Qatar ExxonMobil Open to begin on Monday

Doha, January 6, 2020-The 2020 edition of Qatar ExxonMobil Open will begin at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex on Monday. This tournament is featuring some of the top stars including three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland, Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2018 finalist Andrey Rublev, 2012 champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as well as 2016 Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic among others.This year, a total of $1,325,200 total prize money are up for grabs at the six-day event which concludes on Saturday, January 11.In all, 21 players made the entry list for the singles event while three slots are allotted for wild card entrants and four for qualifiers. As usual, 16 teams are taking part in the doubles event.

Qatar handball team to take on Croatia

Zagreb, January 05, 2020- Qatar handball team will take on Croatia on Sunday in the friendly international championship being held in Zagreb, Croatia. Qatar's participation in the friendly championships comes in light of the preparations for the 19th Asian Handball Championship, to be held in Kuwait from 16 to 27 January.The event also serves as a qualifier for the world championship that in Egypt in 2021.Qatar were pooled in Group B at the Asian Championship alongside Japan and China. They start their campaign on January 16 with the match against China.Qatar squad: Ahmad Madadi, Abdulrahman Tariq, Rafael Capote, Alaeddin Balrachid, Rashid Youssef, Amin Zakar, Mahmoud Zaki, Daniel Saric, Wagdi Sinan, Anis Al Zawawi, Hani Kakhi, Mustafa Al Karad, Mustapha Heiba, Yassine Sami, Hassan Awad, Mohammed Amin, Hadi Hamdoun, Marwan Sassi, Youssef bin Ali, Frankis Carol, Mario Tomic and Jovan Gacevic.

Team Qatar win four medals in GCC Golf Championship

Muscat, January 05, 2020- Qatar's national golf team claimed 4 medals including two gold medals and two silver medals at the GCC Golf Championship held Muscat, Oman from December 26, 2019 to January 01, 2020. Qatar's Arnaf Jeen clinched the gold medal of boys under 18 years event while Qatar's Nada Radwan took the silver medal of women's event. In boys team event, Qatar claimed the first place ahead of UAE in the second place while Bahrain finished third. Qatar's Squad: Ali Al Shahrain, Saleh Al Kaabi, Jeham Al Kuwari, Abdulrahman Al Shahrain, Fahad Radwan, Abdulrahman Al Duhaimi, Arnav Jain, Turky Al Sada, Rasheed Wali, Essa Ghanim Al Kuwari, Yasmin Al Sharshani, Nada Radwan and Maryam Al Sada.

Draw held for Qatar ExxonMobil Open

Doha, January 05, 2020-Stan Wawrinka will face Jeremy Chardy or a qualifier in his opening match of the 2020 ATP Tour season, as he attempts to lift his first Qatar ExxonMobil Open trophy.The 34-year-old, who is the top seed at the 2019 ATP 250 Tournament of the Year, owns a 6-5 record in Doha. Wawrinka's best result at the tournament came in 2008, when he reached the championship match (l. to Murray).If Chardy wins his opening match, the Frenchman will face Wawrinka for the seventh time at tour-level. Wawrinka owns an undefeated 6-0 ATP Head2Head record against the World No. 51, which includes a four-set victory in their most recent meeting at last year's US Open.Wawrinka shares the top quarter of the draw with Adrian Mannarino, who opens his campaign against Newport and Chengdu runner-up Alexander Bublik. Mannarino fell to Dusan Lajovic in the opening round on his tournament debut last year.In the second quarter, fourth seed Milos Raonic will face Tennys Sandgren or a qualifier in the second round, while sixth seed Filip Krajinovic will meet Kyle Edmund in his season opener. Fernando Verdasco and Pablo Andujar also feature in an all-Spanish first-round encounter.The bottom half of the draw is headlined by 2018 finalist Andrey Rublev (l. to Monfils). The 22-year-old Russian returns for the third straight year, having won five of seven matches in his previous two tournament appearances. Rublev, who is joined in the bottom quarter by fifth seed Laslo Djere, awaits the winner of wild card Malek Jaziri and Mikhail Kukushkin's first-round clash.Third seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and eighth seed Frances Tiafoe own the two seeded positions in the third quarter of the draw. Tsonga, the 2012 champion (d. Monfils), will begin his quest for a second trophy in Qatar against Miomir Kecmanovic or Jordan Thompson. Tsonga has reached the quarter-finals or better in each of his three previous visits to Doha, compiling a 9-2 tournament record.Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares will face wild cards Marton Fucsovics and Verdasco in their first match of the season.The top seeds, who joined forces at the Fever-Tree Championships in June last year, will be aiming to lift their second title as a team after reaching two championship matches in 2019. Pavic and Soares picked up their maiden team trophy at the Rolex Shanghai Masters (d. Kubot/Melo) before a runner-up finish at the Intrum Stockholm Open (l. to Kontinen/Roger-Vasselin).Former champions Chardy and Fabrice Martin will also be bidding to claim a second crown in Doha. The 2017 titlists share the top half of the draw with Pavic and Soares and will open their campaign against Divij Sharan and Artem Sitak.Second seeds Henri Kontinen and Franko Skugor will meet wild cards Malek Jaziri and Rashed Nawaf in their first-round match. The Finnish-Croatian tandem are joined in the bottom half of the draw by Rohan Bopanna and Wesley Koolhof.

Preliminary rounds of Qatar ExxonMobil Open to begin on Saturday

Doha, January 3, 2020-The preliminary rounds of Qatar ExxonMobil Open will begin at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha on Saturday, with main rounds starting on Monday, January 6, 2020. Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland and 2012 champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France are among the top stars set to open their season in Doha.Wawrinka reached Doha on Wednesday and was given a warm welcome while Canadian Milos Raonic, the 2016 Wimbledon finalist, was also given a traditional welcome at the Hamad International Airport.In all, 21 players made the entry list for the singles event of the annual ATP World Tour 250 series tournament with three slots allotted for wild card entrants and four for qualifiers.The doubles event will feature 16 teams.Other key players expected to feature at the event include 2018 finalist Andrey Rublev and Doha-resident Fernando Verdasco, who is the 2009 Australian Open semifinalist. Richard Gasquet, the 2013 champion in Doha, has suffered a setback ahead of the new season as he has withdrawn and his place is taken by Great Britain's Kyle Edmund.

Qatar Handball Team to Leave for Croatia on Thursday

Doha, January 01, 2020 - Qatar handball team will leave for Croatia on Thursday to play friendly matches Croatia and Bosnia national teams in line of their preparations to participate in the 19th Asian Handball Championship, which will be held in Kuwait during the period from 16 to 27 January. The competition also acts as a qualifier to the world cup that will take place in Egypt in 2021.Qatar are in Group B of the Asian Championship alongside Japan and China. They start their campaign on January 16 with the match against ChinaQatar squad: Ahmad Madadi, Abdulrahman Tariq, Rafael Capote, Alaeddin Balrachid, Rashid Youssef, Amin Zakar, Mahmoud Zaki, Daniel Saric, Wagdi Sinan, Anis Al Zawawi, Hani Kakhi, Mustafa Al Karad, Mustapha Heiba, Yassine Sami, Hassan Awad, Mohammed Amin, Hadi Hamdoun, Marwan Sassi, Youssef bin Ali, Frankis Carol, Mario Tomic and Jovan Gacevic.