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Qatar Classic 2022
Mens Draw
04 -10 Sep
Doha, Qatar, $187.5k |
ROUND Three
07 SEP |
QUARTERS
08 SEP |
SEMIS
09 SEP |
FINAL
10 SEP |
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[1] Ali Farag (EGY)
13-11, 5-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8 (72m)
[9/16] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) |
Miguel Rodriguez
11-6, 11-4, 11-7 (32m)
Mohamed Elshorbagy |
Mohamed Elshorbagy
3-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-7 (60m)
Mostafa Asal |
Mohamed Elshorbagy
11-4, 11-6, 7-11, 11-8 (48m)
Victor Crouin |
[5] Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG)
11-5, 11-8, 11-5 (37m)
[9/16] Youssef Soliman (EGY) |
[8] Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY)
8-11, 11-7, 11-9, 12-14, 11-7 (80m)
Shahjahan Khan (USA) |
Marwan Elshorbagy
11-6, 7-11, 11-4, 11-2 (54m)
Mostafa Asal |
[3] Mostafa Asal (EGY)
11-9, 11-6, 11-7 (55m)
[9/16] Fares Dessouky (EGY) |
[4] Diego Elias (PER)
11-5, 11-4, 11-6 (35m)
Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) |
Diego Elias
11-8, 9-11, 4-11, 11-9, 11-7 (69m)
Tarek Momen |
Tarek Momen
11-9, 11-7, 5-11, 12-10 (68m)
Victor Crouin |
[6] Tarek Momen (EGY)
11-5, 11-2, 11-6 (23m)
Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) |
[9/16] Victor Crouin (FRA)
11-8, 7-11, 11-4, 11-6 (47m)
Patrick Rooney (ENG) |
Victor Crouin
13-11, 11-6, 11-7 (40m)
Abdulla Al-Tamimi |
Abdulla Al-Tamimi (QAT)
11-8, 11-8, 11-9 (39m)
George Parker (ENG) |
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ROUND TWO
06 SEP |
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt Cesar Salazar (MEX) w/o
[9/16] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bt [9/16] Nicolas Müller (SUI) 13-11,
12-10, 11-8 (48m)
[9/16] Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) 8-11, 11-9,
11-7, 11-5 (73m)
[5] Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG) bt Eain Yow Ng (MAS) 11-7, 11-8, 4-11, 11-8
(51m)
[8] Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY) bt Declan James (ENG) 11-9, 11-13, 7-11,
13-11, 11-6 (61m)
Shahjahan Khan (USA) bt Borja Golan (ESP) 11-4, 6-11, 11-7, 11-6 (57m)
[9/16] Fares Dessouky (EGY) bt Omar Mosaad (EGY) 11-9, 11-7, 11-6 (41m)
[3] Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt [9/16] Raphael Kandra (GER) 11-9, 11-3, 11-4
(35m)
[4] Diego Elias (PER) bt [9/16] Saurav Ghosal (IND) 11-9, 15-17, 11-9,
12-10 (70m)
Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) bt Leonel Cardenas (MEX) 6-11, 11-3, 12-10,
2-11, 11-8 (75m)
Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) bt Karim El Hammamy (EGY) 3-11, 13-11, 11-6, 11-9
(66m)
[6] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt [9/16] Grégoire Marche (FRA) 11-8, 11-6, 11-6
(30m)
[9/16] Victor Crouin (FRA) bt [7] Joel Makin (WAL) 11-9, 6-11, 11-9,
11-8 (64m)
Patrick Rooney (ENG) bt Nathan Lake (ENG) 11-2, 11-5, 11-6 (30m)
George Parker (ENG) bt Todd Harrity (USA) 11-6, 11-6, 11-4 (35m)
Abdulla Al-Tamimi (QAT) bt [2] Paul Coll (NZL) 9-11, 11-9, 16-14, 9-11,
11-7 (94m) |
|
ROUND ONE |
[Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt [WC] Syed Azlan Amjad (QAT) 3-1:
9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-9 (34m)
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) bt Moustafa El Sirty (EGY) 3-1: 8-11, 11-6,
13-11, 12-10 (78m)
Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bt Auguste Dussourd (FRA) 3-0: 11-7, 11-5, 11-6 (44m)
Declan James (ENG) bt Baptiste Masotti (FRA) 3-1: 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-8
(50m)
Borja Golan (ESP) bt Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY) 3-0: 11-2, 13-11, 11-4
(45m)
Shahjahan Khan (USA) bt [WC] Abdulrahman Al-Malki (QAT) 3-0: 11-0, 11-4,
11-4 (26m)
Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt Faraz Khan (USA) 3-1: 11-5, 5-11, 11-5, 13-11 (50m)
Leonel Cardenas (MEX) bt Zahed Salem (EGY) 3-0: 15-13, 11-9, 11-7 (47m)
Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) bt Adrian Waller (ENG) 3-1: 11-7, 11-8, 2-11,
11-6 (50m)
Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) bt Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) 3-2: 3-11, 11-8,
8-11, 11-8, 11-8 (69m)
Karim El Hammamy (EGY) bt Tayyab Aslam (PAK) 3-0: 11-1, 11-5, 11-2 (23m)
Patrick Rooney (ENG) bt Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) 3-0: 11-7, 11-8, 11-6
(32m)
Nathan Lake (ENG) bt Bernat Jaume (ESP) 3-0: 11-5, 11-4, 11-3 (30m)
Todd Harrity (USA) bt Mazen Gamal (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-7, 12-10 (38m)
George Parker (ENG) bt Henry Leung (HKG) 3-0: 11-3, 11-7, 11-5 (31m)
Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) bt Ramit Tandon (IND) 3-0: 11-8, 11-4, 11-3
(27m) |
ElShorbagy Captures Fourth QTerminals Qatar Classic
Title
England’s Mohamed ElShorbagy won the first Platinum title of the
season and his first since May 2021 as he downed tournament breakout
star Victor Crouin to capture his fourth QTerminals Qatar Classic
title.
Crouin, who had already made history as the first player outside of
the top eight seeds to reach the final since Lee Beachill in 2003,
went into the match with a 2-0 losing record against ElShorbagy, who
won the title here in 2017, 2015, and 2013.
Speaking after he came from behind to beat No.3 seed Mostafa Asal in
yesterday’s semi-final, ElShorbagy referenced the first of those
victories over Crouin, which came on this court in the 2019 World
Championships, as a moment he knew the Frenchman – then aged 20 –
would be a future star of the game.
ElShorbagy’s prediction was further proven to be true in recent
days, with Crouin reaching the final of the Bronze-level CIB Zed
Open and impressively downing No.7 seed Joel Makin and No.6 seed
Tarek Momen alongside Patrick Rooney and Qatar’s Abdulla Mohd Al
Tamimi en route to today’s final.
ElShorbagy, though, went into the match knowing he had a golden
opportunity to not only begin his season with a major title but also
to kickstart a charge up the rankings, with the game’s top two
ranked players, Ali Farag and Paul Coll, crashing out in the third
and second round, respectively.
Crouin looked positive at the beginning of the first game, taking
the first point of the final before trading short rallies with
ElShorbagy to go to 2-2.
From here, though, it was a masterclass from ElShorbagy. The
Englishman went on the offensive and overwhelmed Crouin with a
brutal run of points to storm into a one game lead with an 11-4
victory in a mere eight minutes.
Crouin, who until then was yet to trail in Doha, saw his rhythm
consistently disrupted by ElShorbagy as the court cooled in game
two, with the 31-year-old consistently finding his marks at the back
wall while Crouin struggled to apply enough pressure.
After ElShorbagy took the second game 11-6, the Englishman was
pegged back by an impressive fightback from Crouin, who rediscovered
the measured and well-organised squash that took him into his first
Platinum final to take the third game 11-7.
In an exciting fourth game, ElShorbagy went 10-6 up to go to the
brink of a 45th title. Although Crouin played positive squash and
was able to save two championship balls, he could do nothing about a
perfect drop from ElShorbagy, who took the title with an 11-8
victory.
Mohamed ElShorbagy
After the match, ElShorbagy said: “I can’t express how I feel right
now.
“It was the first ever Platinum event I won, here in 2013. Now,
almost ten years later, I’m winning my fourth title here. It’s the
place I’ve had the most success in my career and will always have a
special place in my heart.
“As I said yesterday, France needed a superstar after [Thierry]
Lincou and Greg [Gaultier, ElShorbagy’s coach and former World
No.1]. Victor is here for the long run and an amazing talent. I’m
100 percent sure this isn’t going to be the last time [he reaches
the final]. He’s going to win this title many times, I’m sure!
“I’d like to thank Greg Gaultier. Without him, none of this would
have been possible. I was in a very bad place last year. No matter
how much I try to speak about him, it will never be enough. Without
him, none of this would be possible. We played the final here on
this court and now he’s not my rival anymore. He’s on the same side
as me and I’m the luckiest person on this planet.”
Mohamed ElShorbagy
Crouin added: “It’s been a fantastic week. I’d never gone past the
third round of a Platinum event, then reached my first
quarter-final, the next day a first semi-final and today a final! Of
course I wanted to go for the title today, but Mohamed showed me the
way for the next time I reach the final!
“I’ll learn a tonne from this match and the whole event. I’m
especially proud of the way I played this week.”
For Crouin, attention now turns to the Bronze-level Open de France
de Squash 2022, which begins on September 12th, before he and
ElShorbagy take part in the Platinum-level CIB Egyptian Open at the
Pyramids of Giza, which begins on September 19th.
|
Crouin Reaches Maiden Platinum Final as ElShorbagy
Downs Asal
Unseeded Frenchman Victor Crouin and England’s No.5 seed Mohamed
ElShorbagy will contest the final of the QTerminals Qatar Classic
after exciting wins over higher-ranked opponents.
In the first semi-final, which began with a minute’s silence in
memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, World No.18 Crouin
produced another incredible performance as he shocked No.6 seed
Tarek Momen to reach his first ever Platinum-level final.
Crouin, who last night reached his first Platinum-level semi-final
by knocking out Qatar’s Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi in straight games,
looked confident from the beginning as he made an aggressive start.
This was countered well by Momen, with the 34-year-old exposing
Crouin’s movement and capitalising on a spell of poor shot selection
from the Frenchman to open up an 8-5 lead.
Crouin, however, then rediscovered the tidy, organised squash that
took him to this stage and pulled back to 8-8 before taking the
first game 11-9 with a terrific winner.
The 23-year-old maintained this momentum in the second game and
stormed into an 8-4 lead. Momen began to fight back and narrowed the
gap to just one point at 8-7, before the outstanding Crouin pulled
away to take a 2-0 lead with an 11-7 win.
Leading 3-0 in the third, Crouin appeared to be cruising into a
maiden Platinum final.
Momen, however, is no stranger to overcoming adversity. The
Egyptian, who twice came from behind on his way to the final here in
2019, fought back well after returning from an injury break at 4-2
down and rattled off eight quick points to move 10-4 up.
Crouin saved one game ball, but could not prevent the energised
Momen wedging a foot in the door as the No.6 seed took an 11-5 win
that only minutes ago seemed extremely unlikely.
After Crouin requested a new ball for game four, the Frenchman
looked back to his best and went 8-4 up, with the 23-year-old
reaping rewards from his precise volleys at the front.
Crouin then had a golden opportunity to reach his first Platinum
final when he had four match balls at 10-6 up. Incredibly, Momen
saved all four, with the Egyptian forcing a tie break after showing
brilliant movement and mental fortitude.
The World No.18, though, then marshalled his nerves excellently and
went 11-10 up after an enthralling rally before sealing the match
with a bitterly contested ‘no let’ decision by the video referee.
“There have been too many speeches this week! I’m not used to
speaking so much!” Crouin said afterwards.
“It feels like everything’s fitting into place. Today I felt like I
wasn’t as good as in previous days and I hit the tin a little more,
but that’s probably because Tarek was putting a lot of pressure on
me. I kept telling myself to be proactive and aggressive, because
that’s how you win rallies. I’m just enjoying it on court. Not
overthinking, just hitting my targets and it’s working. One more
push tomorrow.”
Asal (right) congratulates ElShorbagy
In the second semi-final, an excellent Mohamed ElShorbagy came from
behind to beat No.3 seed Mostafa Asal.
While Asal had spoken ahead of the match about his respect for No.5
seed ElShorbagy, who he describes as being ‘his idol’, the World
No.3 didn’t let any reverence for the three-time winner dilute his
attacking instincts in the opening exchange.
Game one showcased the best of Asal, with the 21-year-old playing
fast-paced but controlled squash that was too much for the
Englishman – who departed from his quarter-final tactic of slowing
the game down by trying to match Asal blow-for-blow – to handle.
After taking the opening game 11-3 in just eight minutes, Asal
started well again in the second game.
ElShorbagy, however, looked more measured as he dropped the tempo,
and the pair traded the lead through longer rallies on the way to
6-6. At 7-6 down, former World No.1 ElShorbagy’s experience came to
the fore, as the 31-year-old remained patient while Asal began to
rush, with the 31-year-old levelling the match with five unanswered
points to take game two 11-7 in 23 minutes.
ElShorbagy was on top form in the third game, while Asal struggled
for accuracy at the front of the court.
Time and again ElShorbagy punished heavy touches from Asal, with
‘the Beast’ putting together another brutal scoring run to move from
3-1 down to a comfortable 11-4 victory.
ElShorbagy continued to look strong in the fourth game, while Asal’s
struggles with the racket resumed. Despite Asal’s desperate best
efforts, ElShorbagy was able to keep out of reach throughout,
eventually wrapping up a relatively comfortable victory with another
11-7 win.
Speaking after the match, ElShorbagy said: “I don’t think Asal gets
the credit he deserves. He’s only 21 years old.
“For me, he’s the current best player in the world. Once I was down
in the first game, I had to give a ‘Nick Matthew performance’ – make
the second game as tough as possible as that’s exactly what he would
have done!”
The final of the QTerminals Qatar Classic takes place tomorrow (10
September) at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok
and
SQUASHTV.
|
Momen Dumps Reigning Champion Out To Reach Semi-Final
Tarek Momen
Tarek Momen stormed back to knock out defending champion Diego Elias
in the QTerminals Qatar Classic at the Khalifa International Tennis
and Squash Complex.
Elias, who defeated World No.2 Paul Coll last year to lift the Qatar
Classic title, was undone by a fightback from the 34-year-old who
battled back from 2-1 down to progress to the last four.
The Peruvian Puma clawed his way back into the first game after a
bright start from Momen, but the Egyptian re-established his
assertiveness to take a 1-0 lead.
Elias drew level in the next game, and the reigning champion was
beginning to find his groove as he raced into an early advantage in
game three to eventually go on to nudge ahead 2-1.
But Momen, who easily dispatched his countryman Yahya Elnawasany
yesterday, roared back as he sent Elias chasing round the court with
some excellent shots before forcing the match into a decider.
In the final game, costly errors from Elias paid dividends for Momen,
who capitalised to go on to take the match and earn a last four
spot.
“I don’t know what to say, other than I’m really proud of how I
fought back – especially after the third game – because I gave it
everything and then I really started to feel it,” said Momen
afterwards.
“I felt really tired and I knew that wasn’t it. That’s not me, I
don’t get tired after three games and don’t fight back. I told
myself between games, ‘even if you can’t walk, you need to fight
until the last point.’”
Victor Crouin
In tomorrow’s semi-final, Momen meets Victor Crouin, who clinched
his first-ever Platinum last four place after overpowering Abdulla
Al Tamimi.
Al Tamimi, on home court, had stolen the headlines all week after he
first dumped No.2 seed Coll out in round two before earning his
first quarter-final appearance at a Platinum event with a win over
England’s George Parker.
However, it was Crouin who came out on top, edging a
tightly-contested first game 13-11 and, despite a fightback from Al
Tamimi in the second, the Frenchman kept his composure to extinguish
hopes of Qatar’s No.1 claiming a semi-final berth by comfortably
winning the remaining two games.
“I feel like I came in really strong and used that momentum for the
rest of the match,” Crouin said.
“If you’re not disciplined against Abdulla and try to play the way
he plays, he’s going to beat you. I had to use my strength and
aggressiveness that I used in the first four rallies of the match
where I just went for shots.
“It’s all about finding the balance and I’m really enjoying myself
on court, hitting the right shots at the right times and pushing
through every rally and I’m so glad I don’t have to think about
everything around the match. I can just enjoy playing and that helps
bring my game to the next level.”
Mostafa Asal
In the other half of the draw, Mostafa Asal made it successive
semi-final appearances in this competition as he overcame No. 8 seed
Marwan ElShorbagy.
After taking an entertaining opening game 11-6, Asal dropped his
first game of the tournament when ElShorbagy came out firing
confidently to level the scores with an 11-7 win.
While Asal had appeared to have struggled with an injury to
his ankle in the second game, he shook this off in a bad-tempered
stop-start third game which saw a conduct stroke for dissent awarded
against ElShorbagy before Asal reclaimed the lead with an 11-4 win.
In the third game, ElShorbagy struggled to regain the composure that
had delivered him the second, with the now dominant Asal easing to
an 11-2 win to set up a semi-final against Marwan’s brother,
Mohamed.
“It was a tough match, I have all the respect for Marwan. We’re
friends off court but sometimes it can get a bit messy when you’re
playing, but all the respect to him,” said Asal afterwards on court.
“I’m happy to be through and thanks to the crowd for today. It was a
difficult match but a full crowd which I’m really happy to see.”
Mohamed ElShorbagy
Asal will meet England’s Mohamed ElShorbagy, who secured his first
Qatar Classic semi-final in five years with a clinical display
against Miguel Rodriguez.
World No.17 Rodriguez produced a fantastic performance to beat World
No.1 Ali Farag in round three, but was unable to consistently lay a
glove on ElShorbagy, who is chasing his fourth title in Qatar.
The first game was initially even at 6-6, with ‘the Beast’ changing
his usual tactic and taking the pace out of the contest. The
31-year-old then found great accuracy at the front as he raced clear
to take the first game 11-6.
The World No.5 pressed his advantage in the second game and took a
commanding 2-0 lead with an 11-4 win, before closing out the match
with a controlled 11-7 win in the third.
“Miguel is a class act,” said ElShorbagy.
“What he did against Ali is unbelievable at his age. To fight that
way for 90 minutes with the World No.1! You’re not going to beat the
World No.1 unless you do something special, no matter what. So,
respect to him. I could see from the first point he was trying to
get the ball warm and I was trying to keep him down as much as I
can.”
The semi-finals of the QTerminals Qatar Classic take place tomorrow
(9 September) at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash
Complex.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok
and
SQUASHTV.
|
Al Tamimi Makes History as Qatar No.1 Reaches
QTerminals Qatar Classic Quarter-Final
Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi
Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi delighted in Doha by becoming the first ever
Qatari player to reach a Platinum quarter-final as he downed
England’s George Parker in straight games at the Khalifa
International Tennis and Squash Complex.
World No.44 Al Tamimi had already made headlines two days ago when
he shocked World No.2 and 2021 runner-up Paul Coll 3-2 and made more
history today with an excellent performance that balanced his best
attacking instincts with canny defensive work.
The Qatar No.1 was well matched by World No.34 Parker in the first
game, with the players exchanging points before Al Tamimi’s speed
and firepower helped him from 7-7 to 11-8.
After taking the second game 11-8 again, Al Tamimi looked in trouble
in the third when Parker responded to go 8-3 up, with the powerful
Englishman battling well and finding his mark against the seemingly
deflating Qatari.
The 27-year-old, though, showed great mental strength to put on a
crowd-pleasing blitz of points as he rallied to 9-9 – with the
volley boast that he used to great effect against Coll again proving
a deadly weapon – before earning a standing ovation from his
supporters by completing the fightback with an 11-9 win.
“Normally, I don’t get this late into tournaments, especially
Platinum events!” Al Tamimi said.
“Plus, I’m not really used to the off day. I enjoyed my day off
yesterday, I spent some time with my kid at home and I was really
happy with that.
“During the preparation with [coach] Rodney Martin on the court this
morning, I couldn’t move and I was forced to do some fast movements
which really sharpened me up and helped me for this match. I’d also
like to thank everyone that came today!”
Victor Crouin
Al Tamimi plays fellow first-time Platinum quarter-finalist Victor
Crouin of France for a place in the semi-finals after the
23-year-old overcame Parker’s compatriot Patrick Rooney 3-1.
The World No.18, who reached the final of the Bronze-level CIB Zed
Squash Open 10 days ago and upset No.7 seed Joel Makin in round two
here in Doha, looked comfortable in attack and defence as he took
the first game 11-8.
Rooney struck back well in the second, with the Englishman looking
more assertive on court as he drew level with an 11-7 win.
The World No.23 was unable to maintain this momentum, however, with
Crouin taking advantage of a number of errors from the Englishman
and he breezed back into the lead with an 11-4 win.
Crouin continued to look solid in the fourth game and quickly saw
off a frustrated Rooney with an 11-6 victory.
Afterwards, Crouin said: “I’m glad I found the balance between being
aggressive, not making too many mistakes, and still defending a lot
of balls. I’m really happy with my performance. My first [Platinum]
quarter-final, it’s huge for me.”
Diego Elias
Joining Al Tamimi and Crouin in the quarter-finals are defending
champion Diego Elias and No.6 seed Tarek Momen after they recorded
comprehensive victories over Dimitri Steinmann of Switzerland and
Yahya Elnawasany of Egypt, respectively.
In a tournament that has already seen the top two seeds suffer early
exits, World No.4 Elias would have been wary of the threat posed by
World No.42 Steinmann.
Steinmann, another player hoping to reach his first ever Platinum
quarter-final, started competitively and managed to get his body in
front of Elias on a number of occasions at the beginning of the
first game, before the Peruvian World No.4 settled and moved from
6-5 up to an 11-5 winner.
From here, the match was largely a procession for the 25-year-old,
as Elias booked a meeting with Momen with 11-4 and 11-6 wins to
reach the next round in just 35 minutes.
“I’ve played Tarek a lot and beaten him only once, it’s always a
tough match. We haven’t played in a long time and I feel it’s going
to be a different match,” Elias said later.
Tarek Momen
Egypt’s Momen, who has fond memories of the Doha court after winning
the World Championship here in 2019, recorded an even quicker
victory in the day’s final match. In a dominant performance, he
brutally swatted aside 20-year-old Elnawasany 11-5, 11-2, 11-6 in
just 23 minutes, with the 34-year-old utilising the court conditions
with his famously devastating shot-making skills.
Momen added: ““I was trying to be economic and very sharp from the
very beginning.
“We know each other’s game pretty well because we train a lot, so I
needed to stick to a game plan from the very beginning and not let
go at any point during the match.”
The quarter-finals of the QTerminals Qatar Classic take place
tomorrow (8 September) at the Khalifa International Tennis and
Squash Complex, with the four winners from today joining the victors
from the top half of the draw, who played yesterday.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok
and
SQUASHTV.
|
Rodriguez Shocks World no.1 Farag as Upsets Continue in Qatar
Rodriguez and Farag embrace after Rodriguez's shock victory
World No.17 Miguel Rodriguez turned in a vintage performance to
produce another huge shock in the QTerminals Qatar Classic as he
dumped World No.1 and current World Champion Ali Farag out in the
third round.
Farag, who enjoyed a 10-1 head-to-head record against the
36-year-old, will have known not to take anything for granted after
watching World No.2 Paul Coll crash out at the hands of World No.44
Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi yesterday, but found himself a game down
after a fantastic start from Rodriguez.
The Colombian was excellent all over the court as he saved a game
ball at 11-10 before taking the first game 13-11.
The inevitable Farag response came in game two as the Egyptian,
playing his first match on the tour since the World Tour Finals in
June after a walkover victory yesterday, quickly levelled with an
11-5 win and then moved into the lead with an 11-6 victory in the
third.
Now, though, it was the Colombian’s turn to respond. The former
World No.4 flew into a 9-1 lead in game four as he looked to level
the score with his brilliant combinations at the front of the court.
Farag, who had lacked a little discipline at the beginning of the
game, began to pull things back and narrowed the gap to 9-6, before
the Colombian eventually took the fourth game 11-8.
Although Farag worked his way into a 5-2 lead in the fifth game,
more mistakes came from the World No.1’s racket as Rodriguez
harried, with the ever-attacking Colombian covering every inch of
the court and finding his targets repeatedly.
As Rodriguez began to pull away another shock result appeared to be
on the horizon. With two match balls at 10-8, the Colombian was able
to convert at the first time of asking thanks to a brilliant
recovery under pressure and then a remarkable shot that died
instantly on the side wall.
After collapsing to the floor in disbelief and being congratulated
by Farag, Rodriguez said: “What I achieved today is amazing for me.
“I’ve had a difficult week [and] my head is not the best, but apart
from that, I played without any pressure.
“The more I stay competitive, my body responds better. I know I
don’t have too much time to continue on the tour but it’s amazing to
be here again.”
Mohamed ElShorbagy
Rodriguez’s reward is a quarter-final clash with World No.5 Mohamed
ElShorbagy, after the Englishman overcame Egypt’s Youssef Soliman in
straight games.
Soliman, who came into the match at his highest ever World Ranking
of 12, won plaudits for his impressive win at the inaugural CIB Zed
Squash Open just days ago.
Former World No.1 ElShorbagy, however, made short work of the
Egyptian, better utilising the court conditions in an ultimately
comfortable 11-5, 11-8, 11-5 win in just 38 minutes.
Marwan ElShorbagy
Joining Rodriguez and ElShorbagy in the quarter-final will be No.8
seed Marwan ElShorbagy – Mohamed’s brother – and World No.3 Mostafa
Asal.
ElShorbagy, who has reached the quarter-finals three times before,
played out an entertaining match against the USA’s World No.30
Shahjahan Khan.
Khan, who played one of the best matches of his career, was
excellent throughout and deservedly took a one game lead with an
11-8 win.
ElShorbagy, though, was able to counter, finding his mark at the
front with increasing frequency to move into the lead with an 11-7
and 11-9 wins.
Khan came back well to save three match balls and then level the tie
with a 14-12 win in the fourth game, before World No.9 ElShorbagy
brought an entertaining 80-minute match to an end with an 11-7 win
in the fifth game.
Mostafa
Asal
Asal, meanwhile, overcame Egyptian compatriot Fares Dessouky 11-9,
11-6, 11-7 in a fiery encounter as he looked to carry the momentum
of last season – in which he won his last two major tournaments of
the year – into his first event of the new season.
Round three of the QTerminals Qatar Classic at the Khalifa
International Tennis and Squash Complex concludes tomorrow (7
September) from 15:00 (GMT+3), with the quarter-finals taking place
on September 8.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament website or
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Al Tamimi
stuns World No.2 Coll to reach QTerminals Qatar Classic third round
Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi
In the shock of the tournament, Qatar’s World No.44 Abdulla Mohd Al
Tamimi stunned New Zealand’s World No.2 Paul Coll by coming from
behind to win a 94-minute epic 3-2 and reach the third round of the
QTerminals Qatar Classic.
Al Tamimi, who was a doubt ahead of the event due to a potential
national service call up, put in an incredible performance on home
court at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.
The Qatar No.1 pushed Coll hard in the opening game, with his
shot-making catching the No.2 seed and 2021 finalist out a number of
times in a tight 11-9 defeat.
Al Tamimi proved that performance was no fluke as he brought the
home crowd to life in the second game with a brilliant showing as he
chalked off Coll’s lead with a hard-fought 11-9 win of his own.
The No.2 seed, though, then showed glimpses of the form that took
him to World No.1 last season as he opened up an 8-3 lead before an
incredible run from Al Tamimi saw the home favourite storm into a
9-8 lead.
Coll fought back and had a game ball at 10-9, only for a high-risk
drop from the back to pay off for Al Tamimi who levelled at 10-10.
In a frenetic ending to the third game, both Al Tamimi and Coll had
crucial game balls, with the Qatari eventually converting his third
to take a morale-boosting 2-1 lead with a 16-14 win.
Al Tamimi took a 6-3 lead in the fourth game as the crowd sensed a
historic upset, only for a revival from Coll, who had struggled for
length and with his movement, to take the match into a fifth with
another 11-9 win.
Despite Coll taking the first two points of the final game, Al
Tamimi continued to look confident, with the home crowd backing him
vociferously. The 27-year-old, who balanced his usual high-risk
attacking flair with some intelligent court craft, began to pull
away and held a commanding advantage with four match balls at 10-6.
Although Coll saved one match ball, he could do nothing about a
typically stylish winner from the Qatari, who thumped the glass in
joy as he completed the incredible performance with an 11-7 win to
huge cheers from the home fans.
Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (white headband)
After the match, Al Tamimi said: “That’s by far [the result of my
career]. “I’ve been very close before against the top guys. I always
have a lead, I managed to choke it then.
“I tried not to think about it at all. I was cramping from game
three to the fifth in my fingers, I tried not to show it to Paul.
“I was waiting for the opportunities to go for the shots and when
it’s there, that’s the way to beat Paul. I can’t be negative, I had
to play my game at the right time and I’m happy with the win.
“I love to play at home. I like to show the young kids here, who
come to watch, that nothing is impossible.”
Al Tamimi will have a rest day before playing England’s George
Parker, who beat the USA’s Todd Harrity, in the next round.
Victor Crouin
Elsewhere, Victor Crouin continued his terrific start to the season
with a 3-1 win over No.7 seed Joel Makin to reach the third round of
the Qatar Classic in his first season as a full-time professional.
World No.18 Crouin, who last year balanced his squash career with
studying at Harvard University, impressed in reaching the final of
last week’s inaugural CIB Zed Squash Open and made a brilliant start
to his match today against Makin.
The Frenchman made a rapid start to his match against the World
No.7, who enjoyed a 3-0 head-to-head record against Crouin, with an
11-9 win in the first game.
The Welshman, who won a silver medal at this year’s Commonwealth
Games, responded well in the second and moved Crouin around the
court as he levelled the match with an 11-6 victory.
Makin continued to impress at the beginning of game three as he took
a 5-1 lead, before the two players drew level at 8-8. As the game
wore on, Makin appeared to be struggling with an injury and Crouin
found his mark increasingly frequently to reclaim the lead with an
11-9 win in the third game, before completing the upset with an 11-8
win in the fourth game.
Afterwards, Crouin said: “I came in and just wanted to win one game.
“I just wanted to win the game and I believed that I could win the
match. After winning the first game I knew I could go and get the
win. I’m really happy about that.”
Crouin will play England’s Patrick Rooney for a place in the
quarter-finals after the World No.23 downed Nathan Lake 3-0 in an
all-English affair.
Diego Elias
Also through to the next round is World No.1 Ali Farag, who received
a walkover after an injury to Cesar Salazar, and defending champion
Diego Elias, who overcame a spirited performance from India’s Saurav
Ghosal to progress. The Peruvian Puma recovered from a shaky start
to record an 11-9, 15-17, 11-9, 12-10 win and go into a third round
clash with Switzerland’s Dimitri Steinmann, who came from behind to
beat Mexico’s Leonel Cardenas 3-2 in a hotly-contested match.
“I won my biggest title here last year and played one of my best
matches of my career [in last year’s final against Coll]. I think
I’ve always played great here. I guess I just have to get used to
the court again and I’ll be ok,” Elias said.
The third round of the QTerminals Qatar Classic is split, with half
of the matches taking place tomorrow, September 6th, before the
third-round draw concludes on September 7th.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
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Upsets Abound on Day One of QTerminals Qatar Classic
Mathieu Castagnet
France’s Mathieu Castagnet turned back the clock on a day of upsets
to shock World No.27 Moustafa El Sirty and set up a second round
clash with last week’s CIB Zed Squash Open champion Youssef Soliman
as the QTerminals Qatar Classic 2022 got underway in Doha.
World No.52 Castagnet, 36, in his first match in almost four months,
played a brilliantly controlled game against the talented
20-year-old, who is regarded as one of the game's rising stars.
After dropping the first game 11-8, the former World No.6 played a
brilliant tactical game, increasing his hitting tempo while
maintaining strict discipline.
This proved immediately effective as a number of errors began to
creep into the game of the attack-minded El Sirty, and Castagnet
levelled with an 11-6 in game two before edging the third 13-11.
In a tight fourth game, Castagnet looked to have one foot in the
next round when he took a 9-6 lead, only for a brilliant run of
points from El Sirty to take the Egyptian to game ball at 10-9.
Castagnet, however, fended this off well, saving the game ball
before eventually securing the match with a 12-10 win in the fourth,
after a nervous wait for a video referee decision on match ball.
“It was really difficult to be honest, that was my first match for
three or four months now,” Castagnet explained.
"I am really happy to be back in good shape! He is a very talented
young player. He is a fighter, really strong, so it was not easy for
me. I love this kind of match, and that was a really good fight.
“I am ranked World No.52. I don’t want to be arrogant, but I feel I
can be higher than that, so for me it is a pleasure that I can play
the young generation with my ranking, and hopefully they won’t be
happy to see my name against theirs!”
Borja Golan
Castagnet was not the only experienced player to upset a younger
opponent as Spain’s 39-year-old World No.41 Borja Golan blew World
No.28 Mohamed ElSherbini away 3-0.
Former World No.5 Golan, who is the oldest player competing in
Qatar, made a stunning start to the match, occupying the front of
the court with ease as he took the first game 11-2 in just nine
minutes.
ElSherbini improved in a stop-start second game and had a 9-6 lead
and later a game ball at 10-9, only for the in-form Golan to claw
his way into a 2-0 lead with a 13-11 victory.
This win both motivated Golan and deflated ElSherbini, with the
39-year-old sealing his place in the next round with an 11-4 win in
the third game.
Afterwards, Golan said: “Every match I play nowadays is so special,
so coming out here to Qatar again on this beautiful court and in
this great event is amazing. I think today felt so good.
"Every time I step out on court I try to be very professional and
concentrate. I know the margins are very little and at my age I have
to play my best every time if I want to win. Today was a perfect day
for me.”
Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi
To the delight of the home fans, Qatar’s Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi was
able to provide another upset as he comfortably overcame the
higher-ranked Ramit Tandon of India in the day’s final match to set
up an enticing encounter with World No.2 Paul Coll in tomorrow's
second round.
In an even first game, World No.44 Al Tamimi was initially forced
onto the defensive by some good, tight, shots from World No.30
Tandon, before the Qatar No.1 settled and took the first game 11-8
thanks to his improved accuracy.
Al Tamimi, who is blessed with excellent speed and racket skills but
has at times struggled for consistency, was much the better player
in game two, with the 27-year-old taking advantage of a flurry of
errors from Tandon - who missed August's Commonwealth Games due to
injury - to take the second game 11-4 in just seven minutes.
Al Tamimi continued to dominate in the third game and comfortably
swatted aside the tiring Tandon with an 11-3 win that was a minute
shorter than the rapid second game.
After the match, Al Tamimi said: “I’d like to thank everyone for the
support. I couldn’t play last year, my first time missing the event
since 2010.
“I’m really happy to be back here and I’m really happy with the win.
Until yesterday, I was 50/50 to play this event because I have
national service, but thanks to the Federation, who helped me. I
hope I can play the whole season and the upcoming seasons without
having to disappear from the tour for a while.
“I look forward to playing tomorrow again, and I hope the support
will be even bigger.”
There were more upsets on the opening day in Doha as World No. 49
Declan James beat World No.20 Baptiste Masotti 3-1, World No. 42
Dimitri Steinmann beat World No.24 Adrian Waller 3-1 and World No.45
Yahya Elnawasany came from behind to beat World No.32 Sebastien
Bonmalais 3-2.
The QTerminals Qatar Classic 2022 continues tomorrow (September 5)
as the seeded players enter the competition.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok
and
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Preview
The QTerminals Qatar Classic is the next stop on the PSA World Tour
for the male players and the first Platinum event of the 2022/23
season. The event takes place from September 4 -10 from Doha, Qatar
for the 27th time.
2021 Event Round up
Ahead of the tournament getting underway, here’s a recap of last
year’s event which was full of shocks and surprises as Diego Elias
picked up his maiden Platinum event title.
Day one was the round of five-setters as exactly half of the round
one matches went all the way to the wire, the longest of which being
an 86-minute all-European battle between Switzerland’s Dimitri
Steinmann and Spain’s Iker Pajares Bernabeu, with the Spaniard
winning the fifth game 11-7 from leading 2-0.
There were two major shocks in round two at the Khalifa Center in
Doha as top seed and World No.2 Mohamed ElShorbagy was beaten by
compatriot and World No.17 Youssef Ibrahim in a 47-minute four-game
encounter. Ibrahim possesses incredible shot-making skills which he
used to full effect to fire off several winners.
No.5 seed Karim Abdel Gawad also fell in four games to dangerous
compatriot Mohamed Abouelghar. ‘The Baby Faced Assassin’ took the
opening game 11-4 but the pace and accuracy of Abouelghar was too
much for Gawad to handle and the younger Egyptian advanced in 45
minutes.
More entertaining five-set matches came in round three, as German
No.1 Raphael Kandra took out No.4 seed Marwan ElShorbagy after
finding himself 2-1 down. The German used the colder court to his
advantage and utilised height to set up opportunities to take the
ball short. In the same quarter of the draw, No.6 seed Diego Elias
came back from 2-0 down to defeat France’s Gregoire Marche in 73
minutes.
Giant killer Youssef Ibrahim also lost out in five games as he fell
to equally talented Mazen Hesham. In one of the most fast-paced and
winner-filled matches you’re likely to see on the PSA World Tour, it
was Hesham who was able to hold it together best and progressed
through to the last eight.
All the major action on quarter final day was in the bottom half of
the draw as No.7 seed Mostafa Asal defeated World No.4 Tarek Momen
in a huge 114-minute battle. The momentum changed several times
throughout the match with both players having periods of
superiority. Asal earned himself a lead in the fifth game and never
let go, taking it 11-4 to move into the semi-finals.
His semi-final opponent would be Paul Coll who survived an epic
encounter with Mohamed Abouelghar to advance. Coll was forced into
some tough movements by the talented Egyptian, but the discipline
and accuracy of the New Zealander was superior to the Egyptian’s
attacks.
Wales’ Joel Makin had flown under the radar in the event and reached
the final four after three 3-0 victories against tricky opponents.
He now faced the ‘Peruvian Puma’ Diego Elias, with both players
looking to reach a Platinum event final for the first time. With the
score tied at 1-1, it was Elias who was able to move the ball round
the court best and find clinical winners to close the match out 3-1.
His opponent in the final would be No.2 seed Paul Coll who produced
a strong performance to beat Mostafa Asal 3-0 in 46 minutes.
Paul Coll and Diego Elias are good friends off the court but when it
comes to matches there aren’t many bigger than a Platinum event
final. Coll had recently broken his Platinum event seal as he won
the 2021 Allam British Open, but Elias was yet to win a major title.
The match was full of quality throughout with the Peruvian on the
attack for most of the match and Coll happy to absorb the pressure
and counterattack.
Elias took a crucial third game 13-11 to take a 2-1 lead in the
match and place one hand on his first Platinum event trophy. Elias
set himself up with one match ball at 10-9 and converted at the
first time of asking.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok
and
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