Main rounds of WTT Middle East Hub gets underway

Doha-The main rounds of World Table Tennis (WTT) Middle East Hub got underway at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall on Wednesday.  Austria’s Andres Levenko knocked out England’s world No.15 Liam Pitchford in the men’s singles Round. Pitchford, who finished second at the 2020 ITTF Qatar Platinum Series, was beaten hands down by Levenko, world No.144, 3-1. The Austrian star will meet in Cho Dae-seong of South Korea who edged out Japan’s Uda Yukiya 3-2. Frenchman Emmanuel Lebesson, ranked 40th, surprised Portugal’s world No.25 Marcos Freitas by winning 3-1. Lebesson will meet German Dimitrij Ovtcharov, who overcame Iran’s Iranian Noshad Alamiyan 3-1. Meanwhile, Nigerian Aruna Kudari, the only African player in the main draw, did not slog much in his 3-0 win over India’s Sathiyan Gnanasekaran.  

Jabeur, Keys reach Round of 16 at Qatar Total Open

Doha-Qualifiers Laura Siegemund of Germany and Jessica Pegula of the United States on Tuesday produced quality tennis to post wins over experienced players at the Qatar Total Open while Tunisian star Ons Jabeur also impressed with a gutsy show on day two of the tournament. Siegemund beat Elena Rybakina, wrapping up their match with a 7-6, 7-6 scoreline in 2 hours and 29 minutes. Also on Tuesday, World Number 44 Pegula proved too good for Wang Qiang of China. Pegula won 6-2, 6-1 and at times exhibited the form that took her to the Australian Open quarterfinals last month. The match lasted 75 minutes. Jabuer, a crowd favourite in Doha where she reached the quarterfinals last year, on Monday beat Russia’s Anna Blinkova 6-2, 6-2. It was third successive win for Jabuer over Blinkova. Jabuer wrapped up the match in 1 hour and 8 minutes. The Tunisian will now play Doha No.2 seed Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic on Wednesday. Jabuer beat Pliskova in the third round here last year. “Last year I was looking for a title win because I always wanted to win here in Doha but it didn't happen. Now I feel like I have the level to compete in quarters and semifinals. I know I can go as far as I can in this tournament,” Jabuer said on Tuesday. “Maybe there’s a little bit more pressure (on me). Maybe I am also more confident on the court. I feel like I can handle stress much better especially on tough moments. So honestly, whatever happens tomorrow (on Wednesday), I feel really good about myself. I feel I have given it all in the practice and I'm doing all I can to improve,” Jabuer added. In a clash on Centre Court on Tuesday, Madison Keys of the United States eased past Belinda Bencic of Switzerland. The 26-year-old American won 6-4, 6-1 in 68 minutes. It was Keys’ second win over Bencic in three matches. Keys said on Tuesday: “I'm really happy with how I came out and played today. I'm a little bit surprised with myself but hoping to keep the momentum going tomorrow. I think she's probably not used to the courts and I had a couple of days here. It worked out pretty well for me tonight. I think I played a really good match.” In the last match on Centre Court, Misaki Doi of Japana beat Saisai Zheng of China 6-4, 6-2. The 29-year-old Japanese was on the court for 1 hours and 28 minutes. Doi said: “I am happy with my performance. I have already played three matches so I guess it was an advantage for me.”  

Main rounds of WTT Middle East Hub to begin on Wednesday

Doha-The main rounds of World Table Tennis (WTT) Middle East Hub will begin at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall on Wednesday.  Japan’s 17-year-old talented Tomokazu Harimoto will take on Chinese Taipei’s world ranked 26th Chuang Chih-Yuan in the men’s singles. South Korea’s world No.22 Lee Sang-Su face off Austria’s Robert Gardos, while Englishman Liam Pitchford will take on Austrian Andreas Levenko. Sweden’s Mattias Falck will meet Hungary’s Mihai Bobocica, and Dimitrij Ovtcharov (GER) face Noshad Alamiyan (IRN). Brazilian’s Hugo Calderano and Gustavo Tsuboi will fight for a place in the next round. India’s Sharath Achanta Kamal and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran will also look to seal spots in the Round of 16. None of the Arab paddlers will be in the men’s singles fray, but Egypt’s Dina Meshref will be sole representative. The African champion and world No.35 face South Korea’s Suh Hyo-Won (world No.21). Dina will also pair with compatriot Omar Assar in the mixed doubles, where they will face Hungarian duo Szandra Pergel and Adam Szudi. Qatar's Ahmed Muthana and Mohamed Abdulwahab will take on Germany's Benedikt Duda and Bang Qiu in Men's Doubles. In Women's Doubles, Maha and Maryam Ali were drawn against Singapore’s Ye Lin and Mengyu Yu while Aia Mohamed Majdi and Maha Faramarzi will be up against Thailand’s Orawan Paranang and Suthasini Sawett  

HH the Amir attends part of the opening day of Qatar Total Open 2021

Doha- (QNA) - HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani attended Monday part of the opening day of Qatar Total Open 2021 held at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex. HH the Amir attended the match between Spain's Garbine Muguruza (the world no. 15) and Russia's Veronika Kudermetova (world no. 26) where the Spaniard won the match 6-2 7-6. The match was also attended by a number of their excellencies guests of the competitions and tennis fans, amidst precautionary measures taken to contain the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). (QNA)  

Stage set for LGCT season-opener

Doha-The 2021 dates for the Longines Global Champions Tour and GCL team series will kick off at Longines Arena at Al Shaqab on Thursday. There will be 16 events on the LGCT and GCL calendar as the worlds greatest riders and horses join the ultimate contest for individual and team glory. The championship season will start at the stunning Longines Arena at Al Shaqab arena in Doha and finish with the Finals in New York in September followed by the ultimate showdown at the GC Prague Play-offs in November. Jan Tops (pictured), President of LGCT and GCL, said: “We look forward to a new season with confidence and excitement, but also with humility. I know all our stakeholders and especially our loyal fans are looking forward to a fresh start with a new season after such a difficult year for everyone due to the global pandemic.  “We are working closely with our host cities and organising partners to deliver a welcome return to top-level show jumping with robust health and safety protocols.  “I would like to thank everyone for their continued support including our sponsors and team owners.” Longines will once again be Title Partner and Official Timekeeper building on the strong partnership with the circuit for many years. Longines will be presenting elegant timepieces to recognise the great performances of every Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix and Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix winner. All the action, including the GCL R1 & R2 and the LGCT Grand Prix, will be streamed live on GCTV at every event.  

Qatar's Al Rumaihi and Abu Shareb to participate in Trap Event of World Cup Shotgun

Cairo- Qatar's Mohammed Al Rumaihi and Saeed Abu Shareb will participate on Monday in the Trap competition of the World Cup Shotgun being held in Egypt until March 5. The Qatari shooting team is participating in the Skeet and Trap events. The state of Qatar is represented by Nasser Al Attiyah and Rashid Saleh in the Skeet competition, and Mohammed Al Rumaihi and Saeed Abu Sharb in the Trap event. Mohammed Al Rumaihi and Saeed Abu Sharb are seeking to achieve a positive result in the Trap competition. They finished today the official training of the competition in which more than fifty athletes are taking part from seventeen teams. Tomorrow will be the start of the competition which will continue for two days. Three rounds will be held tomorrow, while two rounds and the final will be organized in the second day.