Stage set for Commercial Bank Qatar Masters

Doha - The organizing committee of the 24th edition of Commercial Bank Qatar Masters announced Tuesday that they have completed preparations to hold the event at Education City. For the second year running, the competition will take place at Education City's golf course that was designed by two-time Masters tournament winner and hall of famer Jose Maria Olazabal. President of Qatar Golf Association Hassan Nasser Al Nuaimi said, in a press conference to announce the completion of preparations, that he was optimistic this year's edition will be one of the most successful despite the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. He said that the Qatari association worked very hard to ensure the competition was held at its usual time, thanking the Ministry of Public Health and Qatar Olympic Committee for their support and the Commercial Bank for sponsoring the event, as well as education city for hosting the competition for the second year running. For his part, Secretary-General at Qatar Golf Association Fahd Nasser Al Nuaimi said that they have finalized all preparations related to the precautionary measures to ensure the safety of everyone involved.  

Big guns take centrestage at Qatar ExxonMobil Open

Doha-Tennis icon and three-time winner, Roger Federer of Switzerland will join top seed Dominic Thiem of Austria and defending champion Andrey Rublev of Russia in action for the first time this week at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Wednesday. Fourth seed Canada’s Denis Shapovalov will also take to the court to kick off his campaign in the Qatari capital where tennis festival continues for the second week running. Federer, winner in 2005, 2006 and 2011, will be aiming to begin a journey take could potentially take him to his fourth Qatar ExxonMobil Open trophy. The 20-times Grand Slam star, who is the second seed, will take on Daniel Evans of Great Britain in the Round of 16 clash at the Centre Court inside the iconic Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex. Thiem, who did extremely well in 2020, will be looking to pick up a win and sign in for the quarterfinals of the 32-player tournament. The young Austrian won his first Grand Slam at the US Open in September last year. Thiem lost the Australian Open final in January last year after making it to two French Open finals in 2018 and 2019. Thiem will take on Russian wildcard entry Aslan Karatsev. Rublev, who is the third seed but more importantly the defending champion, takes on former champion Richard Gasquet of France in his Round of 16 clash. Gasquet, who won the Qatar ExxonMobil Open title in 2013, on Monday beat Blaz Rola of Slovenia in straight sets. Rublev is coming off a title winning performance after clinching the Rotterdam Open on Sunday. Fourth seed Shapovalov will play compatriot Vasek Pospisil in the Round of 16 clash. The 21-year-old Canadian has won 1 career title besides accumulating $6,132,389 in prize money. The tall Canadian last year became the first from his country to reach the US Open quarterfinals in New York. He is the second Canadian to break into the Top-10 after Milos Raonic. Shapovalov in 2019 reached the final in Paris and 4 other ATP Masters 1000 semifinals, including 2017 Montreal, where he upset No. 2 Rafa Nadal as 18-year-old wildcard and became youngest ATP Masters 1000 semi-finalist in series history.  

Younousse and Tijan qualify to second round of Katara Beach Volleyball Cup

Doha -The pool winners in the first stage of the Katara Beach Volleyball Cup 4-star main draw in Qatar on the 2021 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour became known on Tuesday. Eight men’s teams won two matches each at Doha’s Al Gharrafa Sports Complex to advance directly to the eighthfinals of the tournament. Home favourites Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan had to work hard for their place on top of Pool H. The eighth-seeded Qatari stars started their day with a 2-0 (22-20, 21-15) win over Austria’s Robin Seidl and Philipp Waller and followed up with a 2-1 (21-19, 18-21, 15-11) victory over Mexico’s Jose Luis Rubio Camargo and Josue Gaston Gaxiola Leyva. 26-year-old Czechs Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner stormed through their Pool C matches without losing a single set and deservedly booked their spot among the last 16 of the competition. First, they hammered out a 2-0 (21-18, 21-16) shutout of Canada’s Ben Saxton and Grant O'Gorman, but then had to face the team of reigning Olympic champion Alison Cerutti and his current teammate Alvaro Morais Filho, seeded third in the main draw bracket. The Czechs persevered through an extended first set to take the lead, and in the second their impenetrable blocking overwhelmed the Brazilians as Perusic and Schweiner celebrated a 2-0 (23-21, 21-15) victory.  “It always feels great to win against Brazil, especially when both players are this good, and especially when we were down the whole first set and we came back. We were really strong, I would say, but also a bit lucky. All teams in the main draw can beat each other. It will be very tough. We will have to fight really hard for each point. Let’s see what the draw will bring us,” said Schweiner.  “During the long break we focused a lot on practicing, of course. Then we fixed some minor injuries. But we were not sure how we would perform, because our last tournament was in November 2019, so we are very excited that we started with two wins,” Perusic added. Both pre-favourites in Pool E were shocked by lower-seeded opponents in the first matches of the day. 28th-seeded Dutch qualifiers Jasper Bouter and Ruben Penninga managed a 2-1 (21-18, 19-21, 15-10) upset of fifth-seeded Latvians Martins Plavins and Edgars Tocs, while number 21 in the bracket, Austria’s Martin Ermacora and Moritz Pristauz mastered a 2-0 (21-19, 21-18) shutout of Spanish veterans Pablo Herrera and Adrian Gavira. In the winners’ match , Bouter and Penninga lost the first set to Ermacora and Pristauz, but then won the next two for a 2-1 (19-21, 21-17, 15-12) victory. Brazil’s Evandro and Guto mounted a dramatic comeback against Poland’s Piotr Kantor and Bartosz Losiak to claim a 2-1 (19-21, 21-18, 16-14) victory in Pool A. In the pool final, the Brazilians stunned top-seeded world champions Oleg Stoyanovskiy and Viacheslav Krasilnikov of Russia with a 2-0 (21-13, 22-20) shutout. Second-seeded Julius Thole and Clemens Wickler of Germany won Pool B, fourth-seeded Taylor Crabb and Jacob Gibb of USA won Pool D, sixth-seeded Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen of the Netherlands won Pool F and seventh-seeded Paolo Nicolai and Daniele Lupo of Italy won Pool G, each on two straight-set victories. In the most interesting match of Pool G, however, the nail-biting tie-breaker went deep into overtime, before French qualifiers Quincy Aye and Arnaud Gauthier-Rat were able to snatch a 2-1 (21-17, 22-24, 25-23) win over American legends Nick Lucena and Phil Dalhausser.

Qatar Olympic Committee celebrates International Women’s Day with inspiring video series

Doha- The Qatar Olympic Committee today marked International Women’s Day with the launch of a week-long campaign dedicated to championing women in sport in Qatar and sharing their inspiring stories and experiences. The video series, which will be broadcast on Al Kass channels and on the QOC’s social media channels, will feature influential women from the world of sport including: Hannah Al Bader, Team Qatar Handball player; Reem Al Sharshani; Team Qatar’s Skeet Shooter; Maryam Al-Thani, Qatar Museum's Curator, a mountain climber, and a triathlon athlete; Al Anood Al misnad, Head of Events at Aspire Logistics; Fatima Al Ghanim Director of Marketing and Communications at Doha Film Institute, and Fatima Al Naimi, Communications Director at the Supreme Committee of Delivery and Legacy 2022.  QOC President Sheikh Joaan Al-Thani said: “Women have, and continue to play, a central role in the development of sport and society in Qatar. It is important that we champion the role they play and promote their stories to inspire others. While great progress has been made, we must always be looking to do more and analyse where we can improve. The QOC is committed to ensuring equal opportunities for women and men and to promoting greater women’s participation in sport. Women in Qatari sport have achieved at many levels in recent decades. Continuing development, starting with grassroots all the way up to elite, is an important factor that will ensure a bright future for all women athletes in Qatar"  The series began today with an interview with Hannah Al Bader and will run every day with a different personality until Monday 15th of March.  Hannah Albadr: (West asian handball gold medal, several GCC gold medals, 2014 YOG young ambassador) said “Women's sport in Qatar has come a long way in recent decades. The development of world class facilities and the plethora of top international events taking place in the country, has opened a lot of opportunities for me and my fellow women athletes to thrive and progress. My message to all women participating in sport is to continue what you're doing, keep putting in the effort, and keep being optimistic. As long as you're putting in the hard work eventually you will be rewarded." The Head of Events at Aspire Logistics, Al Anood Al Misnad added on her behalf "I grew up in a sporting family and I had the chance to participate in multiple sports like football, volleyball, and padel. My passion for sport pushed me to pursue a career in sport administration as head of events at Aspire logistics. I would like to encourage all women in the sport sector to believe in yourself, be confident, and maximize all the opportunities that are provided to you. Team Qatar Skeet Shooter, Reem Al Sharshani said: “As a shooter competing in a male dominant sport, I knew that I had to be fierce and challenge the norms. I invite all women in Qatar to step out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves in a new activity. If you put your mind on what your love and dedicate your energy towards it you will pave the path for the future generations” Mariam Al Thani, who is a curator of photography and exhibitions at Qatar Museum added “ Sports made me curious about challenging myself and to follow my passion specially in Triathlon and mountain climbing. On women's day I encourage all the women in Qatar to follow your dreams and get in touch with like-minded people who want to push themselves and conquer goals”  

Valkenswaard United wins Longines Global Champions League opener

Doha--Valkenswaard United won the first leg of the Longines Global Champions League at the Longines Arena, Al Shaqab, on Saturday. The team of Peder Fredricson (Hansson WL) and Marucs Ehning (Stargold) were in the lead after the first round on Thursday. The duo also managed to hold on to that leading position after two clear rounds with a combined time of 143.62 seconds. Shangai Swans finished second with Christian Ahlmann (Dominator 2000 Z) and Max Kühner (Elektric Blue P). They were both able to jump a clear round and clocked off in a combined time of 145.22 seconds.  The Berlin Eagles with Christian Kukuk (Mumbai) and Philipp Weishaupt (Asathir) came third.  

Sheikh Joaan crowns Kvitova as Champion of 2021 Qatar Total Open

Doha-(QNA) - HE President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani crowned Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic as the champion of the 19th Qatar Total Open following her victory over Spain's Garbine Muguruza on Saturday evening at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex. Kvitova defeated Muguruza 6-2 6-1 in an hour and six minutes to seal the victory. This is the second title for the 30-year-old Czech player in Qatar Total Open after her victory in 2018, when she also defeated Muguruza 6-3 3-6 6-4 in the final match. Kvitova has claimed her 28th career title including two Wimbledon trophies. In 2020, Kvitova lost the Qatar Total Open final match to the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka straight sets 6-3 6-3 (QNA).