Squash Emcee. Andy Taylor. Qatar Classic 2017
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Fares Dessouky (EGY) def [WC] Abdulla Al Tamimi (QAT) 11-6 11-8 11-5 (37-min)
On Friday, eight locals fell in the 1st-Round of qualifying here at the Qatar Classic Squash Championship. In fact, the local hopefuls went 0-24, unable to win a single game off the PSA World Tour’s top talent. Thankfully, one Qatari remained: Abdullah Mohd Al Tamimi, World #37 and Qatar’s top-ranked “squashlete.” Unfortunately for Al Tamimi, the Wild Card drew a consistent top-10 talent, Fares Dessouky of Egypt.
Dessouky dissects distracted Abdulla
By all appearances, this match took place in Alexandria. With so many Egyptians dominating the sport, and a sizable Egyptian community in Doha, the lop-sided support for “Fearless Fares” came as no surprise. It had to be frustrating for Al Tamimi, though – playing the Main Draw of a World Series event on his home court. Without a fan-base of support, Al Tamimi gave-up five errors in game-1 and seven in game-2, while the third was all Dessouky.
In just 37-minutes, the final tally was complete. PSA World Tour: 27. Qatari Players: 0. (FULL MATCH RECAP)
Motivation for next year’s Qatar Classic.
Fares Dessouky. Always stay humble and kind
After the win, Fares took time to address the Egyptian fans in Arabic, and was tremendously gracious to tournament organizers. He told the fans that, as Arabs, they are proud to represent the Arab world in squash. And out of all of the World Series Events, this is by far the best reception he and his colleagues have ever had on tour – from the accomodations, to the transportation, to last night’s Player Party. He wanted all to know how thankful he and the rest of the players were for the VIP treatment.
With his natural maturity, it’s easy to forget that Fares Dessouky is just 23-years-old. He started the new season with Quarterfinal runs at the China and US Opens. Last season, he won his second PSA Tour title Mumbai and reached the Quarterfinals of the PSA World Championship for the first time. By April, he climbed to a career-high ranking of #9 in the World, then reached his second career World Series Semifinal at the El Gouna International Open. He’s a remarkable talent, and has the chops to go deep in the draw here in Doha.
I’m told that however the week turns out for Fares, he’ll be leaving Qatar a happy man. Come Wednesday, he’ll reach a new career-high ranking of World #8.
