Jordanian Al-Saraj In Historic World Breakthrough

RESULTS: Jordanian Al-Saraj, Doha WSF World Junior Championship, Doha, Qatar

Men’s 3rd round:

[1] Marwan El Shorbagy (EGY) bt Cameron Seth (CAN) 11-3, 11-6, 11-4 (24m)

[9/16] Syed Hamzah Shah Bukhari (PAK) bt Richie Fallows (ENG) 14-12, 11-4, 11-9 (63m)

[9/16] Thomas Ford (ENG) bt Taminder Gata-Aura (ENG) 11-4, 11-5, 12-10 (34m)

[5/8] Nasir Iqbal (PAK) bt Cheuk Yan Tang (HKG) 11-3, 11-5, 11-1 (20m)

[5/8] Ollie Holland (ENG) bt Yousif Nizar Saleh (KUW) 8-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-4 (67m)

[9/16] Ahmad Al-Saraj (JOR) bt Ryosei Kobayashi (JPN) 11-7, 9-11, 11-7, 11-7 (50m)

Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) bt [9/16] Abhishek Pradhan (IND) 11-9, 11-9, 7-11, 11-6 (34m)

[3/4] Danish Atlas Khan (PAK) bt Josimar Silva (BRA) 11-4, 11-3, 11-7 (24m)

[3/4] Mazen Hesham Ga Sabry (EGY) bt Rhys Dowling (AUS) 11-3, 11-4, 11-6 (26m)

Ahmed Abdel Khalek (EGY) bt [9/16] Damien Volland (FRA) 11-5, 11-2, 11-5 (32m)

[9/16] Jan van den Herrewegen (BEL) bt Tayyab Aslam (PAK) 11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9 (71m)

[5/8] Fares Mohamed Dessouki (EGY) bt Andres Felipe de Frutos (COL) 11-5, 11-6, 11-4 (18m)

[5/8] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) bt Matthew Sidaway (ENG) 12-10, 11-2, 11-7 (46m)

[9/16] Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) bt Alexandre Cogno (FRA) 11-7, 11-9, 11-9 (29m)

[9/16] Ahmed Atef Abdel-Fattah (EGY) bt Yip Tsz Fung (HKG) 11-8, 11-7, 11-7 (39m)

[2] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) bt Vrishab Kotian (IND) 11-8, 11-4, 11-4 (24m)

4th round:

[1] Marwan El Shorbagy (EGY) bt [9/16] Syed Hamzah Shah Bukhari (PAK) 5-11, 12-10, 11-3, 8-11, 11-3 (82m)

[5/8] Nasir Iqbal (PAK) bt [9/16] Thomas Ford (ENG) 11-7, 11-8, 11-2 (34m)

[9/16] Ahmad Al-Saraj (JOR) bt [5/8] Ollie Holland (ENG) 11-9, 11-5, 11-5 (43m)

[3/4] Danish Atlas Khan (PAK) bt Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) 12-10, 11-2, 11-0 (20m)

[3/4] Mazen Hesham Ga Sabry (EGY) bt Ahmed Abdel Khalek (EGY) 11-6, 11-8, 11-3 (31m)

[5/8] Fares Mohamed Dessouki (EGY) bt [9/16] Jan van den Herrewegen (BEL) 11-2, 11-9, 11-8 (31m)

[5/8] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) bt [9/16] Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) 10-12, 11-3, 4-4 (default)

[2] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) bt [9/16] Ahmed Atef Abdel-Fattah (EGY) 11-7, 11-4, 11-7 (27m)

Women’s 3rd round:

[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt Emilia Soini (FIN) 11-3, 11-7, 11-2 (16m)

[9/16] Melissa Alves (FRA) bt [5/8] Maria Elena Ubina (USA) 15-13, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7 (31m)

[5/8] Mariam Ibrahim Metwally (EGY) bt [9/16] Aparajitha Balamurukan (IND) 11-4, 11-4, 11-2 (20m)

[3/4] Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy (EGY) bt [9/16] Victoria Temple Murray (ENG) 11-4, 11-4, 11-5 (19m)

[3/4] Yathreb Adel (EGY) bt Choi Uen Shan (HKG) 11-5, 11-4, 11-7 (22m)

[5/8] Anaka Alankamony (IND) bt [9/16] Ho Ka Po (HKG) 8-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-6 (44m)

[5/8] Salma Hany Ibrahim Ahmed (EGY) bt [9/16] Julia Lecoq (FRA) 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 (20m)

[2] Emily Whitlock (ENG) bt [9/16] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) 11-3, 11-6, 11-4 (22m)

Jordanian Al-Saraj In Historic World Breakthrough

Ahmad Al-Saraj caused the only upset in the men’s fourth round of the Doha WSF World Junior Squash Championships to become the first Jordanian player ever to reach the quarter-finals of the prestigious World Squash Federation championship.

The 17-year-old from Amman beat England’s 5/8 seed Ollie Holland, recent winner of both the French Junior Open and German Junior Open titles, 11-9, 11-5, 11-5 in 43 minutes at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex in the Qatar capital Doha.

Al-Saraj will now face Pakistan’s Danish Atlas Khan for a place in the last four. In his third successive straight games win in the event, 3/4 seed Khan crushed Colombia’s Juan Camilo Vargas 12-10, 11-2, 11-0 in just 20 minutes.

Top seed Marwan El Shorbagy was taken the full distance as continued his bid to defend the title he won last year in Belgium. Watched by his two-time champion brother Mohamed El Shorbagy, the 18-year-old Egyptian recovered from a game down to overcome Pakistan’s 9/16 seed Syed Hamzah Shah Bukhari 5-11, 12-10, 11-3, 8-11, 11-3 in an 82-minute marathon.

Marwan now has to contend with a further Pakistan opponent after Nasir Iqbal, a 5/8 seed from Peshawar, beat England’s Thomas Ford 11-7, 11-8, 11-2.

The day ended in confusion and ultimate disappointment for the home fans in the men’s event when local favourite Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi was forced to concede his match against India’s Mahesh Mangaonkar. Poised at one game all and four-all, blood from a self-inflicted Tamimi injury was deemed, after extended discussions, to have made the court unplayable.

France’s Melissa Alves pulled off the only upset in the women’s last 16 round when she beat Maria Elena Ubina, a 5/8 seed from the USA, 15-13, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7.

Emily Whitlock carries English hopes into the Doha quarter-finals single-handedly after a third round win over Sabrina Sobhy. The 18-year-old second seed beat her US opponent 11-3, 11-6, 11-4 and now lines up against Egypt’s 15-year-old Salma Hany Ibrahim Ahmed for a place in the semi-finals.

Men’s quarter-final line-up:

[1] Marwan El Shorbagy (EGY) v [5/8] Nasir Iqbal (PAK)

[3/4] Danish Atlas Khan (PAK) v [9/16] Ahmad Al-Saraj (JOR)

[3/4] Mazen Hesham Ga Sabry (EGY) v [5/8] Fares Mohamed Dessouki (EGY)

[2] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) v [5/8] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND)

Women’s quarter-final line-up:

[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) v [9/16] Melissa Alves (FRA)

[3/4] Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy (EGY) v [5/8] Mariam Ibrahim Metwally (EGY)

[3/4] Yathreb Adel (EGY) v [5/8] Anaka Alankamony (IND)

[2] Emily Whitlock (ENG) v [5/8] Salma Hany Ibrahim Ahmed (EGY). —– WSF

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