Al Tamimi makes history as Qatar No.1, reaches quarter-finals

Tribune News NetworkDohaAbdulla Mohd Al Tamimi delighted in Doha by becoming the first ever Qatari player to reach a Platinum quarter-final as he downed England’s George Parker in straight games at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex on Wednesday.World No.44 Al Tamimi had already made headlines two days ago when he shocked World No.2 and 2021 runner-up Paul Coll 3-2 and made more history today with an excellent performance that balanced his best attacking instincts with canny defensive work.The Qatar No.1 was well matched by World No.34 Parker in the first game, with the players exchanging points before Al Tamimi’s speed and firepower helped him from 7-7 to 11-8.After taking the second game 11-8 again, Al Tamimi looked in trouble in the third when Parker responded to go 8-3 up, with the powerful Englishman battling well and finding his mark against the seemingly deflating Qatari.The 27-year-old, though, showed great mental strength to put on a crowd-pleasing blitz of points as he rallied to 9-9 – with the volley boast that he used to great effect against Coll again proving a deadly weapon – before earning a standing ovation from his supporters by completing the fightback with an 11-9 win."Normally, I don’t get this late into tournaments, especially Platinum events!” Al Tamimi said. "Plus, I’m not really used to the off day. I enjoyed my day off yesterday, I spent some time with my kid at home and I was really happy with that."During the preparation with [coach] Rodney Martin on the court this morning, I couldn’t move and I was forced to do some fast movements which really sharpened me up and helped me for this match. I’d also like to thank everyone that came today!”Al Tamimi plays fellow first-time Platinum quarter-finalist Victor Crouin of France for a place in the semi-finals after the 23-year-old overcame Parker’s compatriot Patrick Rooney 3-1.The World No.18, who reached the final of the Bronze-level CIB Zed Squash Open 10 days ago and upset No.7 seed Joel Makin in round two here in Doha, looked comfortable in attack and defence as he took the first game 11-8.Rooney struck back well in the second, with the Englishman looking more assertive on court as he drew level with an 11-7 win. The World No.23 was unable to maintain this momentum, however, with Crouin taking advantage of a number of errors from the Englishman and he breezed back into the lead with an 11-4 win.Crouin continued to look solid in the fourth game and quickly saw off a frustrated Rooney with an 11-6 victory.Crouin said: "I’m glad I found the balance, not making too many mistakes. I’m really happy with my performance..”Results (Round 3)Abdulla al-Tamimi (QAT) bt George Parker (ENG) 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-9) (39m)[4] Diego Elias (PER) bt Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) 3-0 (11-5, 11-4, 11-6) (35m)Victor Crouin (FRA) bt Patrick Rooney (ENG) 3-1 (11-8, 7-11, 11-4, 11-6) (47m)[6] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) 3-0 (11-5, 11-2, 11-6) (23m).