Qatar’s Abdulla al-Tamimi, Aspire Academy graduate and currently ranked No 33 in the world, made history yesterday when he clinched the Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Tour Malaysian Open title. In the biggest win of his career to date, al-Tamimi defeated world No 29 Tsz Fung Yip of Hong Kong.
Al-Tamimi triumphed following a thrilling 52-minute match which saw him win 5-11, 12-10, 11-1, 7-11, 11-5. To secure his place in the final, he had previously dispatched Yip’s compatriot Leo Au, ranked No 20 in the world, in an 87-minute match.
Al-Tamimi is yet another major success story from Aspire Academy. The 2012 graduate student-athlete celebrated his first ever PSA World Tour title in Atlanta, USA, in March 2016.
He then became world No 1 in the World Squash Federation’s junior circuit rankings (Under-19) in 2012. He has also won a number of other prestigious titles including the Under-19 Qatar Youth Open Championship in 2012 and the Under-19 Dutch Junior Open in July 2013. He also finished fourth in the World Youth Championship held in Poland in July 2013.
Throughout 2014 and 2015, al-Tamimi continued to shine in various international squash championships held in Qatar and around the world, reaching the final rounds of several tournaments. These included the Guilfoyle Financial PSA Classic, the NASH Cup, the Any Presence Open and the Qatar Classic Squash Championship amongst others.
In 2017, his progress continued as he achieved a career-best world ranking of 37 after reaching the second round of the World Squash Championships in Manchester. As of 2018, al-Tamimi achieved a career-high world ranking of World No 33.