Salim Cheniouni
Qatar’s Abdulla Al Tamimi thrilled the home crowd with a 3-1 win over England’s Adrian Waller on the first day of the Q-Terminals Qatar Classic. The victory sets up a second-round match against Egypt’s Karim Abdel Gawad.
Al Tamimi expressed his excitement after the match, saying he was happy with his performance and the support from the crowd, including high jump champion Mutaz Barshim.
In a surprise, four-time champion Mohamed ElShorbagy was knocked out by Egypt’s Fares Dessouky in a 3-2 battle. Dessouky will now face Switzerland’s Dimitri Steinmann.
ElShorbagy’s brother, Marwan, also lost in the first round to Tarek Momen, who will face France’s Sebastien Bonmalais next.
In another upset, Wales’ Joel Makin beat No.2 seed Paul Coll in straight sets.
Defending men’s champion Ali Farag and women’s No.2 Nouran Gohar both advanced with easy wins, while England’s Lucy Turmel shocked No.8 seed Rowan Elaraby in a 3-2 comeback victory.