Qatari teenager Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi is seen in this file picture of 2012. Tamimi defeated World No. 86 Greg Lobban 4-11, 11-7, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6 in the qualifying round of the PSA World Squash Championship at the National Squash Centre in Manchester on Saturday.
Manchester, England: Qatari teenager Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi tore up the form book in Saturday’s qualifying round of the PSA World Squash Championship to create a major upset at the National Squash Centre in Manchester.
Al Tamimi, an 18-year-old from Doha, prevailed in a dramatic five-game encounter, beating Scotland’s World No. 86 Greg Lobban 4-11, 11-7, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6 in 51 minutes.
In another upset, Kuwaiti Ammar Altamimi, a 25-year-old ranked outside the top 100, defeated Mexican Alfredo Avila - ranked more than 50 places higher - 11-9, 2-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9 in 62 minutes.
Fares Mohamed Dessouki became one of the youngest players to make it through to the qualifying finals when he fought back from 2/1 down to upset Rex Hedrick, the world No. 68 from Australia, 11-9, 6-11, 5-11, 11-3, 11-5 in 91 minutes.
The final match of the day provided another success for the home nation - but huge disappointment for a Brazilian veteran who was hoping to celebrate his 100th - and final - event on the PSA World Tour on a high.
But despite leading 2/1, 36-year-old Sao Paulo-born Rafael Alarcon was unable to stop England’s 18-year-old Richie Fallows storming through to an 11-6, 10-12, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6 victory in 91 minutes.
The upset makes Londoner Fallows, the world No 168, the lowest-ranked player through to the qualifying finals.
There will be players from 16 nations fighting for the 16 qualifying slots in the main draw - with seven from England, from which two are already guaranteed places in the first round.
The Peninsula
