Al-Tamimi qualifies to Qatar Classic quarterfinals

Doha: Team Qatar's Abdullah al-Tamimi on Tuesday reached the quarter-finals of the Q-Terminals Qatar Classic 2025 at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex. Al-Tamimi beat Frenchman Sebastien Bonmalais 8-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-7.In the quarter-finals, al-Tamimi will meet England’s Jonah Bryant, who defeated Egypt’s Mohamed Zakaria 3-2 (6-11, 16-14, 10-12, 11-9, 11-7).The day began with a roar as the local hope, al-Tamimi, stepped onto the glass court. Pitted against Bonmalais, al-Tamimi had to dig deep.Losing the first game 8-11, the Qatari refused to wilt. Fuelled by the home crowd’s fervour, he wrestled back control, securing the next three tight games (11-9, 11-7, 11-7) in a focused 56-minute display, ensuring the flag of Qatar flew high into the next round.“I’m feeling amazing, it’s been a good season and I always enjoy playing here at home,” said al-Tamimi.“Nobody gives up and everyone is fighting to win the match, there are a lot of opportunities with a lot of the seeds being out and you can see the fight in people’s eyes. I knew I had the edge, but he surprised me with his movement today.“It’s been a long time since I’ve reached the quarter-finals here. I’m looking forward to playing Jonah again after losing 3-0 to him in Egypt (earlier this month). I wasn’t happy about that, but hopefully we give a good show for the crowd.”England’s World No 20 Bryant came out on top in a gripping five-game battle with World No 14 Zakaria.Bryant, 20, and Zakaria, 18, have been touted as future World No.1 by fans and SQUASHTV pundits alike and Tuesday’s match gave a tantalising glimpse into what could be yet to come, with Bryant prevailing after a 109-minute thriller.The pair had one win each against each other on the PSA Squash Tour, while Zakaria got the better of Bryant in the final of the 2024 British Junior Open last year. However, things went the way of the Englishman Tuesday in Doha as he completed an 6-11, 16-14, 10-12, 11-9, 11-7 victory to reach his first Platinum-level quarter-final.“I put a lot of work in, in the background, to be able to perform like this physically,” said Bryant afterwards.“It all seems worthwhile when you then go out and do it on the court for 109 minutes. I started off fairly well, I was controlling a lot of the rallies, there were a few too many errors early on, but then I settled. I saw he was dropping off physically, so I stepped up and started attacking more. He’s as tough as they come, so I was pleased with the result.“He shot himself in the foot, they (referees) are hot on players taking their space, they can slow it down and review it. A lot of the shots he hit would have been winners, if he let me go through it would have been harder for me to win rallies.“He gave me free points, it’s up to him if he wants to keep doing it, it might work for him, but today it worked against him.”World No 3 Paul Coll and Egypt’s World No 23 Mohamed Abouelghar will face off in the other quarter-final match on the bottom half of the men’s draw following respective wins over Switzerland’s Dimitri Steinmann and Spain’s Iker Pajares.France’s Melissa Alves has reached her first Platinum quarter-final since the 2021 US Open after going through at the expense of Malaysia’s Aira Azman, who was forced to retire due to a concussion.Azman was looking to join compatriots Sivasangari Subramaniam and sister Aira in the next round but fell and hit her head on the floor while chasing a ball into the back of the court when 2-1 ahead. Azman was unable to continue the match. 

Qatari swimming team wins two medals at Asian Aquatics Championships

Doha – The Qatari swimming team won two medals at the 11th Asian Aquatics Championships in Ahmedabad, India. The tournament continues until October 11.Swimmer Ali Tamer won the gold medal in the 50m freestyle with a time of 22.45 seconds. This is the first gold medal for Qatar in the history of this championship.Swimmer Mohammed Mahmoud won the bronze medal in the 50m breaststroke, with a time of 28.09 seconds.The Qatari team includes four swimmers: Ali Tamer, Mohammed Mahmoud, Hamza Shalaan, and Abdullah Al Ghamri.This championship includes 25 countries, and the sports are swimming, diving, water polo, and artistic swimming.

QTerminals Qatar Classic gets underway

Doha: Egypt’s World No.14 Mohamad Zakaria earned the biggest win of his career to date after taking out World No.4 Joel Makin on a day which saw eight of the top 16 seeds exit the Platinum-level QTerminals Qatar Classic in round one at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex on Sunday.Zakaria had lost out to No.3 seed Makin in the third round of the CIB Egyptian Open earlier this month but dominated proceedings today at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, winning 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 in 67 minutes to score his first win over a player inside the world’s top four.“I’m over the moon, as soon as I lost the match against him in Giza, I started training with [former World No.1] Jonathon Power for this match,” said 18-year-old Zakaria afterwards.“The plan we had worked so well, I was more attacking, more positive, and I brought the game to him. I was so happy with my short game and I did very well today.”Zakaria will go up against Englishman Jonah Bryant in the last 16, with Bryant beating Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller.Qatar’s Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) beat compatriot Ali Al Darwish 11-4, 11-7, 11-3 to move into the next round.Egypt’s Youssef Ibrahim is also through after upsetting World No.6 Marwan ElShorbagy, winning 16-14, 11-7, 12-10.No.4 seed ElShorbagy held a 9-8 lead in the third game, but two strokes against the Englishman quickly handed the momentum back to Ibrahim, with the second stroke being given against ElShorbagy due to dissent. Ibrahim then converted to set up a second round match with ElShorbagy’s fellow Englishman, Curtis Malik.“I’m very pleased with the way everything went, the first game was very important for both of us,” Ibrahim said.“It’s a very tricky court, but we both managed to perform our best, especially in the first game. It was a mental battle with Marwan and I’m very happy with the way I handled the big points, I didn’t make many errors. I didn’t want to have too many interactions with the referee and I think that’s what made the difference.”Two former champions in Karim Gawad and Mohamed ElShorbagy saw their events come to an end against lower-ranked opposition. Gawad fell to India’s Abhay Singh, while ElShorbagy lost out to Spain’s Iker Pajares.In the women’s event, Malaysia’s Aira Azman got the better of No.5 seed Satomi Watanabe, while No.8 seed Georgina Kennedy saw her tournament come to an end against France’s Melissa Alves.Azman came back from two games down against Watanabe to claim her first win over the World No.6 to reach the last 16 of the Qatar Classic for the first time.“I’m very happy with the way I played today, I always seem to go 2-0 down and then get ready to play the next three [games],” said Azman, who will play Zeina Mickawy next.USA’s World No.4 Olivia Weaver was the other seed to bow out of the tournament after she withdrew from her match against Egypt’s Farida Mohamed due to a reoccurrence of the adductor injury that saw her pull out of the London Classic earlier this month.Defending champion Nour El Sherbini began her tournament with a comfortable 11-8, 11-8, 11-4 win against fellow Egyptian Sana Ibrahim. The eight-time World Champion will play World No.52 Nour Heikal next.“I’m happy to be back, it’s one of the best tournaments, if not the best,” said El Sherbini afterwards.“Coming back to a tournament you won last year, you feel the memories. I love this court and I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen this week.“I didn’t have the best start to the new season, so I went home, regrouped, and I wanted to get off to a good start here. Sana is an amazing player, it was a tricky first round and she has good hands. I wanted to be more aggressive and play my game more.”

Team Qatar to take on Saudi Arabia in U-17 Gulf Cup Semifinals

DOHA -  Qatar’s U-17 national football team will take on Saudi Arabia  on Tuesday, in the semifinals of the Gulf Cup, hosted at Grand Hamad Stadium. The tournament, currently being held in Qatar, will run until October 3.The young Qatari side has been in top form, winning all three of its group-stage matches to finish first in Group A. Qatar opened the tournament with a 1-0 win over Yemen, followed by another 1-0 victory against Oman, and wrapped up the group stage by defeating the UAE 2-0.Led by Spanish coach Álvaro Mejía, team Qatar  is now aiming for its fourth consecutive win and a place in the final. Mejía expressed confidence in his squad’s readiness for the Saudi challenge, highlighting standout players such as Faisal Saeed, Zaid Faisal, Tamim Al-Qadi, and goalkeeper Ahmed Saber, who has impressed with his performances so far.This tournament is seen as a valuable stepping stone for Qatar ahead of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which will also be hosted in Qatar this November.On the other side, Saudi Arabia will be looking to bounce back after a 2-1 loss to Iraq in their final group match. The Saudis reached the semifinals with big wins over Bahrain and Kuwait , both by a score of 4-0.Coach Abdulwahab Nasser Al-Harbi is counting on several key players, including star forward Waleed Al-Noor and the talented trio of Abdulrahman Sufyani, Abdulhadi Mutari, and Sabri Dhal.In the other semifinal match, also taking place on Tuesday, the UAE will face Iraq at Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium.Iraq topped Group B with 7 points, following a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia, a 2-0 victory over Bahrain, and a 1-1 draw with Kuwait. Coach José María Zarco is placing his hopes on striker Zain Al-Abideen Al-Rubaie and midfielder Haider Adnan, though he acknowledges the challenge of facing a strong UAE side that is also preparing for the World Cup.Meanwhile, UAE coach Majid Salem Al-Zaabi hopes his team can secure a key win, boost morale, and head into the U-17 World Cup with confidence. The UAE finished second in Group A with 6 points, just behind Qatar.According to tournament rules, the semifinals are knockout matches. The final will be held on October 3 at Grand Hamad Stadium. 

Qatar Secures Two Medals at Asian Aquatics Championships in India

DOHA – The Qatari swimming team has claimed two medals — one gold and one bronze — at the 11th Asian Aquatics Championships, currently underway in Ahmedabad, India, and running through October 11.Ali Tamer earned Qatar’s first-ever gold medal at the championship by winning the 50m freestyle event with a time of 22.45 seconds.Meanwhile, teammate Mohammed Mahmoud captured the bronze medal in the 50m breaststroke, finishing with a time of 28.09 seconds.Qatar is represented at the tournament by four swimmers: Ali Tamer, Mohammed Mahmoud, Hamza Shalaan, and Abdullah Al Ghamri.The Asian Aquatics Championships feature athletes from 25 nations competing across swimming, diving, water polo, and artistic swimming events.

Ali Arshid Finishes Fourth in 400m Wheelchair Race at World Para Athletics Championships

New Delhi: Team Qatar’s Ali Arshid secured fourth place in the 400m wheelchair race at the ongoing World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi, India, which runs until October 5. The competition has brought together more than 1,000 elite para-athletes from around the globe, competing in over 160 track and field events.Arshid delivered a strong performance against some of the world’s top para-athletes, coming close to clinching third place, missing out by fractions of a second. The result represents a significant milestone for the young Qatari athlete in his first participation at the championship.Mohammed Dhaheem Al-Dosari, Head of Qatar’s delegation to the tournament, expressed his delight at Arshid’s performance. He noted that this championship is considered the premier event for para-athletes ahead of the Paralympic Games, providing a global platform for competitors to showcase their talent, determination, and resilience.Al-Dosari confirmed that Qatar’s Ali Arshid and Mohammed Al-Kubaisi will compete in the 100m event on Wednesday, while Arshid is also set to take part in the 800m race on Saturday. Additionally, Qatar’s Abdulrahman Abdulqader and Sara Masoud will contest the shot put competition on Sunday.He emphasized that the Qatari athletes are aiming to deliver strong performances in the remaining events while continuing to develop their skills in wheelchair racing and para-athletics.The Qatari delegation, headed by Al-Dosari, a board member of the Qatar Federation for Special Needs Sports, includes athletes Abdulrahman Abdulqader, Mohammed Al-Kubaisi, Ali Arshid, and Sara Masoud, along with coaches Alwaleed Maghmoul and Nabil Muslimani, and physiotherapist Mohammed Lzouli.Team Qatar had conducted a closed training camp in Poland in August to prepare for this global sporting event, which features a host of Paralympic and World Championship medalists.