Local boy Abdullah al-Tamimi gave a spirited display before going down 0-3 to defending champion Mohamed Elshorbagy (right).
By Sports Reporter/Doha
Qatar's lone hope Abdullah al-Tamimi gave a spirited display but in the end was no match for top seed and defending champion Mohamed Elshorbagy in his first round match at the Qatar Classic, at the Khalifa Tennis & Squash Complex here yesterday.
The Qatari 20-year-old, ranked 71 in the world as against the world No. 1 Egyptian, showed an abundance of spirit and skill, producing a series of sublime winners as he gave his all to the delight of the capacity crowd which included his mentor and squash legend Geoff Hunt.
But 24-year-old Elshorbagy did what he needed to do, remaining focused throughout the encounter including during a prolonged injury break following the second game, to secure the victory and a passage into tomorrow’s second round.
“That was a great match against Adbulla and he showed that he is the future of squash in Qatar but I’m happy to win today and get through to the next round,” said Elshorbagy, who finished runner-up here at last year’s world championships.
Later on, the trend of upsets that one witnessed in the women’s draw in the afternoon, spilled over to the men’s section in the evening when Egyptian qualifier Mohamed Abouelghar pulled off one of the biggest wins of his career by ousting former world No 1 James Willstrop in a gripping five-game first-round match.
The 22-year-old, currently ranked 36 in the world, started the match brightly, taking the first four points without reply but Willstrop, known on tour as the ‘marksman’, responded in emphatic fashion to win nine consecutive points before taking the opening two games to establish a comfortable lead.
The 32-year-old looked to be coasting towards a place in the second round before Abouelghar upped his intensity, extending the rallies and playing with increased precision, to take a close third game. He swiftly added the fourth against a tiring Willstrop to set up a classic decider.
In the crucial fifth game, both players jostled for supremacy and in the end the physical exertion looked to take its toll on Willstrop as the tall sharp-shooter crashed out 5-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-9 after 74 minutes.
“I am more than happy with my performance today because I worked very hard throughout the match and to come from 2-0 down against someone like James and win is huge,” said Abouelghar.
“He was just hitting everything in the first and second games so in the third I knew that I had to push myself as hard as I can to have a chance. I tried to make the rallies tough and I could see he was getting tired. But he came out determined in the fifth and I’m really happy I managed to hang on,” Abouelghar added.
Another tough outing awaits Abouelghar next as he will meeting compatriot Elshorbagy in tomorrow’s second round. “I’ve never played him before ever but I know how tough he is but I’ happy that I’m able to compete at this level and I’ll give it everything and see how it goes,” said Abouelghar.
Another upset saw Australian Ryan Cuskelly seeing off world No 9 Mathieu Castagnet. The 28-year-old from Lismore had to come through two tough qualification encounters, against England’s Ben Coleman and Charles Sharpes to book a berth in the main draw but he showed his top 20 calibre as he dominated from the outset against Castagnet, preventing the Frenchman from getting a hold on the match.
“That’s a massive win for me,” said Cuskelly. “He’s such a tough guy but once I started to get my rhythm going I was able to attack and that was my game plan."