Some of the world’s finest squash players were in action as Qatar’s premier international squash event kicked off on Monday.

Qatar’s Abdullah Al-Tamimi secured a win as top seeds Ali Farag and Nour El Sherbini also cruised to commanding victories on the opening day of the QTerminals Qatar Classic 2024.

All 64 top-ranking athletes participating in the male and female categories at the six-day-long tournament were in action on Monday at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.

Winners of Monday’s first round of matches will play in the second round scheduled on October 1 and 2 to vie for a spot in the last eight.

Farag, the defending champion and top-ranked male player, defeated fellow Egyptian Youssef Ibrahim in straight sets to start his title defence in the best way possible.

Peru’s Diego Elias, ranked second in the world behind Farag, also won against Leonel Cardenas in his opening game, yet trails the Egyptian by more than 6,000 points.  

Hosts Qatar’s only representative, Abdullah Al-Tamimi beat England’s Waller Adrian 3-1 to advance to the next round.

Al-Tamimi is currently ranked 20th in the world and is participating in his 10th Qatar Classic tournament at home.

In the women’s category, top-ranked El Sherbini also won in straight sets against England’s Sarah-Jane Perry. 

Egypt’s Hania El Hammamy, the female defending champion, also registered a commanding 3-0 win against Japan’s Watanabe Satomi. 

Part of the Professional Squash Association’s World Tour, Qatar Classic falls in the platinum tier and offers crucial 2,750 ranking points to the winner, making it one of the most important tournaments in the squash calendar. 

This year’s winner in each category of Qatar Classic’s 21st edition will also get an increased prize money of $215,000.