Doha: World Champion Ramy Ashour has withdrawn from the upcoming 2015 Qatar Classic, PSA World Series tournament, at the Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex – the scene of his dramatic 2014 World Championship victory twelve months ago.
The 28-year-old Egyptian was forced to concede his second round match at the recent Delaware Investments US Open against Mathieu Castagnet of France due to a hamstring injury and has failed to recover in time for the Qatar Classic, which starts on October 31.
As a result, England’s Adrian Waller comes into the main draw to face a qualifier in the first round while Castagnet moves up to occupy the number eight seeding in the draw.
The local challenge in the championship will be led by Abdullah Al Tamimi and Azlan Amjad.
Amjad will aim to make it to the main draw from the qualifying rounds, which will be held on October 30 and will be contested by 32 players.
Tamimi has no qualifying headaches as he has been given wildcard for the championship.
Amjad, meanwhile seeks to be among the eight players who can clear the qualifying rounds and join the seeded players.
The qualiying rounds will be held on October 30.
Al Tamimi has a huge mountain to climb after being drawn against Egypt’s reigning world No.1 Mohamed El Shorbagy.
The 20-year-old, whose current PSA ranking is 71st, got a wild card for the tournament.
Al Tamimi, who lost to England’s James Willstrop in the opening round in the last edition of the tournament held in 2013, faces an uphill task after being pitted against the defending champion.
The Aspire Academy product has been in good form, reaching the Nash Cup final in England last month and then entering the semifinal of the AnyPresence Open in Virginia, the US.
“I reached the last-four stage in two tournaments recently. But I think I still’ve got a lot to learn,” said Abdullah, who turned professional in 2011.
Former Qatar Classic winners Nick Matthew of England and Gregory Gaultier of France, are the other big names in the draw.
The event also marks the return of top-level women’s game to Doha for the first time since 2011. Six-time Qatar Classic champion Nicol David of Malaysia will be the star attraction, but Egypt’s newly-crowned world No 1 Raneem El Welily has been given the top billing.
Meanwhile, World No 5 Alison Waters and World No 8 Nour El Tayeb have both withdrawn from competing, due to injury.
Recent Delaware Investments US Open runner-up El Tayeb has pulled out after failing to recover from a shoulder injury sustained following a heavy fall during her impressive quarter-final win over El Welily while Waters will no longer compete in the Middle East after aggravating a lower back injury.
As a result Tesni Evans of Wales and Yathreb Adel of Egypt have moved into the main draw automatically to face Nouran Gohar of Egypt and Dipika Pallikal of India, respectively.
The Peninsula
