Doha - Qatar's No.1 player Abdullah Al Tamimi cruised to a straight sets victory (11-8, 11-4, 11-3) against India's Ramit Tandon to book his place in the second round of the QTerminals Qatar Classic 2022 on Sunday.
His compatriot Syed Azlan Amjad was however unlucky as he fell to a 3-1: 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-9 defeat by Mexico’s Cesar Salazar, who fought through some discomfort, and had to come from behind, to defeat the Qatari wildcard.
Meanwhile Borja Golan, who at 39 is the oldest player competing in Qatar, made the perfect start to his 11th Qatar Classic as he blew World No. 28 Mohamed ElSherbini away in straight sets 11-2, 13-11, 11-4 in just 45 minutes.
In the other matches, Yahya Elnawasany saw off Sebastien Bonmalais in five games to earn his place in the second round. Elnawasany won 3-2: 3-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8 (69m), while, Switzerland’s Dimitri Steinmann upset the odds to earn a spot in the second round after beating World No. 24 Adrian Waller 3-1: 11-7, 11-8, 2-11, 11-6.
France’s Mathieu Castagnet booked his second round ticket after a spirited performance saw him get the better of Egypts Moustafa El Sirty, despite being 25 places lower in the World Rankings. The Frenchman won 3-1: 8-11, 11-6, 13-11, 12-10.
Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng defeated Frenchman Auguste Dussourd in straight games 11-7, 11-5, 11-6 while England’s Declan James triumphed 3-1: 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-8 over France's Baptiste Masotti.
Source: Qatar Olympic Committee