Momen upstages Tamimi in exciting pre-quarters clash

Egyptian Tarek Momen ended home hopes with an exciting 3-1 win over Doha-born Abdulla Al Tamimi, while World No.1s Ali Farag and Nour El Sherbini reached the quarter-finals, alongside Nele Gilis of Belgium in the Qterminals Qatar Classic Squash at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex on Tuesday. In a gripping contest, Momen and Al Tamimi both played quick, attacking squash which led to fast, energetic rallies. Momen found his groove earlier in the match and took the first two games off the Qatari, but Al Tamimi came back strong in the third, using the front of the court and playing faster than the Egyptian to halve the deficit. Momen was unflappable in the face of Al Tamimi’s home crowd, and won points consistently between the heroics the World No.35 was producing to stay in the match, as he completed a 3-1 (11-8, 12-10, 7-11, 11-8) victory. The former World No.3 – who won the 2019 World Championship here – spoke afterwards about his feelings on the match. “It’s good vibes, I’m happy that I was tested in that manner, this was a tough match for me mentally.“ Momen will face the World No.1 and two-time Qatar Classic champion Farag in his quarter final. The No.1 seed beat former World No.7 Fares Dessouky in three games in their round three match, with Farag controlling things throughout despite some strong attacking efforts from his fellow Egyptian. In the women’s round three matches, World No.1 El Sherbini came from behind to beat fellow Egyptian Rowan Elaraby 3-1. The No.2 seed lost the first game in a tie break after Elaraby played on the attack to edge a close battle. However, the 2023 PSA World Champion winner soon found her usual immaculate form and won the next three games in just 24 minutes to progress to the quarter final. Speaking after the match, El Sherbini reflected on her previous times in Doha: “I have amazing memories on this court, I won my second World Junior Championship here. “I’m really, really happy we’re playing a women’s event here in Qatar.” El Sherbini will face World No.6 Nele Gilis in the last eight. The Belgium No.1 earned her place in the quarter final with a 3-0 win against World No.29 Nada Abbas with the 27-year-old recovering well after being caught in the face by a loose shot.  

Al-Tamimi starts with a bang as Lee stuns Marche

Producing an electrifying all-round game, Qatar’s top squash player Abdullah al-Tamimi yesterday crushed France’s Lucas Serme in straight games to reach the second round at the Men’s QTerminals Qatar Classic which got underway yesterday. Al-Tamimi, who was out of the game for five months before resuming competitive squash last month, yesterday won 11-5, 11-5, 11-6 in just 34 minutes on the Glass Court at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex. “I am really happy to win my first match here in Doha and I am really looking forward to the next clash,” al-Tamimi said with a smile during an on-court interview after his win. “Things worked out pretty good. I kept my focus up till 7 two and then I did one gimme shot. I think he wasn’t happy about it and I knew it straight away and I lost three points after it. “So it just shows you one point can make a difference in each game. I am trying to get better at these things and keep my focus and yeah, I am very pleased,” the 28-year-old added. Al-Tamimi plays Egypt’s Omar Mosaad who beat Alex Lau of Hong Kong 12-10, 11-8, 13-11 in 44 minutes yesterday. Also yesterday, English World No.45 Charlie Lee produced a fine performance to stun French World No.25 Gregoire Marche in straight games to reach a maiden Platinum second round at the seven-day championship. Lee won 11-3, 12-10, 12-10 in 42 minutes. In their first meeting on tour, 25-year-old Lee looked a confident player from the beginning, hitting accurately as he opened up a 1-0 lead against an out-of-sorts Marche. The Frenchman threatened to spoil Lee’s party when he saved five game balls in the second game to reach a tie break from 10-5 down, but Lee was able to hang on and edged the second and third games by 12-10 scores in both to complete the upset. Lee will face England No.1 and defending champion Mohamed ElShorbagy today in the next round. “(Marche) is a fantastic player and I’m super happy to reach round two of a Platinum for the first time, especially after not reaching the heights I hoped to in Paris last week,” Lee said yesterday. In the women’s draw, Hania El Hammamy came back from a game down to beat Egyptian compatriot Hana Ramadan, Egyptian top seed Nouran Gohar beat Wales’ Emily Whitlock and Egypt’s Mohamed Abouelghar beat Hong Kong’s Henry Leung. On the traditional courts, Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam beat Olivia Clyne of the US 11-7, 11-5, 11-8 in 24 minutes. The World No.44, who missed much of last season following a serious traffic accident, looked to be back to her best as she harried the American, refusing to give the World No.14 any respite as she took the match in less than half an hour. “I think I’m ready for this season. I’m excited to be back, playing close to my best I feel,” Subramaniam said after match. In the women’s second round, Egypt’s Salma Hany, the World No.12, yesterday stunned fifth seed and compatriot Nour El Tayeb 12-10, 7-11, 11-4, 7-11, 11-4 in 45 minutes. “It was a really tough second round match against Nour,” Hany said yesterday. “It’s always tough when you want to start a tournament well. I made sure that prepared well for this match. I had made my mind for a fight and I am glad I was able to get the win. “I am always texting my parents, my friends and my coaches who always check on my progress. It was a big win and I look forward to the next match,” Hany added. RELATED STORY  

Qatar receives FIBA Basketball World Cup ball

The state of Qatar has officially received the FIBA Basketball World Cup ball, during a special handover ceremony following the conclusion of the hugely successful FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.  Mr. Manual V Pangilinan the Chair of the Philippines Local Organizing Committee firstly passed the ball to FIBA President Hamane Niang. It was then passed to the Qatar Basketball Federation President Mr. Mohammed Saad Almeghaiseeb and the Qatar Olympic Committee Director of Marketing and Communications Sheikha Asma Al-Thani.  Speaking at the ceremony Mohammed Saad Almeghaiseeb said: “We are very proud to receive the Basketball World Cup ball as the next hosts of this fantastic event. We are grateful to our colleagues in FIBA and the Philippines for giving us the opportunity to see closely the organizational delivery of the World Cup. Hosting such a huge event for one of the most popular sports in the world in is a huge honour for Qatar. It is another step in our sports vision, and we are committed to taking advantage of this opportunity to organize an exceptional experience for the teams and fans.” The State of Qatar has been awarded the honour of hosting the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 during the FIBA Central Board meeting held in the Philippines capital, Manila on April 28.  Qatar’s win in the bid came after a thorough evaluation of Qatar’s bid and final presentation which showcased a compelling vision, concept, and narrative for the event. By hosting the basketball World Cup, Qatar, which hosted the first ever FIFA World Cup in the Middle East and the Arab world, will make more history as Qatar 2027 will be the first FIBA flagship event to be held in the Middle East and the North Africa region. Among the reasons which paved the way for Qatar’s success in the bid were the already available world-class competition venues, the country’s commitment to sport as a platform for realising national development goals and its enthusiasm to continue the development of basketball at all levels locally.  Qatar 2027’s commitment to long-term legacy planning and its focus on sustainability was further testament to the event’s value and impact potential on growing the sport of basketball in the region and around the world  Qatar will host the World Cup for the third consecutive time in Asia, following the 2019 edition held in China and the 2023 edition held in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia.  

Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani meets with the USA Ambassador to Qatar

His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), met today with His Excellency Mr. Timmy Davis, the Ambassador of the United States of America to Qatar. HE Sheikh Joaan welcomed the US Ambassador and commended the strong ties between the two countries and their cooperation in various fields. During the meeting, they’ve discussed the cooperation between the two countries in the field of sports and ways of further collaboration and development in the upcoming phase.  

Qatar defeat Myanmar in AFC U23 Asian Cup™ Qatar 2024 Qualifiers

Changwon: Qatar continued to impress in Group B of the AFC U23 Asian Cup™ Qatar 2024 Qualifiers with a 6-0 win over Myanmar on Saturday. Competing in the Qualifiers for exposure ahead of hosting the Finals next April, Qatar turned on the power in the second half at the Changwon Football Center with five goals to cruise to victory. Despite their results not counting towards the final classification, Qatar were determined to build on their opening day 2-0 win over hosts Korea Republic and took the lead in the 22nd minute through Mohamed Khaled Hassan. Myanmar, who settled for a 1-1 draw with Kyrgyz Republic on Matchday One, made it difficult for Qatar to find a second in the the remaining minutes of the first half but their resistance was broken in the 52nd minute with forward Tameem Mansour Alabdulla doubling Qatar's advantage. Alabdulla struck again seven minutes later with Ahmed Alrawi scoring their fourth in the 78th minute. Lotfi Madjer then ended the proceedings for Qatar with a quick brace, netting in the 87th and 89th minutes.  

Qatar’s Al Nubi wins bronze medal in Arab Junior Athletics Championship

Muscat: Qatar’s Abdulrahman Al Nubi won the bronze medal in the 110m l hurdles on the opening day of the Arab Junior Athletics Championship which is held in the Sultanate of Oman until Sep.11th with the participation of 350 athletes representing 18 countries. Al Nubi finished the race in third place with a time of (14.24 seconds), behind Algerian Zuhair Al Din Qasimi, who ranked second with a time of (14.06 seconds), and his compatriot Louay Al Amrawi who won the gold medal with a time of (13.63 seconds).