The Turkmenistan Tennis Championship concluded in highly sensational fashion on the courts of the multifunctional Ashgabat Stadium. The country’s main national tournament of 2026 brought together 124 athletes – 70 boys and 54 girls from the regions and the capital – who competed over six days for championship titles in singles and doubles events, The Golden age electronic newspaper reports.
In the men’s competition, 14-year-old Aly Geldiyev, seeded 16th, unexpectedly claimed the title. On his way to victory, the ninth-grade student of the School for Young Olympic Athletes comfortably defeated Suleyman Abdallov 6–0, 6–0 and Erkin Altyev 6–1, 6–0 in the opening rounds. He then sensationally staged a comeback victory in a three-set match against last year’s Turkmenistan champion and the tournament’s top seed, Allanur Dayanjov, winning 3–6, 7–5, 6–2. In the quarterfinals, Ali defeated Suleyman Hudayberdiyev 6–3, 6–4, then beat fifth seed Selim Chagylov 7–5, 3–6, 6–2 in the semifinals. In the final, he overcame sixth seed and last year’s national bronze medalist Resul Atayev from Mary 6–4, 6–2.
Aly Geldiyev began playing tennis at Sports School No. 9 in Turkmenabat under Babamurat Mamatrasulov. He now continues to develop his skills in Ashgabat under Gurbanberdi Gurbanberdiyev and Meylis Orazmuhammedov. Last year, at an Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) international junior tournament for players under 14 in Thailand, he won two gold medals in singles and doubles. In March of this year, during the qualifying stage in Sri Lanka, he helped Turkmenistan’s junior national team reach the final qualification stage of the Junior Davis Cup for players under 16 for the first time. Now, Aly Geldiyev has become the Turkmenistan men’s champion for the first time, setting a national record by achieving this feat at just 14 years old!
Completing the top three was eleventh-grade student Selim Chagylov of Ashgabat Secondary School No. 18, who came from behind to defeat five-time former national champion Yuriy Rogusskiy in the third-place match 4–6, 7–5, 6–3. Rogusskiy now devotes more attention to coaching young players than to his own competitive career.
In the women’s tournament, 13-year-old Nazli Hudaykulieva, a seventh-grade student at Ashgabat Secondary School No. 87, caused a real sensation by winning the Turkmenistan championship title. Seeded 11th, the student of coaches Meylis Orazmuhammedov and Yuriy Rogusskiy successively defeated Oguljeren Atayeva 6–0, 6–0, Selbi Malikgulyyeva 6–2, 6–1, and Natalya Martynova 6–4, 6–2. In the quarterfinals, Nazli defeated fourth seed Jennet Charyyeva from the Mary tennis school 6–4, 6–4, and in the semifinals immediately imposed a fierce challenge on top seed Ilima Guseynova. N.Hudaykulieva won the first set 7–5, and with the score tied at 2–2 in the second set, Ilima retired due to injury. Nyazli advanced to the final, where she defeated second seed and winner of the 2025 Turkmenistan Cup Aynur Movlyamova 7–6, 6–2 to claim the championship. Third place went to Ilima Guseynova.
In February of this year, Nazli Hudaykulieva won four gold medals, becoming the absolute champion of the two-week West and Central Asia Championship for players under 14 held in Manama, Bahrain, with participants from 13 countries. She has now claimed victory in the country’s premier national tournament, becoming only the third female player after Anastasiya Prenko and Ilima Guseynova to win the Turkmenistan women’s championship at the age of 13.
Notably, in addition to her singles triumph, Nazli Hudaykulieva also captured gold in doubles, teaming up with Jennet Charyyeva to defeat third seeds Anna Ponyatova and Kseniya Sorokina 6–3, 6–4 in the final.
The bronze medals in women’s doubles went to Aygul Nazarova and Jennet Orazalyyeva, who convincingly defeated Meryem Atayeva and Leyli Saparbayeva 6–1, 6–0 in the third-place match.
In the men’s doubles event, Selim Chagylov and Selim Pirjikov claimed the championship by defeating second seeds Allanur Dayanjov and Serdar Vepamyradov in the final super tie-break 6–4, 4–6, 10–8.
Meylis Orazmuhammedov and Yuriy Rogusskiy took third place after defeating Resul Atayev and Nazim Kasymov in a super tie-break 7–5, 3–6, 10–3.
