27 Oct 2020
Doha, 27 October 2020. Qatar's number squash player and Aspire Academy graduate Abdulla Al-Tamimi along with fellow Aspire graduate, Syed Azlan Amjad will represent host country when Qatar Classic takes place from 1st to 7th November 2020. World No 27 ranked player, Al Tamimi will get his campaign underway against World No 55, Patrick Rooney on Sunday the opening day of the annual international squash tournament which will be held at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha.
Azlan will play against World No 31, Mohamed El Sherbini also on opening day. This edition of Qatar Classic is the 19th and will be feature 46 players including the world’s top-eight, one of the signature events on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour, which carries a total prize purse of $175.000 cash prize. Players expected in Doha include defending champion and World No.1 Ali Farag, three-time champion and the World No.2 Mohammed El Shorbagy, 2016 champion and World No. 3 Karim Adbel Gawad, Tarek Momen, the 2017 finalist and the World No.5 Paul Coll.
Aspire Graduate, Azlan, plays in the tournament as a wildcard entrant while other stars on the card include Diego Elias (World No. 6), World No. 7 Marwa El Shorbagy and the eighth-ranked Simon Rosner, the 2018 finalist. The 2005 champion James Willstrop will also be in town to play along with Grégory Gaultier, the 2011 champion who also plays as a wildcard entrant.
Qatar Squash Federation Secretary General, Tariq Darwish Zainal, was quoted ahead of the tournament saying , “We are delighted to welcome the world’s squash family back to Doha again for the Qatar Classic despite the challenges occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic which has had an unprecedented impact on global sports.”