Qatar's Abdulla Al Tamimi in action.
Doha, Qatar: Eight top contenders, including home hero Abdulla Al Tamimi advanced while Nicholas Mueller and Mohamed ElSherbini were stunned on an eventful second day of the QSF 2 2025 at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha yesterday.
Top seed Tarek Momen will join fellow Egyptians Karim Abdel Gawad, Fares Dessouky, Mohamad Zakaria and Yahya Elnawasany, along with Qatar’s Al Tamimi, Declan James of England and Frenchman Sebastien Bonmalais in today’s quarter-finals in the PSA Bronze-level event.
Former world champion Momen had to withstand a stiff opposition from England’s George Parker despite a straight-game win (12-10, 11-9, 11-8) in 44 minutes as the World No.6 booked a quarter-final showdown against compatriot Elnawasany.
The young Elnawasany fended off a spirited second-set effort from No 8 seeded ElSherbini to win the match in straight games, 11-5, 14-12, 11-6.
Another standout performance was produced by unseeded Englishman James, who eliminated fourth-seed Swiss Nicolas Mueller with a swift 3-0 victory (11-8, 11-5, 11-9). Mueller, a two-time World Team Championship bronze winner failed to match James’s superb pace and was unable to find his usual rhythm.
James will take on the Qatari World No.22 Al Tamimi for a place in the semi-finals.
Sixth-seeded Al Tamimi, meanwhile, kept his hopes for a home title alive, when he clinched a confident 3-0 victory over Scotland’s Rory Stewart.
Al Tamimi was off to a strong start, taking the first game 11-4, and maintained his momentum to secure the second game at 11-7. The biggest challenge for Al Tamimi from Stewart came in the last game, but the local star kept his cool to snatch the third game 11-9 to wrap up the win in just 26 minutes in the shortest match of the day.
Former World No.1 Gawad managed to overcome a shaky start to beat Hong Kong’s Henry Leung 3-1 (9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-9).
The former World Champion will meet rising star Zakaria who dismissed India’s Abhay Singh 11-6, 11-8, 11-6.
Bonmalais survived a five-game thriller against England’s Patrick Rooney (12-10, 11-8, 4-11, 2-11, 11-9) in the longest match of the day at 64 minutes. He will meet third seed Dessouky who had beaten Hong Kong’s Alex Lau in four games (9-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-5).
