12 Sep 2022
Aspire Academy graduate Abdulla Al Tamimi has leapt up 11 places in the latest Professional Squash Association (PSA) world rankings to number 33.
His rise up the rankings comes after his run to the quarter-finals at last week’s QTerminals Qatar Classic squash tournament which included a win over New Zealand’s world number two Paul Coll.
The tournament was the first of the PSA’s Platinum events for the 2022-2023 season. It also counts towards the qualifying for next year’s World Tour Finals in Cairo, Egypt, which will feature the top 8 players over the course of the season.
“A lot to learn from this tournament - happy with quarters but it’s only the start of the season. All the focus will be on the next one in Egypt,” Al Tamimi posted on Instagram.
That next event is the CIB Egyptian Open 2022 which begins on 19 September in Cairo and will be the second Platinum event of the season.
The 27-year-old now has his sights on his highest ever global ranking as he aims to better number 23 in the world, which he reached in November 2018.
Al Tamimi, who was ranked 44 in the world at the start of the Qatar event, beat India’s Ramit Tandon (world 35) 3-0 in the opening round to set up the clash with New Zealander Coll.
In the second round Al Tamimi claimed one of the biggest wins of his career and caused a major shock with his 3-2 win over Coll, who had finished runner-up for the last two years at the Qatar Classic.
With the match lasting more than an hour-and-a-half it showed that he seems to have put last year’s injury woes behind him.
His run to the last eight continued as he easily beat England’s George Parker, ranked 10 places above him in the world.
Unfortunately, in the last eight he lost 3-0 to France’s Victor Crouin, who is ranked 26 places above him on the global rankings and would eventually reach the final of the event.
The Frenchman lost 3-1 in the final to the former Egyptian player Mohamed ElShorbagy, who now competes for England.