Qatar’s Mohamed Abdelwahab in action.
Doha: The much-awaited World Table Tennis (WTT) Middle East Hub began yesterday at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall yesterday with a three-day qualifying draw for the Contender series.
A total of 298 players are taking part at the events, representing 66 countries, as the sport returns in style on the international stage.
The Hub features two tiers of the new WTT event structure, with players competing in a WTT Contender event before moving on to a WTT Star Contender event the following week.
Ninety one players started their journey in the men’s singles draw, with a further 76 in the women’s singles. They will battle it out to be amongst the 8 players to progress to the main draw.
Adding spice to the proceedings, these eight players will be selected at random into the main draw of the Contender series, that is held between March 3-6, starting with a round of 32 in both men’s and women’s singles events.
The qualifying draw also features 32 mixed doubles pairs, who are vying for 8 spots in the main draw, which will be contested from the round of 16 across mixed doubles, men’s doubles and women’s doubles formats.
The Middle East Hub features two tiers of the new WTT event structure, with players competing in a WTT Contender event before moving on to a WTT Star Contender event, which will be held from March 6 to 13.
The WTT Contender Series has been designed to provide the perfect setting for some of the world’s leading stars to be challenged by the best up-and-coming athletes in table tennis. A total of 298 players are taking part at the events, representing 66 countries.
Yesterday, Qatar’s challenge came to an end in the qualifying rounds itself. Qatari men’s trio – Ahmed Khalil Al Mohannadi, Ahmed Muthanna and Mohamed Abdel Wahab – put on a tough fight but eventually succumbed to higher rated opponents.
Al Mohannadi lost to Canadian Jeremy Hazen 0-3, while Muthanna went to Cheng Ting Liao of Chinese Taipei in the same score. Abdel Wahab won a game against Belgian Florent Lampet but lost 1-3.
The Qatari women paddlers Maha Flamerzi, Maryam Ali, Aya Majdi and Maha also exited the competition. Maryam Ali lost to Anastasia Lafar of Uzbekisnan 0-3, while Maha lost to Belgium’s Daniela Monterrey by the same score. Maha Framerzi lost to India’s Archana Girish 0-3 as well, while Aya Majdi lost to France’s Brechika Pavadi by the same score.
The other Arab players too bowed out of the competition. Egyptian Omar Asr lost Germany Walter Ricardo, while his compatriot Mohamed Al Bayli was beaten by Belarusian Pavel Platonov 0-3
Saudi’s Ali Al Khadrawi narrowly lost to Russian Vladimir Sidorin 3-2. As for his compatriot Abdulaziz Bochlibi, he lost to Singapore’s Xiao Ziyu Clarence 3-0, and Algerian Arab Buryah lost to Russian Alexander Shebaev 3-0.
In the women’s singles competitions, German Chantal Mantz defeated the Slovak Emma Labusova 3-0 in the round of 36 match. Russian Olga Fora Piva defeated Mexican Yadrera Silva 3-1, and Korean Kim Haoyoung beat Slovak Tatiana 3-1 as well. The competition continues today, with 81 second-round matches scheduled in the men’s and women’s singles and mixed doubles.
The Qatar Table Tennis Federation has implemented strict precautionary measures in the tournament to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The fans' presence at the venue will not be allowed since it’s an indoor tournament.
Meanwhile, 13-year-old Hana Goda of Egypt stole the spotlight yesterday despite narrowly losing her match to Belgium’s Lisa Leung 2-3. Hana is one of Egypt’s youngest stars, a fast-rising talent with many tipping her as the next big thing in African table tennis. The teen sensation made her senior international debut yesterday.
Hana lost the opening game 8-11, but she bounced back quickly to take the next one 11-7. The Egyptian could not carry the momentum to the third game as Leung took a 2-1 lead before Hana made it 2-2 by pocketing the fourth game. In the decisive fifth game, Hana heartbreakingly went down 6-11.
