|
| |
|
QSF No.4 2022
Men's Draw
20 - 24 Jun
Doha, Qatar, $30k |
ROUND TWO
21 Jun |
QUARTERS
22 Jun |
SEMIS
23 Jun |
FINAL
24 Jun |
|
[1] Victor Crouin (FRA)
11-7, 11-9, 11-6 (35m)
[9/16] Curtis Malik (ENG) |
Victor Crouin
11-7, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7 (49m)
Mazen Gamal |
Victor Crouin
11-4, 7-4 retired (19m)
Ramit Tandon
|
Victor Crouin
11-5, 9-11, 19-17,
12-10 (62m)
Leonel Cardenas
|
[9/16] Mazen Gamal (EGY)
11-7, 4-11, 11-7, 11-7 (48m)
[8] Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) |
[5] Ramit Tandon (IND)
11-5, 11-8, 5-11, 11-7 (40m)
[9/16] Charlie Lee (ENG) |
Ramit Tandon
11-9, 5-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-8 (73m)
Karim El Hammamy |
[3] Karim El Hammamy (EGY)
11-9, 11-8, 12-10 (54m)
[9/16] Rory Stewart (SCO) |
[4] Leonel Cardenas (MEX)
11-2, 11-6, 13-15, 11-3 (44m)
[9/16] Martin Svec (CZE) |
Leonel Cardenas
21-19, 11-4, 11-2 (34m)
Tayyab Aslam |
Leonel Cardenas
11-5, 11-2, 11-6 (31m)
Aly Abou Eleinen |
[7] Tayyab Aslam (PAK)
12-10, 11-9, 11-9 (37m)
[9/16] Syed Azlan Amjad (QAT) |
[9/16] Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY)
5-11, 8-11, 11-2, 11-8, 11-6 (55m)
[6] Abdulla Al-Tamimi (QAT) |
Aly Abou Eleinen
9-11, 11-4, 11-13, 16-14, 11-7 (66m)
Omar Mosaad |
[9/16] Muhammad Asim Khan (PAK)
11-5, 2-11, 11-3, 7-11, 11-2 (53m)
[2] Omar Mosaad (EGY) |
[1] Victor Crouin (FRA) bye
[9/16] Curtis Malik (ENG) bt Emyr Evans (WAL) 11-8, 5-11, 11-8, 11-9
(51m)
[9/16] Mazen Gamal (EGY) bt Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) 11-7, 11-8, 5-11,
11-7 (46m)
[8] Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) bye
[5] Ramit Tandon (IND) bye
[9/16] Charlie Lee (ENG) bt Yannik Omlor (GER) 11-4, 11-7, 11-2 (30m)
[9/16] Rory Stewart (SCO) bt Khaled Labib (EGY) 11-4, 11-7, 11-3 (29m)
[3] Karim El Hammamy (EGY) bye
[4] Leonel Cardenas (MEX) bye
[9/16] Martin Svec (CZE) bt Ammar Altamimi (KUW) 11-4, 6-11, 12-10, 11-8
(46m)
[9/16] Syed Azlan Amjad (QAT) bt [WC] Abdulrahman Al-Malki (QAT) 13-11,
11-3, 11-2 (31m)
[7] Tayyab Aslam (PAK) bye
[6] Abdulla Al-Tamimi (QAT) bye
[9/16] Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) bt Aly Hussein (EGY) 11-6, 11-8, 11-5
(39m)
[9/16] Muhammad Asim Khan (PAK) bt Alireza Shameli (IRI) 11-4, 11-9,
11-7 (31m)
[2] Omar Mosaad (EGY) bye |
Crouin Claims Biggest Title Of Career
France’s World No.20 Victor Crouin took the victory at the Challenger 30
level QSF 4 at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, to
clinch the biggest victory of his career.
Due to being the tournament’s top seed, Crouin received a bye through to
the second round, where he defeated England’s Curtis Malik in straight
games to advance to the quarter finals in Doha.
He then got the better of Egypt’s Mazen Gamal in a four-game battle in
which he had to regroup after the 36-year-old levelled the match after
the second games. That took the Frenchman into the semis, where he spent
just 19 minutes on court against India’s Ramit Tandon, after the World
No.45 had to retire through injury.
Crouin then came up against Mexico’s Leonel Cardenas in the final of the
QSF 4, and the pair did battle for more than an hour. The Frenchman took
the first game, before the No.4 seed Cardenas fought back to take the
second to tie the contest. The third was the longest game by far, with
both men having several game balls to take it. It was Crouin that
eventually did, winning it 19-17, before then going on to win the fourth
on a tie-break as well, 12-10, to secure the 16th Tour title of his
career.
It is also the third victory of the 2021-2022 season, following his wins
at the South State Bank Marietta Open and the HSC Open, both in the
United States, and it has been a campaign which saw him nominated in the
PSA Awards earlier this month.
|
Crouin And Cardenas To Do Battle In Final
The semi-finals of the QSF 4 took place at the Khalifa International
Tennis and Squash Complex on Thursday evening, and after all the shocks
and spoils the week has seen, the semis returned to seeding, with
France’s Victor Crouin and Mexico’s Leonel Cardenas making it through.
The Frenchman is the top seed for the Challenger 30 level competition in
Doha, and he had come through to the semi-finals without much of a
scare, having defeated England’s Curtis Malik and Egypt’s Mazen Gamal en
route. That run continued in the last four, as India’s Ramit Tandon had
to retire injured midway through the second game with Crouin 11-4 and
7-4 up. After just 19 minutes, the World No.20 booked his spot in the
final.
The same can be said for Mexico’s Cardenas, with the tournament’s No.4
seed having dropped just a single game in his run so far in Doha. He
defeated the Czech Republic’s Martin Svec and Pakistan’s No.7 seed
Tayyab Aslam to make the semis, where he came up against the
tournament’s surprise package, Aly Abou Eleinen.
The Egyptian had gotten the better of former World No.3 Omar Mosaad and
Qatari No.1 Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi to make the semi-finals, but he had
run out of steam by the last four, with Cardenas winning in half an
hour, dropping just 13 points in the contest, winning out 11-5, 11-2,
11-6.
Crouin and Cardenas will meet in the final on Friday, and it will be
their fifth meeting on Tour, with both men having won two out of the
previous four. The Mexican won their most recent battle, taking a
straight games victory at the Windy City Open presented by the Walter
Family in February 2022.
The final of the QSF 4 will take place on Friday, June 24, with France’s
Victor Crouin and Mexican Leonel Cardenas going head-to-head for the
Challenger 30 level crown at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash
Complex in Doha. You can keep up to date with live scores from the final
on the PSA World Tour website.
|
Eleinen Takes Out Former World No.3 Mosaad
The quarter finals of the QSF 4 threw up a coupe of surprises, as the
unseeded Aly Abou Eleinen overcame former World No.3 Omar Mosaad in a
five-game battle to reach the last four at the Khalifa International
Tennis and Squash Complex.
Eleinen came into the Challenger 30 level competition in Doha unseeded,
and he got the better of Qatari No.1 and home favourite Abdulla Mohd Al
Tamimi in the second round of the tournament, before coming into his
quarter final match-up with compatriot Mosaad.
The World No.79 lost the first game 11-9, before bouncing back to take
the second comfortably to level the contest. However, he then went
behind once again, losing the third game on a tie-break 13-11, and it
looked at times in the fourth like his run was done. He had to save
several match balls before winning it 16-14, and Eleinen then went on to
take the fifth and final game 11-7 to book his place in the semi-finals
of the competition.
The unseeded Egyptian will now take on Mexico’s Leonel Cardenas, after
he got the better of Pakistan’s Tayyab Aslam, with a first game
tie-break proving pivotal to his victory. The No.4 seed saw several game
balls saved, with a total of forty points being played in the opening
salvo. He eventually won it 21-19, before then claiming the next two
games to the loss of just six points, advancing to the last four.
The other surprise result of the quarter finals saw No.5 seed Ramit
Tandon overcome No.3 seed Karim El Hammamy in five games to make it into
the semis in Doha. Tandon, who sits 17 places below the Egyptian in the
World Rankings, took the lead in the contest twice, only for the World
No.28 to fight back to level on both occasions. The Indian eventually
got over the line, though, winning the fifth game after 73 minutes of
action to move into the semis.
Tandon will now take on top seed Victor Crouin in the last four on
Thursday, after the Frenchman overcame the challenge of another
Egyptian, in Mazen Gamal. The World No.20 won the first game 11-7, but
saw Gamal fight back to take the second game to level the tie. From
there, though, it was Crouin who had the control of the match, winning
both of the next two games comfortably to move into the semis.
The semi-finals of the QSF 4 will take place at the Khalifa
International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha on Thursday, June 23,
with the last four going head-to-head for places in Friday’s finals.
|
Eleinen And
Gamal Cause Upsets
Aly Abou Eleinen right
The second round of the QSF 4 took place at the Khalifa International
Tennis and Squash Complex on Tuesday evening, and the Egyptian duo of
Aly Abou Eleinen and Mazen Gamal both took out seeded players to advance
to the quarter finals of the competition.
Eleinen, the World No.79, found himself two games behind to the local
favourite and No.6 seed, Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi, in his second round
match in Doha, but he would not be beaten. The young Egyptian fought
back to win in five, in just 55 minutes, booking his place in the last
eight of the tournament, and taking down any Qatari hopes of glory on
home soil.
He will be joined by compatriot Mazen Gamal in the quarter finals, after
the Egyptian overcame No.8 seed Yahya Elnawasany in a four-game contest.
Gamal won the first 11-7, only to see his countrymen respond to take the
second 11-4. From there, though, it was the 36-year-old that was in
control, as he advances through to the last eight.
The two unseeded players will now face the top two seeds in the quarter
finals. After downing the home favourite, Eleinen is rewarded with a
meeting with former World No.3, and the tournament’s No.2 seed, Omar
Mosaad, while Gamal will take on top seed and World No.20 Victor Crouin
in the quarters.
The quarter finals of the QSF 4 will take place on Wednesday, June 22 at
the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha. You can
keep up to date with the live scores on the PSA World Tour website.
|
Preview
Croin Aiming For Win No:3 Of Season
The QSF 4 is the first of two events on the Challenger Tour this week,
and it takes place from Monday, June 20 to Friday, June 24 at the
Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha, Qatar.
This tournament will be just the second Challenger 30 level men’s event
on the 2022 calendar, following Greg Lobban’s victory at the Cannon Kirk
Irish Squash Open in Dublin, with the Life Time Chicago Open, City
Tattersall Australian Open and the Malaysian Open Championships all
still to come in the second part of the year.
World No.20 Victor Crouin will be the top seed for the tournament, and
he will be aiming to take home the biggest title of his career to date.
The Frenchman has already claimed two Challenger 20 level crowns in the
2021-2022 season, and he admits the he is over the moon with how the
campaign has gone.
“I am currently feeling pretty good, having been home for three weeks
training with my dad and preparing myself with this event in mind. I
also played a local tournament last weekend to play some matches and I
am just excited to be competing again on the Challenger Tour,” Crouin
explained.
“I won two more titles [this season] and more particularly, my first
two Challenger 20 level titles. I also beat some top ranked players to
make it to the quarter final stage of two Gold level tournaments. This
helped me improve my ranking but also gain belief in my ability to reach
new heights.
“I also played my last ever college squash season with the Harvard team.
We won the national team championship and I also won the national
individual championship. I could not have asked for a better way to
finish my college career before moving on to my professional life on the
PSA Tour.
“Overall, reflecting on my last year juggling academics, college squash,
and the PSA Tour, I think I had a great 2021-2022 season. If you had
told me four years ago when I entered Harvard that I’d graduate being
No.20 in the world, I would have signed straight away!”
Thanks to his efforts this season, Crouin was one of four nominations
for the PSA Men’s Young Player Of The year award, something that he
admits is an honour. Currently at his highest ranking of World No.20,
the Frenchman is looking to push even higher over the course of the next
season.
“It is always an honour to be nominated by the PSA for the
end-of-the-season awards. Alongside me are three very talented and
successful young Egyptians which we will see at the top of the game one
day I am sure. I am therefore flattered to make it into the list.
“Of course, my goal is to go up in the ranking, break the top 16, and
even I hope the top 10 as soon as possible. I believe one needs to beat
everybody in order to go up in the ranking.
“I usually don’t mind having to play and prove myself in the first round
against a lower-ranked player but it is true that getting that first
round bye in the majors would be a major help in keeping my energy level
high if I ever make it further in the draw.”
Crouin will face competition in the QSF 4 draw from former World No.3
Omar Mosaad, and his Egyptian compatriot, Karim El Hammamy. Mexico’s
Leonel Cardenas will round out the top four seeds for the competition.
There will be three home hopes in the draw, with two guaranteed to make
the last 16 of the competition. Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi, the Qatari No.1,
will be the No.6 seed and receives a bye through to the second round,
while countrymen Syed Azlan Amjad and Abdulrahman Al-Malki will face off
on the opening day.
The event takes place from Monday, June 20 to Friday, June 24 at the
Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha, where France’s
Victor Crouin is the top seed for the tournament. Follow the PSA
Challenger Tour on Twitter and Facebook for daily updates from the
event.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow
PSA Challenger Events on Twitter or Facebook. |
|
