Team Qatar aim for a blazing start at Home

Doha: Coach of the Qatari national football team, Spanish Marquez Lopez affirmed that the main goal is to reach the final match in the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023, which is set to kick off Friday in Doha. Before the opening match against Lebanon at the Lusail Stadium on Friday, Lopez stated in a press conference that the Qatari national team is coming into the competition as the title holders which gives it an important advantage and pushes the team to deliver excellent performance in the match that is held in their homeland and among the fans. He expressed that the goal of reaching the final should not get the team ahead of itself and focus on the opening match against Lebanon and obtain points that will allow the team to surpass the group stage. The coach said that they are aware of the opponent's capabilities and have studied them. He promised that they would bring their best in order to achieve a positive start and for it to be a motivation towards the long and difficult journey. The Lebanese national team made a change in the technical staff and brought back an experienced coach after he had led it for several years and is familiar with the players, Lopez noted. The Spanish coach, who took over the role shortly before the start of the Asian Cup Qatar 2023, said that this leaves him with a great challenge but will not be an excuse since he knows all the players due to his presence in the Qatari football scene for many years, notably in Al Wakrah SC. He explained that he started his work on Dec. 24 and even though this is not enough time, he devoted all efforts with the technical staff to implement his style. He added that it is important to believe in the players' abilities. The team's former coaches focused on defense more than attack and Lopez expressed his preference for offense play, high pressure on the opponent's field, and possession and creating opportunities. He also pointed out the necessity of maintaining balance through defense and the courage to apply required fast changes. The Qatari national team will meet its Lebanese counterpart Friday evening at Lusail Stadium in the opening of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023. Qatar is in Group A alongside Lebanon, China and Tajikistan. Qatar and Lebanon faced each other at the beginning of the competitions of the last edition of the tournament that took place in the United Arab Emirates in 2019 where the Qatari team prevailed with 2-0 and later went on to win the title.

Team Qatar swimmers win 10 medals at Arab Aquatics Age Group Championships

Doha: Team Qatar swimmers claimed 10 medals including 4 gold medals, 2 silver medals and 4 bronze medals on the second day of the Arab Aquatics Age Group Championships which began on January 10th.  The tournament acts as a crucial test event ahead of the World Aquatics Championships – Doha 2024 next month.  Ziad Abdulla won two gold medals in 100m freestyle and 50m backstroke events (13-14 years) while Tamim Mohamed claimed the gold medal of 200m butterfly events (17-18 years).  Moreover, Team Qatar including Hamed Mohamed, Abdullah Ahmed, Hamza Shaalan and Mohamed Ismail clinched the gold medal of 4x100m freestyle relay.   

Main draw of WTT Star Contender Doha 2024 gets underway

Doha: World No.43 Benedikt Duda stole the limelight on Day 1 at WTT Star Contender Doha 2024 after earning a career-first international victory over former World No.1 Timo Boll, winning in five dramatic games (17-15, 9-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-4). The heat was on from the get-go, with Duda unleashing a blistering backhand topspin to mark the beginning of a truly mouth-watering contest. Duda would continue to apply such pressure throughout the first game, utilising his aggressive playstyle to win an incredible first game against his rival. The second game would prove just as close, yet consistency proved key for Boll, winning two consecutive points at 9-9 with steady backhand loops, levelling proceedings at one game apiece. Despite trailing game three by a two-point deficit at 6-8, Duda would fight back to level at deuce. Showcasing lightning paced topspins, Duda overpowered his more experienced opponent, taking the game by a 12-10 scoreline. With 42-year-old Boll clinching a narrow fourth game, play entered its final stage, and at 4-4, it appeared to be anyone’s game for the taking. But Duda, in a burst of brilliance, went on to win seven points on the trot to bring home a stunning victory and safe passage to the round of 32. Elsewhere, Patrick Franziska outplayed his higher ranked opponent Alexis Lebrun, the former winning in three straight games (11-7, 13-11, 11-9), while Shunsuke Togami, facing Liam Pitchford, bounced back from a tight opener, winning three games in a row to triumph over the Englishman (11-13, 11-6, 11-8, 11-8). Over in the Women’s Singles, it was a successful day at the office for World No.28 Dina Meshref, who left the arena in jubilation after claiming a first-ever victory over Suh Hyo Won (6-11, 11-9, 6-11, 14-12, 11-9). After a successful qualifying run, defeating Sutirtha Mukherjee and Lee Ho Ching, Suh looked in top-shape ahead of her encounter with Meshref. With Suh having won both of her previous battles with Meshref, their most recent being at WTT Contender Doha 2021, it appeared that the latter player would have her work cut out for her in Qatar. Meshref fans may have initially felt a bitter wave of déjà vu as Suh led the way by a 2-1 game advantage, mimicking their battle from three years ago. However, in a stellar display, Meshref fought back, winning a nail-biting fourth game before closing it out in the fifth to score her first victory over Suh, and with it, a ticket to the round of 32. Yangzi Liu also shone bright on Day 1, posting an impressive victory over Manika Batra, besting the Indian star in five games (9-11, 11-5, 11-6, 6-11, 11-7).

Qatar Men's ITF World Tennis Tour begins

Doha: The competitions of the 1st Qatar Men's ITF World Tennis Tour 2024 (M15 DOHA) began at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex on Monday. The tournament is organized by the Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) in cooperation with the ITF. The event brings together 32 players in singles competitions and 16 teams in doubles competitions.  The tournament Director Saad Al Mohannadi expected Qatar Men's ITF World Tennis Tour to feature some tough and exciting matches in its decisive rounds.   

Arab Aquatics Age Group Championships kick off

Doha: Organized as per the regulations of the Arab Aquatics Confederation, the 2nd Arab Aquatics Age Group Championships kicked off on January 10th with an opening ceremony and the swimming competitions held at Aspire Dome on Wednesday. The Championships will act as a crucial test event ahead of the World Aquatics Championships – Doha 2024 and will run from January 10th to 15th in three separate venues: Aspire Dome, Hamad Aquatic Centre and Old Doha Port. The Arab Aquatics Age Group Championships will feature participation of more than 300 young talents coming from 17 Arab countries to compete across three Aquatic sports including swimming, water polo and open water swimming. Serving as a trial to test the readiness of venues, facilities, logistics, operations and the hosting teams, the Arab Aquatics Age Group Championships will set the stage for the World Aquatics Championships – Doha 2024, scheduled to take place for the first time in the Middle East from February 2nd to 18th. Day one of the Championships saw the start of the swimming competitions in all age groups (13-14, 15-16, and 17-18) across multiple male and female events. Following the morning session, an opening ceremony was held at Aspire Dome where the participating countries’ flags were showcased along with an opening remark delivered by Khalil Al Jaber, President of the Qatar Swimming Federation. In the 13-14 age group event, Romayssae Mouissa from Morocco won the girl’s 50m butterfly. The age group category 17-18 in the girl’s 50m butterfly event was secured by Sihem Midouni from Algeria. In the 13-14 age group event, Angela Doumanian from Lebanon won the girl’s 200m freestyle.The 15-16 age group category saw the winning of Lana Hijazi from Lebanon in the girl’s 200m freestyle. The final age group category 17-18 in the girl’s and boy’s 200m freestyle events were secured by Sihem Midouni from Algeria and Mohammed Alzaki from KSA respectively. The evening session following the opening ceremony, continued with competitions in the 50m breaststroke, 800m freestyle, and 4x200m freestyle. Winning gold in the girl’s 50m breaststroke (13-14 age category) was Thea Obeid from Lebanon while Lynn El Hajj from Lebanon won in the (15-16 age group) and Leen Aiasah from Syria won in the (17-18 age category). The boy’s 50m breaststroke event saw the winning of Aziz Baraket from Tunisia (17-18 age category). The boy’s 800m freestyle (15-16 age group) was won by Heni Mesfar from Tunisia while Lana Hijazi from Lebanon won the girl’s 800m freestyle (15-16 age group). In the boys 800m freestyle (17-18 age group), Ilias El Fallaki from Morocco won gold, and Samara Abdellaoui from Algeria won the 800m freestyle (17-18 age group). The largest participation at the 2nd Arab Aquatics Age Group Championships is seen by Team Algeria competing with 58 athletes followed by Team KSA having 45 participants and Team Qatar being represented by 43 young athletes across all three sports. Attendance to the Arab Aquatics Championships is free for everyone, the public is encouraged to be part of the aquatic celebration while the World Aquatics Championships – Doha 2024 undertakes final preparations.  

Leburn chases breakthrough victory against Franziska

Doha: Qualifying is complete and the main draw is now set for WTT Star Contender Doha 2024. With a fully-loaded schedule for Day 1 there are plenty of matches to keep an eye out for. With the seeds taking a bye through to the round of 32, the pressure will be on the underdogs to score a win a book a place at the table on Day 2. A highlight match on the agenda in Qatar is Alexis Lebrun coming up against Patrick Franziska.  While Lebrun holds a six-place lead in the rankings, the duo faced each other twice, with Franziska taking down both of their 2022 matches. For the big-hitting German it's an opportunity to improve on last season's Star Contender performance, where he fell at the first hurdle in Goa. For Lebrun it will be all about getting one over a player that has stumped him so far. At the last edition of the event back in 2022, Franziska made a run to the round of 16, going down to Zhou Qihao in four games. Meanwhile for Lebrun, time has made a world of difference, with his last showing at Star Contender Doha ending in round 1 of qualifying. The prize for the winner is a place in the round of 32 to face top seed Fan Zhendong. Both Lebrun and Franziska have won against the World No.1 before. The German would go in trailing 1:5 against Fan, while for the young Frenchman, he currently holds a perfect 1:0 record against the Chinese superstar. Elsewhere in the event, qualifiers will take centre stage having put in the hard yard to earn their place in the main draw. Harmeet Desai will be a player to watch in the Men's Singles. The World No.75 strung together three wins in row to take his main draw ticket. The most impressive was his finals qualifying match, that saw him take out World No.43 Benedikt Duda in a full-distance thriller. While the 30-year-old from India was unable to move beyond the round of 64 in a Star Contender in 2023, he showed a resurgence of form when he posted a semifinal run at Contender Lagos in June. Desai will face Wong Chun Ting to see if he can improve on last year's efforts. The underdog goes ing Wong 0:1 in their head-to-head, having lost their 2023 encounter in five games. In the Women's Singles, the spotlight will be on qualifier Andreea Dragoman when she comes up Barbora Balazova. Dragoman negotiated her way to the main draw with two wins, including a stunning straight games victory over Fu Yu. The Romanian hit a rich vein of form in the second half of 2023, reaching the semifinal of Feeder Olomouc and the quarterfinal of Contender Antalya. Today's matchup will be a first-time meeting between Drogaman and Balazova.