Squash Emcee Andy Taylor | The Voice of the Qatar Classic | Photo: Steve Cubbins
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Eain Yow Ng -42- (MAS) def Abdulla Al Tamimi -24- (QAT)
Match recap from Squash Emcee Andy Taylor, Voice of the Qatar Classic.
[vector_icon icon=”fas fa-check-circle”] Final: 11-3, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5 (40m)
Abdulla Al Tamimi is one of the most promising athletes ever produced by Qatar’s Aspire Academy. He proved it last season, defeating World #9 Simon Rösner in the opening round of the World Championships. This season, he won the Malaysian Open and went undefeated at the Asian Games Team Championship. While his ranking continues to climb, he is known to stumble at PSA Platinum events, including the Qatar Classic.
Today was one of those stumbles against a fearless 20-year-old who had nothing to lose. Tip of the hat to Ng, who handled the pressure of facing the home-crowd favorite with poise and precision on the court.
This was the first meeting between these two players.
Here’s a look at each player’s introduction for today’s Round-1 match…
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Eain Yow Ng -42- (MAS)
Remarkably, last month this 20-year-old went undefeated at the Asian Games Team Championship, winning 7 consecutive matches, and lifting his country to the Gold Medal with a 3-game victory over Hong Kong’s Leo Au. He owns 3 PSA titles, is a 7-time Finalist on Tour, and comes into Doha with a career-high ranking of #42 in the World. Competing in his 2nd Qatar Classic Squash Championship, last year – at just 19-years-old – this was his first-ever Platinum-level event on the PSA World Tour. From Malaysia, please welcome Asian Games Team Championship Gold Medalist, Ng Eain Yow.
Abdulla Al Tamimi -24- (QAT)
He is the most successful Qatari player in squash history, and comes into this year’s Qatar Classic with a career-high ranking of #24 in the World. This July, he started the new season by capturing the biggest title of his career, defeating both Leo Au and Yip Tsz Fung to win the Malaysia Open. He went undefeated at the Asian Games Team Championship, then reached the Quarterfinals of the China Open in Shanghai. Last December, he delivered a breakthrough performance at the PSA World Championship, reaching the 3rd round of sport’s most prestigious event, upsetting World #9 Simon Rösner in the opening round. Competing in his 7th Qatar Classic Squash Championship – From Aspire Academy right here in Doha, please welcome World #24 Abdulla Al Tamimi.
▲ In 2016, Abdulla Al Tamimi played his best match on this court – capturing the hearts and imagination of fans across Qatar. As a Wild Card ranked outside the top-35, he took legend Nick Matthew the distance in Round-1. Final Score: 9-11, 8-11, 11-9, 12-10, 9-11 (71m).
