Four wins, one loss, and eighth place out of 21 – this was the outcome of the Turkmenistan team's performance at the concluded preliminary qualifying tournament for the ITF World Junior in the Asia-Oceania zone for boys under 14, held in Isa Town, Bahrain.

The Turkmenistan team was represented by Ali Geldiyev, an eighth-grader from the School of Young Olympians, Kerimgeldi Guldurdyev, an eighth-grader from the Joint Turkmen-Russian Secondary School named after A.S. Pushkin, and Suleiman Hudayberdiyev, an eighth-grader from the specialized secondary school No. 86 in Ashgabat.

In the first stage, our compatriots took second place in Group D, achieving a convincing victory over the Bahrain team – 3:0 and losing in a tough battle to the third-seeded Syrian team – 1:2.

In the matches for 8th to 14th places, which involved seven teams, the Turkmen tennis players defeated their peers from Oman – 3:0 and took the lead over the teams of Saudi Arabia and Malaysia with the same score of 2:1.

The Turkmenistan team showed strong character in the last match against the Malaysians. After losing the first singles match, our team tied the score – 1:1 in the second, and in the doubles, they outlasted their opponents, achieving a comeback victory. The first point for the team was scored by Ali Geldiyev, who defeated Jacob Yong Tsern Wong, a semifinalist of the "Ashgabat Open 2024" tournament – 6:1, 6:3. The second winning point was also scored by him in a pair with Kerimgeldi Guldurdyev, who took the lead over Favvaz Mustakim Kamaruzaman and Gareth Lim, the bronze medalist of "Ashgabat Open 2024" – 6:3, 6:3.

Thus, the Turkmen tennis players completed their participation in the preliminary qualifying tournament for the ITF World Junior in the Asia-Oceania zone, showing a worthy result for all years of participation in these competitions. A significant contribution to the team's success was made by Ali Geldiyev, the winner of last year's third Asian junior tournament among players under 14 in Doha (Qatar), who won all his singles matches, including against Muhammad Eyad Saleem from Syria, who is among the top six in the Asian U14 ranking – 3:6, 7:6(5), 6:4.

Kerimgeldi Guldurdyev, the winner in doubles at the "Ashgabat Open 2024" tournament among athletes under 14, and Suleiman Hudayberdiyev, the silver medalist in singles at three international tournaments in Qatar, Ashgabat, and Saudi Arabia for players under 14 in 2024, also fought well on the courts against their opponents.

The Turkmen tennis players prepared for the ITF World Junior Pre-Qualifying under the guidance of their personal coaches and the captain of the Turkmenistan national team, Yuri Rogussky. Ali Geldiyev started playing tennis at the 9th sports school in Turkmenabat under Babamyrat Mamatresulov. Now he is perfecting his skills in Ashgabat under Y. Rogussky. Kerimgeldi Guldurdyev trains with Hajymyrat Charyev, and Suleiman trains with Gurbanberdi Gurbanberdiyev.

In the final, the top two seeded teams from Indonesia and Hong Kong faced each other, earning the right to participate in the upcoming final qualifying stage from April 9 to 14, 2025, in Malaysia. The match ended with a victory of the Hong Kong tennis players – 2:0. And in the match for third place, the Bangladesh team won against the Syrian team – 2:1.

The ITF team competitions for juniors are held among girls and boys in two age groups – under 14 and 16 years old. Both tournaments allow young tennis players to test themselves in international competitions and experience the unique atmosphere of team play, representing their country.

Recall that recently on the same courts in Isa Town, Bahrain, the Turkmen tennis team for girls under 14 took fifth place among 18 teams in the preliminary qualifying tournament for the ITF World Junior in the Asia-Oceania zone, showing the best result in all years of participation in these competitions.

The women's team of Turkmenistan at the tournament in Bahrain was represented by Aylar Kakabayeva, an eighth-grader from the capital's school for gifted children named after Atamyrat Niyazov, Nazli Hudaygulyeva, a sixth-grader from Ashgabat's secondary school No. 87, and Sakhra Garakhanova, a sixth-grader from secondary school No. 90 in Ashgabat.