Women’s Doubles clash featuring Fathimath Nabaha (Naba) and Aminath Nabeeha (Naby) was the highlight of Revival Sports’ historic debut at the Azerbaijan International Challenge 2026, as the Maldivian pair faced one of the tournament’s most experienced and highly ranked combinations.

Naby and Naba’s defeat to India’s Ashwini Bhat K. and Shikha Gautam, the fourth seeds ranked World No. 59 and World Tour No. 12, brought Revival Sports’ campaign at the Challenge-level event to a close.

Naba and Naby entered the Women’s Doubles Round of 32 after receiving a walkover in the opening game, before taking on the Indian pair in the Round of 16. Despite going down 21–04, 21–12, the match provided the Maldivian duo with invaluable exposure against seasoned opponents with extensive experience on the BWF World Tour.

In the Mixed Doubles Round of 32, Zayan Zaki and Naba faced Germany’s Jonathan Dresp and Selin Hübsch, who are ranked 163 in the world. The German pair progressed with a 21–07, 21–04 victory.

The Azerbaijan International Challenge marked Revival Sports’ first appearance at a Challenge-level tournament and their first competition on the European badminton circuit, with athletes entered across all five disciplines.
Nibal Ahmed and Zayan Zaki represented the club in Men’s Singles, while Naba and Naby competed in the Women’s Singles. Zayan and Nibal paired up in Men’s Doubles, with Naba and Naby contesting the Women’s Doubles. Mixed Doubles entries included Zayan–Naba and Nibal–Naby.

Earlier in the tournament, Zayan recorded a notable win in the Men’s Singles qualifying Round of 64, defeating Azerbaijan’s Fajar Karimli 21–10, 21–14. His run ended in the qualifying Round of 32 after a 21–5, 21–10 loss to England’s Nadeem Dalvi.

In the Women’s Singles qualifying Round of 32, Naba faced Japan’s Shiori Ebihara, ranked 162 in the world, who won 21–5, 21–4. Naby exited in the qualifying Round of 64 following a 21–12, 21–6 defeat to UAE’s Nourani Azzahra.

Nibal Ahmed was eliminated in the Men’s Singles qualifying Round of 64 after a 21–10, 21–11 loss to the Philippines’ Jamal Rahmat Pandi. In Men’s Doubles, Zayan and Nibal were beaten 21–6, 21–14 by the Czech pairing of Vojtěch Havlíček and Tomáš Švejda.
In the Mixed Doubles qualifiers, Nibal and Naby faced Switzerland’s Nicolas and Julie Franconvile, ranked 135 in the world, who won 21–10, 21–14.

Despite the results, the tournament represented a significant learning experience and development milestone for Revival Sports, as the Maldivian club gained first-hand exposure to higher-ranked and internationally experienced opponents at Challenge level.