Doha: The Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation (QTSBF) has announced its full readiness to host three major world championships in a row on the courts of the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex for the first time this year, starting with the Qatar TotalEnergies Open and Qatar ExxonMobil Open across back-to-back weeks starting next Monday, followed by the Ooredoo Qatar Major Premier Padel event at the end of this month (February 26-March 5).
QTSBF Secretary-General Tareq Zainal, said in press conference held today that Khalifa Complex is ready to host the three events starting Saturday when the Qatar TotalEnergies Open kick off followed by Qatar ExxonMobil Open then Ooredoo Qatar Major Premier Padel event.
Zainal explained that hosting the Ooredoo Qatar Major Premier Padel Championship, is a great challenge for the Qatar Federation, because it will come directly after the completion of the women’s and men’s tennis championships.
He pointed out that the three tournaments will witness the participation of Qatari referees, and there will also be participation from new referees who have been trained through first-level courses.
The Tournament Director of Qatar TotalEnergies Open Saad Al Mohannadi, said the tournament will witness the participation of most of the world’s top seeds, led by Defending champion and World No 1 Iga Swiatek, winner of two Grand Slam titles last season, tops the lineup in Doha, alongside World No 3 Jessica Pegula, No 4 Caroline Garcia and No 5 Aryna Sabalenka, the reigning Australian Open champion and winner in Doha in 2020, make up the star cast.
About the World No 3 Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, announcing her withdrawal due to her intention to undergo surgery, Al Mohannadi said of course, we would have liked Ons to participate in the tournament, especially since she was always participating with us, but we wish her a speedy recovery and the continuation of her brilliance in the upcoming tournaments.
Al Mohannadi confirmed that the competitions will witness strong matches in their first rounds, and the atmosphere will be distinctive for the fans, as the fans’ village, the children’s area, and the VIP village have been equipped, in addition to the presence of the best tennis players in the world. He noted that the process of selling tickets is available both in commercial complexes or through the ticket office in front of the Khalifa International Complex and via the Federation website.
The Tournament Director for Qatar ExxonMobil Open, Karim Alami, said the tournament will witness the participation of a group of top ranked players, as usual annually, led by Russian Andrey Rublev ranked fifth in the world and Canadian rising star Felix Auger-Aliassime ranked seventh in the world, Grand Slam winner Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev.
Leave a comment