After the finals at the Qatar Sports Club, Khalil al-Mohannadi, President of the Qatar Table Tennis Association (QTTA), crowned the winners in the presence of Sheikh Saud bin Ali Al-Thani, First Vice-President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, Sheikh Suhaim bin Abdulaziz al-Thani, Vice-President of Qatar Sports Club and other officials.
Qatar Sports Club topped Group A and defeated Al Arabi in the semi-finals, while Al Sadd topped Group B and ousted Al Khor to reach the finals.
Yesterday, Al Sadd started off with a victory in the first singles with their Chinese professional Chen Hao defeating Ahmed Khalil al-Mohannadi 11-6, 11-8, 11-6.
But they could not build on their lead as Qatar Sports Club levelled the scores with Slovenian Bojan Tukic comfortably beating Walid Nasser 11-1, 11-4, 11-2 in the second singles.
Mohamed Abdelwahab then accounted for Ahmed Muthanna 11-6, 11-9, 7-11, 11-7 to put Qatar Sports Club 2-1 ahead.
Tukic later completed the formalities, beating Chen Hao 11-8, 8-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-9.
Sheikh Saud bin Ali al-Thani praised the Qatar Table Tennis Association for organizing an excellent tournament and congratulated the winners.
“The tournament was held in a very professional manner and the matches were also of great quality,” he said.
Qatar Sports Club player Ahmed Khalil al-Mohannadi said Al Sadd were tough opponents and his team had to be at their best to beat them for the title.
“Our team proved its worth for the third year in a row. We deserved the trophy and I dedicate this achievement to the club’s management, headed by HE Sheikh Hamad bin Suhaim al-Thani, who fully supported the team, and also to team head Khaled al-Kuwari and members of the technical staff,” said al-Mohannadi.
QTTA President Khalil al-Mohannadi also congratulated Qatar Sports Club saying they have proved their mettle not only in Qatar but also at the Arab level.
“Qatar Sports Club have also won the Arab Championship so their success is not a great surprise,” he said.
“They are one of the best clubs as far as table tennis is concerned in the Arab world.”
