Adnan Hamdan
Doha, Qatar- Qatar started its campaign for the 2018 Qatar Classic Squash on a poor note with both its players, World No. 24 Abdulla Mohammed Al Tamimi and Abdulrahman Al Malki crashing out on Day 1, here on Saturday.
Playing at a packed Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex on Saturday, local favourite and World No. 24 Al Tamimi lost 3-1 to Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng in just 40 minutes, while Al Malki was shown the door by Australia's Cameron Pilley 3-0.
Al Tamimi suffered an opening set loss of 11-3. In the second set, he managed to come back with an 11-8 win, but that was as far as he could get with Yow Ng claiming both the sets (11-9, 11-5).
This follows Tamimi's successful run on the PSA Tour this season. “I had a really good summer and this is the middle, so my preparations are normal, he had told this reporter ahead of the match. “It’s an advantage to play in front of home crowd so I am looking forward to it.”
Unfortunately, he could not last long in the face of impressive play by the 42nd-ranked Malaysian.
““I knew coming into it today it would be tough to play him in his home town, so I just told myself that there was no pressure and to relax and enjoy the match,” Yow told reporters, following his win.
“To win today means a lot to me as well because I’ve fallen short at the major events previously and have struggled to get to the main draws so wining today and getting into the second round for the first time is big for me.”
Meanwhile, Australia’s Cameron Pilley celebrated his 36th birthday in style. He rushed past Al Malki 11-7, 11-3, 11-5.
Wild-card entrant Al Malki was no match to New South Wales-born world No. 23, who lost the match in just 26 minutes.