DOHA: Hania El Hammmay is the 2023 QTerminals Qatar Classic champion after beating Egyptian compatriot and World No.1 Nour El Sherbini in an incredible final - 3-2: 9-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6 (84m) at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex.
This year marked the long-awaited return of the women’s event, which was last played in 2015.
The pair went into Friday’s final well aware of each other’s strengths, having met four times - two of which came in finals in the last 12 months, with the record 2-2 apiece.
The opening game began with watchful rallies before sparking into life as both players upped the pace, with El Sherbini clinching the lead with an 11-9 win.
The second game was equally frenetic as El Hammamy responded with an 11-9 win of her own to pull level.
In a back-and-forth third game, in which neither player was able to consistently hold the momentum, the World No.1 regained the lead, taking the game by 11-9.
Incredibly, the fourth game ended 11-9 too, with El Hammamy taking advantage of a number of El Sherbini errors to draw level for the second time and force a deciding game.
In a scarcely believable finale, the 23-year-old came charging out, moving more quickly than at any other point in the match as she raced into a 9-1 lead against a stunned El Sherbini.
El Sherbini famed for her ability to pull off seemingly impossible victories, briefly threatened to mount an incredible comeback as she started chipping away at the World No.3’s lead, but El Hammamy was able to cling on, collapsing to the ground as she sealed the title with an 11-6 victory in the final game.
Now for both El Sherbini and El Hammamy, attention turns to the US Open, which takes place between Oct 7-14.