Male, Maldives (September 7): Fathimath Dheema Ali secured the National Table Tennis women's singles title for the fifth consecutive year, while Akhyar Ahmed Khalid claimed his first National singles title by defeating Moosa Munsif Ahmed.
At just 16, Dheema is on a winning streak in National-level table tennis tournaments.
Recently, she clinched the National Ranking Tournament title and defended her Association Cup singles title.
First Maldivian Olympian to qualify through a qualification phase, Dheema faced Aishath Rafa Nazim once again in the final, emerging victorious with a 4-0 win. Dheema’s set scores were 11-08, 12-10, 11-03, and 11-08.
In addition to her singles success, Dheema also claimed the U19 Women’s Doubles title with partner Mishka Mohamed Ibrahim and the U19 Mixed Doubles title with Akhyar Ahmed Khalid. However, they settled for silver in the Open Mixed Doubles event.
Akhyar, who will turn 17 on September 15, won his first National singles title by defeating 11-time National Champion Moosa Munsif Ahmed in a thrilling match.
Akhyar took the first three sets 12-10, 11-01, and 11-08, but Munsif rallied to win the next three sets 11-08, 11-05, and 11-06. In the deciding set, Akhyar secured the victory with an 11-07 win.
Munsif congratulated Akhyar on his victory
"A role model student then & a team mate now. Talented, humble and hard working player. Happy that he recognizes those who helped throughout. Glad to be part of his development and part of building players in general. At TT we grow as a team." Munsif added.
In addition to his singles triumph, Akhyar also won the U19 Boys Singles title and the U19 Mixed Doubles title.
Both Dheema and Akhyar are preparing for international tournaments in the coming weeks, with these domestic victories serving as a significant morale boost ahead of the WTT events.
