Strong Start and Thrilling Matches Mark Opening of Fifth Bahrain Open Tennis Challenger The fifth edition of the Bahrain Open Tennis Challenger Tennis got undeway on Monday.

The event is organized in cooperation between the Police Sports Association and the Police Officers Club, amid an enthusiastic atmosphere and exciting competition that reflected the high standard of the participating players. A strong spectator turnout further added to the excitement of the opening-day matches.
Kazakh player Beibit Zhukayev opened his participation in the tournament with a hard-fought and well-deserved victory over Egyptian Fares Zakaria, winning in straight sets 7–5, 6–4. The closely contested match saw Zhukayev assert his superiority through powerful serves and precise groundstrokes, particularly in the second set.
In another match, Bulgarian Dimitar Kuzmanov continued his impressive performance after defeating Greek player Petros Tsitsipas in straight sets 6–3, 7–5, delivering an aggressive performance that enabled him to seal the win with confidence.
One of the most exciting encounters of the day was the clash between Czech player Hynek Barton and American Dali Blanch, which extended to three sets filled with momentum shifts. Barton staged a strong comeback after losing the opening set, turning the match in his favour to win 0–6, 6–3, 6–3, demonstrating remarkable competitive resilience.
In Bahraini participation, Elias Abdulnabi was defeated by Lithuanian Edas Butvilas in straight sets 6–1, 6–2, despite repeated efforts to keep pace with his opponent’s high level of play.
Slovenian Lukas Pokorny also delivered a strong performance, securing an important win over Georgian Saba Purtseladze 6–2, 7–6, in a match characterised by speed and power.
The opening day also saw Uzbek Sergey Fomin defeat Italian Enrico Dalla Valle 6–2, 6–1, while Norwegian Viktor Durasovic overcame Italy’s Alexandr Binda 6–3, 6–3.
Austrian Neil Oberleitner imposed his control over his match against Romanian Radu Albot, winning 6–4, 6–1, thanks to a strong serve and effective finishing at key points.
Turkish player Yankı Erel confirmed his readiness for the upcoming rounds after defeating Russian Alibek Kachmazov 6–3, 6–4.
The most dramatic match of the day was between Lebanese Benjamin Hassan and Indian Manas Dhamne, which captivated the crowd and proved to be the standout encounter of the opening day. The Indian player claimed victory in three sets 7–6, 4–6, 6–3, in a match that lasted nearly two and a half hours.
The day’s matches concluded with a contest between Turkish player Mert Alkaya and Italian Alberto Bronzetti, which ended after the Italian player retired due to injury following the first set 6–2. In the final match of the day, Ukrainian Vadym Ursu defeated Mexican Alex Hernandez in a hard-fought encounter 6–2, 3–6, 6–3.
The tournament continues over the coming days amid anticipation of more intense and high-level matchups, with the participation of a distinguished group of internationally ranked players, reflecting the prominent status of Bahrain’s tournament on the international tennis calendar.