Ilima Guseynova, 14-year-old tennis player from Ashgabat, won a silver medal in doubles at the recently concluded international tournament "Selangor Asian 14 & Under Grade A (Southeast Asia)" in Malaysia. The 9th-grade student from Ashgabat's specialized secondary school No. 42 achieved this success in partnership with Hana Shabanpour from Iran.

On their way to the podium, seeded 1 pair of I. Guseynova and H. Shabanpour defeated Adani Ajari (Malaysia) / Naba Nishan (Maldives) 6:2, 6:3, then won in the quarterfinals against Romina Rafiborujeni (Iran) / Batricia Elvina Saiful Amir (Malaysia) 6:0, 6:2, and in the semifinals, they beat South Korean tennis players Seohyeon Kim / Yeorin Lim 6:4, 1:6 (10:1).

In the final, I. Guseynova and H. Shabanpour lost in two sets to the international duo of Shivali Gurung (Nepal) / Sa'Ya Maula (Indonesia) 3:6, 5:7, ultimately securing the second place on the podium.

Ilima Guseynova, Turkmenistan's women’s singles No 1, is among the top four tennis players in Asia under 14 years old. She hones her sports skills at the "Ashgabat" Tennis Academy under the guidance of Turkmenistan's national team head coach Mirali Gasanov.

I. Guseynova's track record includes numerous awards from international tournaments. This year alone, she won three medals of various distinctions. Ilima won bronze in singles and gold in doubles with Indian athlete Karthika Padmakumar at the international tournament "Asian 14 & Under Grade A" in Hyderabad (India), and she won silver at another similar tournament in Shymkent (Kazakhstan), losing in the final to Iranian H. Shabanpour 2:6, 2:6.

The Grade A tournaments for young tennis players under 14, held under the auspices of the Asian Tennis Federation (ATF), are part of the ranking system and allow young players to accumulate points to improve their rankings. Players from various Asian countries participate in these tournaments. This gives young talents the opportunity to develop their skills, gain experience playing on the international stage, and establish contacts with other tennis players. Moreover, the points earned at such tournaments affect players' international rankings and can open doors for participation in higher-level competitions. In short, Grade A tournaments play an important role in preparing future professional tennis players and contribute to the popularization of tennis in the region.

Thanks to her success in such tournaments, Ilima Guseynova has been invited to the GSPDP Asian 14U Junior Championships 2024, which will be held with the participation of 24 best tennis players under 14 years old from September 9 to 13 in Cambodia.

Correspondent of «GA»

Sorce: https://turkmenistan.gov.tm