Miguel Rodriguez celebrates his win over Ali Farag.
Doha: Miguel Rodriguez pulled off a major upset at the QTerminals Qatar Classic as the Colombia’s World No.17 stunned World No. 1 Ali Farag with a thrilling 13-11, 5-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8 victory at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, yesterday.
Rodriguez started strongly clinching the first game before the top-ranked Egyptian bounced back, taking lead with wins in back-to-back games.
The Colombian, however, gave a strong performance to win the next two games and seal a stunning win in 72 minutes to deny Farag his third trophy in Qatar.
“What I achieved today is amazing for me,” Rodriguez said yesterday.
“I’ve had a difficult week, my head is not the best, but apart from that, I played without any pressure and I believe I’ve played a lot of tournaments this year. The more I stay competitive, my body responds better,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mohamed El Shorbagy - representing England - lived up to expectations by defeating Egypt’s Youssef Soliman 11-5, 11-8, 11-5, and set up a quarter-final clash with Rodriguez.
Also yesterday, World No.3 Mostafa Asal displayed a strong show to storm into the quarter-finals, blanking compatriot Fares Dessouky with an 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 score-line in 55 minutes.
The 21-year-old faces fellow Egyptian Marwan ElShorbagy, who eliminated USA’s Shahjahan Khan after an 8-11, 11-7, 11-9, 12-14, 11-7 victory.
“It was a tough match today. He (Dessouky) is an unbelievable player – so talented, so skilful. He was one of the first players who used to play with me when I was young,” Asal said.
Today, Qatar’s Abdulla Mohamed Al Tamimi will take on Englishman George Parker in the third round. The home hero, who eliminated World No.2 Paul Coll in the second round, is aiming for his maiden last-eight spot since he first appeared in the Qatar Classic in 2010.
ROUND 3
[3] Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt. Fares Dessouky (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 (55m)
Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bt. [1] Ali Farag (EGY) 3-2: 13-11, 5-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8 (72m)
[5] Mohamed El Shorbagy (ENG) bt. Youssef Soliman (EGY) 3-0: 11-5, 11-8, 11-5 (37m)
[8] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) bt. Shahjahan Khan (USA) 3-2: 8-11, 11-7, 11-9, 12-14, 11-7 (80m)
Today: ROUND 3
15:00 Victor Crouin (FRA) vs Patrick Rooney (ENG)
15:45 Diego Elias [4] (PER) vs Dimitri Steinmann (SUI)
16:30 George Parker (ENG) vs Abdulla Mohamed Al Tamimi (QAT)
17:15 Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) vs Tarek Momen [6] (EGY)
