Asia-Pacific within distance of Patsy Haskins Trophy

DOHA, March 10, 2018-Team Asia-Pacific secured enough points to guarantee them victory against Europe on Day Two of the Patsy Hankins Trophy amateur golf competition at the Doha Golf Club on Friday.Asia-Pacific went undefeated in all ten matches, winning eight and halving two. This left them with 16.5 points, enough to secure victory, with 12 singles matches still to be played on Saturday. Thailand's Atthaya Thitikul, who won the inaugural Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Golf Championship earlier this year, and Yuka Saso, Philippines, have a perfect record in Doha so far, winning all four of their matches together.On the European team, Puk Lyng Thomsen and Annabell Fuller were the only pair not to lose on day two. They halved their fourball match in the morning and their foursomes match in the afternoon.Meanwhile Team Europe will take a two-point lead into the final day of the Bonallack Trophy on Saturday. Of the ten matches on Day Two, Europe won five and halved three to better Asia-Pacific by three points in the competition.Finnish pair, Sami Valimaki & Matias Honkala, who halved their fourball match on Thursday morning, went one better in the Friday fourball session, defeating Australians Min Woo Lee and Shae Wools-Cobb by one hole. Robin Dawson & Marc Hammer halved their match, although were leading 6up at one stage. English pair, Matthew Jordan & Todd Clements also halved their match in the morning. Kristoffer Reitan & Rasmus Hojgaard, playing in the last match of the session, scored another point for Europe, winning 2&1 to level the match at 7.5 points each.In the afternoon foursomes session, French duo, Frederic Lacroix & Catherine Edgar, who lost 4&3 in the morning fourballs, won their match by the same score. Robin Dawson & Marc Hammer won by two holes, while Matthew Jordan & Todd Clements won 3&1. Oliver Gillberg & Angel Hidalgo scored half a point, while Sami Valimaki & Matias Honkala lost by one hole, leaving the match score at 11-9 to Europe heading into the last day.

Qatar cruise to Junior Davis Cup Qualifying

Colombo, March 10, 2018-Qatar's junior tennis team qualified to the 2018 Asia Oceania Qualifying event of Junior Davis Cup to begin in Thailand on March 26.The Qatari team secured their place in qualifying event after beating Malaysia 2-1 in the semifinals of the 2018 Asia Oceania Pre-Qualifying event in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Friday.Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, Rashed Nawaf, Nasser Al Yafei are representing the state of Qatar in the event. Ahmad Al Obaidli chairs the Qatari delegation to the tournament.As per the ITF rules, two teams will cruise to the Asia Oceania qualifying event to be staged in Thailand later this month.On the other hand, the Qatar F2 Futures will come to an end at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha on Saturday.

Qatar’s Younousse and Tijan lose in Katara Cup semifinals

Doha, March 10, 2018-Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan bowed out in the semifinals of the FIVB World Tour Katara Beach Volleyball Cup.The Qatari duo lost to Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen of the Netherlands 22-20, 21-18 in just 32 minutes at the spectacular Katara Amphitheatre on Friday.Younousse and Tijan had picked up their pace after a slow start in the group phase, but they could not do much against the fifth seeds.Brouwer and Meeuwsen will now take on Oleg Stoyanovskiy and Igor Velichko in the title clash on Saturday at 3.30 pm after the Russians stunned top seeds Philip Dalhausser and Nicholas Lucena of the US 21-19, 21-16.Younousse and Tijan will take on Dalhausser and Lucena in the third-place playoff, also on Saturday, at 2.30 pm.

ITTF World Tour Platinum Qatar Open to conclude on Sunday

DOHA, March 11, 2018-Brazil's Hugo Calderano, the world No. 13, prevented a traditional all-Chinese final in both the men's and women's singles as he scripted a sublime 11-9, 11-8,11-3,11-6 semi-final win trouncing Chinese Gaoyuan Lin at the 2018 ITTF World Tour Platinum Qatar Open in Doha on Saturday.The 21-year-old Rio-born player will now face China's Fan Zhendong, who defeated compatriot Xu Xin 4-1 (11-6, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9) in the other last-four clash, for the highly coveted trophy and the $28,000 winner's cash prize on Sunday.Just like the previous year, the 2018 Women's Singles title is also going the way of the Chinese as Shiwen Liu and Manyu Wang emerged the finalists at the end of the day's proceedings on Saturday.Wang was in devastating form as she walloped pre-tournament hopeful Meng Chen 4 - 1 (11-8, 11-6, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7) in what was almost a one-sided semi-final match while Shiwen produced another 4 - 1 (11-5, 7-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-4) victory against Japanese Kasumi Ishikawa in other match.Gaoyuan, the No.3 seed had overcome Hong Kong's Wong Chun Ting, the No.6 seed (11-7, 11-4, 11-7, 11-7) in the quarters before setting up the semis clash against Calderano who earlier overcame Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto, the No.8 seed in an equally devastating manner (11-5, 11-6, 11-5, 11-7).The victory was a sweet revenge for the Brazilian against the Japanese whom he had met twice in World ranking events and experienced defeats. Both contests had been in semi-finals on the ITTF World Tour. In 2006 in Tokyo, he had lost in the Under 21 Men's Singles event, while last year in Olomouc he had suffered the same fate in the Men's Singles competition.The Japanese seized the early advantage before Calderano quickly asserted his authority on proceedings. He won the opening two games in style before in the third establishing a 4-1 lead. Sensing the danger, the Japanese camp called"Time Out". It was to no avail as there was not stopping the Brazilian,The only moment of any concern for Calderano came in the fourth game when having established a 10-3 lead, he lost the next four points. He called"Time Out", took a deep breath, returned and finished matters.For Zhendong, the top seed in Doha, the scintillating form of Denmark's Jonathan Groth was not enough to stop his progress as he fashioned a 1-4 (9-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-3, 14-12) defeat of the 25-year-old Danish en route his last-four clash against his compatriot Xin, the No.4 seed, who was equally responsible for the exit of his colleague Zhou Yu (11-5, 10-12, 11-5, 13-11, 6-11, 10-12, 11-8).Exercising exquisite hand skills that enabled delicate short play, Groth captured the opening game by the minimal two point margin, after having led 10-7. Zhendong recovered to win the second game but, as in the first, the Dane established a 10-7 advantage in the third.Zhendong raised the level, he won four points in a row. Groth did not wilt he narrowed the deficit in the fifth game to one point at 6-7 forcing Wang Hao, the Chinese national team coach on duty, to call"Time Out". Taking risks, producing stunning top spin strokes, the Dane levelled and then went ahead 10-8; but he was not able to take full advantage."It was a very interesting match and highly intense but I'm happy that I won in the end. I made too many mistakes in the first game. I have never played Groth before; he has his very own style, it took time to adapt,"Zhendong said after the match.

Qatar’s Younousse and Tijan clinch Katara Cup bronze

DOHA, March 11, 2018-Qatar's young duo of Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan pulled off a historic bronze medal on the FIVB Beach World Tour as they overcame top seeds Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena of the USA in three sets in the Katara Cup.At the majestic Katara Amphitheater, the 22-year-old players waited for their opportunities and when they came, they grabbed them with both hands to carve out a 21-19, 19-21, 15-13 triumph in 53 minutes. The winners shared $10,000, while Dalhausser and Lucena split $8,000.Though this was the third event for Younousse and Tijan on the World Tour as a team, the third place is the best-ever finish for Qatar in a 4-Star or higher event.In 2016, Younousse and Jefferson Santos Pereira had claimed the 3-Star Kish Island title in Iran. The two were fifth in the 2015 worlds, besides getting a ninth spot in the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2017 worlds in Vienna.In their previous three attempts in the Doha Open, Younousse and Tijan were 41st in 2014. Then, Ahmed was 17th twice with Assam Mahmoud and Julio Cesar do Nascimento, while Younousse and Jefferson Santos Pereira were 17th in 2015 and 25th in 2016."We were not scared of the Americans. We just wanted to go out and put up our best. We just focussed on each point and tried to force errors. This worked and we're so proud of the bronze medal at the first 4-Star home tournament," Younousse commented after the victory.After sharing the first two sets, the stage was set for a thrilling finale and the atmosphere was charged with pressure and expectations. Younousse and Ahmed tackled the high-profile match brilliantly in the decider and kept Dalhausser, the former Olympic champion and world title winner with Todd Rogers, and Lucena.The Qatari players forged ahead by two points for a first time (11-9) after Tijan took a touch-out. Then Ahmed again spiked a winner off Dalhausser to reach the match point after contriving a superb dig.The Americans, who have won nine titles in 15 finals with the 2017 World Tour Finals and Fort Lauderdale Major being the highlights, managed to narrow down the margin to 13-14.However, Younousse covered the angles well and put pressure on Lucena, who smashed long, leaving the Qataris with the memorable bronze medal. A fact that Dalhausser and Lucena have finished only once out of top 10 in 29 events on the Tour would underline how big this victory is for the Qatari pair!"This is a fantastic result for us. This was a really tough match. They are a big team as Phil has been world and Olympic champion, besides winning many big titles on the Tour," Younousse added."I'd told you after the semi-finals that we'd go all out for the podium. We're young but we've quality. That is what we showed today. Hopefully with time, we'll improve, get more confident and bring more titles and medals home in future," Younousse said.Tijan said,"They are one of the best teams in the world. We're really thrilled to secure the bronze medal and we'll cherish it long. Nobody expected us to rise to this level in the tournament but we've proved that we mean business."

Unite for progress & challenge beyond expectation, say Qatari women in sport

​DOHA, March 11, 2018-Everyone in Qatar and across the world should 'unite for progress and challenge beyond expectation', say Qatar's talented women in sport after sharing their inspirational stories at an event hosted by the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) to mark International Women's Day."Achieving progress is all about dialogue and communication between and within us. Determination is the key to achieving your goals and creating the reality that you want to see."Those were the words of Jawaher al Fardan, co-founder of Qatar's first-ever vegan caf` and first-ever Qatari-owned yoga studio, who was one of five on the esteemed panel.Staged in the Aspire Zone in Doha on Thursday and organised by the QOC, representatives from a wide variety of Qatari sectors were brought together with dignitaries and athletes as well as members of the public to accelerate dialogue on what it will take to empower women in a setting that celebrated the achievements of those leading the charge.Joining al Fardan on the panel were Sheikha Asma al Thani, director of marketing and communications at the QOC and devoted adventurer along with youth advocate Dana al Anazy, who together with Sheikha Asma was one of the first female Qataris to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in 2014, Qatar's first female two-time Olympian Nada Mohamed and talented young member of Qatar's athletics team, and Mariam Farid, who is hoping to compete in the Doha 2019 IAAF World Championships in Athletics when the world's third largest sporting event comes to Qatar next year.Dana, who delivered a strong keynote speech before the start of the panel session, said:"Women in Qatar have found their voices and places in multiple sectors such as sports politics arts and film. However, we still have a long way to go in supporting the development of our nation with an equitable access granted to women and men alike. I challenge you, dare to dream of a better you, dare to manifest the society that offers equal access and opportunities for women and men, dare to be women that support one another, dare to be men that support women and dare to be above all human beings that work for the bettering of all human kind. It all starts with you!"Sport, and how to encourage more Qatari women to get healthy and active, formed the basis of lively contributions from the panel, which sparked open and passionate dialogue with an audience keen to contribute with actionable ways of accelerating gender parity.Speaking during the session, Sheikha Asma, who is aiming to become the first Qatari to ski to the North Pole in April this year, while also directing the QOC's marketing and communications, said:"Challenges inspire me to achieve my goals, and achieve greatness. They are also an opportunity for people to communicate and be inspired so that they can set their goals and go for it. We can all challenge beyond expectation, pushing the boundaries of what is possible and achieving more than we think we can or what others think we can."Sheikha Asma's journey to the pole will see her join an all-female international team from European and Arabian countries in an expedition which aims to foster greater dialogue and understanding between cultures.Purposefully held on International Women's Day, the session saw fascinating discussion about the responsibility of the society in making progress to achieve gender parity.Speaking on the importance of the mutual support between males and females in all fields, Mariam Farid, one of Qatar's most talented female athletes, said:"My family supported me a lot in my sporting journey. My father and my brother are always there for me and without them I wouldn't be a member in Team Qatar now. Men and women complete each other and they should always support each other."Following the panel session, female guests at the event were encouraged to take part in a range of sporting activities organised on site, including boxing and spinning classes.