saudi Arabia was 26th overall with two silver and five bronze medals, while Iraq was joint 29th with one silver and two bronze. Lebanon and the Sultanate of Oman shared eighth place among Arab nations and joint 31st overall, each with one silver and one bronze, while Syria was 10th among Arab nations and joint 36th overall with one bronze medal.