The inaugural Ooredoo Qatar Major 2022, the first leg of the Category 1 events of the Premier Padel began at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex yesterday.
But it was a disappointing start for Qatari players on the first day as siblings Abdulaziz and Mohamed Saadoun al-Kuwari bowed out in the first round. The local pair lost to Spain’s Ruben Rivera and Italy’s Thomas Perino Denis 6-2, 6-2 in a match that lasted 58 minutes. Another Qatar pair Jabr al-Mutawa and Mohamed al-Khanji also made early exit after losing to Spaniard’s Caspar Jose Carlos and Rocafort Caetano 6-1, 6-2 in 41 minutes.
Abdullah al-Hajji and Mohamed Abdullah also found it tough as the home pair were blanked 6-0, 6-0 by Argentina’s Christian Gutierrez and Sweden’s Daniel Wendall.
In another match, Argentine duo Ramiro Moyano and Juan Belwati defeated the Italian pair Daniel Cattaneo and Ricardo Sinekrobi 7-6, 6-1. Meanwhile, Brazil’s Lucas da Cuna and Spain’s Angio Zarategui staved off a fightback from Spanish pair David Fernandez and Luis Pozo 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, while Mark Quills and Benno Toni won the all-Spanish match with a 0-6, 7-5, 6-1 win over Javier Rico and Jeronimo Gonzalez.
World’s leading padel stars are taking part in the event, which carries a record prize-money of $575,000.
A record number of players are participating in the event, with 123 pairs registering, including players from 19 different countries. Until now, the previous registration record for an international padel tournament had been a maximum of 50 pairs.
A total of 56 pairs are contesting in the main draw, with 44 getting automatic qualification via rankings. Eight pairs secured their entry through the qualifiers, while four wildcard entrants made the final list.
In addition to the prize money, the winning pair will earn 2000 ranking points while the finalist garner 1200 points and the semi-finalists 750 points.
Action from Day One of the Ooredoo Qatar Major padel tournament at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex yesterday.
