Qatar’s Abdulla al-Tamimi goes for a low retrieve against England’s Adrian Walker during their Q-Terminals Qatar Classic match at the Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha on Monday. Al-Tamimi won 11-9, 11-13, 11-2, 12-10 to advance to the second round.

Ali Farag, the reigning men’s champion, on Monday overcame a challenging opening match against Egyptian compatriot Youssef Ibrahim on day one of the QTerminals Qatar Classic.
Despite a close first game, Farag ultimately won 11-7, 11-5, 11-7 at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex where Qatar’s number one player Abdulla al-Tamimi delighted home fans by beating Englishman Adrian Waller.
Farag, the World No 1 maintained control throughout the match, setting the pace and leaving Ibrahim struggling. In the third game, Ibrahim’s frustration boiled over after a questionable call, allowing Farag to capitalize and secure the victory.
“Youssef is one heck of a player, he’s got everything you need, he is explosive and so skillful with the racket,” Farag said on Monday.
“When I play with his generation at a fast pace, they absolutely dominate me. I had to be very smart with the way I approached the match today. Youssef has been struggling with injuries for the past year or so and he rolled his ankle at the Egyptian Open. It’s his first match back, so I knew he wouldn’t be that confident with his movement. I really wish him well in his recovery because we need him on tour. He’s so exciting and we don’t have anyone like him.”
Al-Tamimi, with the home crowd supporting the 29-year-old, dropped the second set but eventually won 11-9, 11-13, 11-2, 12-10 in 54 minutes on the Centre Court. Tomorrow al-Tamimi will take on Egypt’s Karim Gawad who on Monday beat France’s Baptiste Masotti 12-10, 11-9, 11-7 in just 26 minutes.
In other matches in the men’s draw, No 5 seed Mazen Hesham faced a tough challenge from Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng. Hesham won 7-11, 11-6, 11-3, 6-11, 11-6 (57m). Youssef Soliman also fought hard, defeating Aly Abou Eleinen in a 3-2 victory. Soliman will now face the defending champion Farag in the second round.
Former World Champion Tarek Momen, a previous winner in Doha, on Monday secured a hard-fought victory over World No 10 Marwan ElShorbagy in what was often a scrappy affair. Momen, drawing on his extensive experience, managed to outlast the determined Englishman. Momen won 12-10, 6-11, 5-11, 11-5, 11-9.
Momen will now face France’s Sebastien Bonmalais, with the winner advancing to the quarter-finals.
“I’m definitely proud of myself for pushing through today because there were so many things that were going on that were just so hard to deal with,” Momen said after the match.
Turmel stuns ElarabyThe biggest upset on Monday came from England’s Lucy Turmel. Despite being down two games, Turmel staged a remarkable comeback, defeating No 8 seed Rowan Elaraby in women’s draw.
Turmel, who recently re-entered the top 20 of the PSA Women’s World Rankings, secured a hard-fought victory with scores of 8-11, 2-11, 14-12, 11-7, 12-10. This win takes Turmel into the second round of the tournament.
Turmel will play Egypt’s Amina Orfi – who on Monday became the second youngest female player to reach the top 10 – in the next round, with Orfi defeating Farida Mohamed 13-15, 10-12, 11-5, 11-6, 11-9.
“I was getting chopped really in the first two (games),” said Turmel afterwards. “It was one of those where I said to myself that it can only get better. Going into the third, I just wanted to try and get back into the match and give a bit of a better account of myself and fight. After the third, I just felt like the match restarted and then the last two were obviously tightly contested, but I just showed a lot of a lot of grit and fight at the end there.
“It was a goal of mine to get back into the top 20, and to do it after the first two tournaments is great,” she added.