Amr Khaled Khalifa clinched the Kuwait Challenger 5 Open crown in style in Kuwait City – but the Egyptian teenager had to fight off stiff resistance from unseeded local hero Bader Al Hussaini before winning the PSA World Tour title at the South Surrah Ministries Complex.
Khalifa, the 18-year-old world junior champion from Cairo, reached the final after victories over three Pakistanis in a row.
After beating local rivals Nasser B Al-Ramzi and Ammar Al-Tamimi, Al Hussaini made his breakthrough in the semi-finals where he rallied to a five-game upset over third-seeded Egyptian Karim AGA Samy in exactly an hour.
But the 27-year-old Kuwaiti, ranked 167 in the world, met his match in the final, where Khalifa needed just 25 minutes to record his title-winning 11-4, 11-3, 11-7 victory.
The triumph marks the fifth PSA Tour title of world No90 Khalifa’s career.
Final:
[2] Amr Khaled Khalifa (EGY) bt Bader Al Hussaini (KUW) 11-4, 11-3, 11-7 (25m)
Semi-finals:
Bader Al Hussaini (KUW) bt [3] Karim AGA Samy (EGY) 11-9, 11-9, 10-12, 11-13, 11-1 (60m)
[2] Amr Khaled Khalifa (EGY) bt Farhan Zaman (PAK) 11-1, 11-6, 11-7 (30m)
Quarter-finals:
Bader Al Hussaini (KUW) bt [Q] Ammar Al-Tamimi (KUW) 11-9, 9-11, 11-13, 11-6, 11-3 (73m)
[3] Karim AGA Samy (EGY) bt [Q] Ali Al-Ramzi (KUW) 6-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-6 (39m)
Farhan Zaman (PAK) bt [4] Wael Farag (EGY) 11-8, 11-8, 9-11, 9-11, 11-3 (69m)
[2] Amr Khaled Khalifa (EGY) bt [Q] Waqas Mehboob (PAK) 11-3, 11-7, 11-7 (30m)
1st round:
[Q] Ammar Al-Tamimi (KUW) bt [1] Yasir Butt (PAK) 11-6, 4-11, 12-10, 5-11, 11-9 (55m)
Bader Al Hussaini (KUW) bt Nasser B Al-Ramzi (KUW) 11-9, 10-12, 11-3, 11-7 (25m)
[Q] Ali Al-Ramzi (KUW) bt Zeyad Tareq Alowaesh (KUW) 11-1, 11-5, 12-10 (25m)
[3] Karim AGA Samy (EGY) bt [Q] Ahmad Alzabidi (JOR) 11-9, 4-11, 11-9, 19-17 (44m)
[4] Wael Farag (EGY) bt Ondrej Ertl (CZE) 11-6, 11-3, 11-3 (25m)
Farhan Zaman (PAK) bt Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) 11-3, 11-8, 11-6 (27m)
[Q] Waqas Mehboob (PAK) bt Basem Makram (EGY) 11-8, 8-11, 11-7 ret.
[2] Amr Khaled Khalifa (EGY) bt Waqar Mehboob (PAK) 11-3, 6-11, 11-2, 11-7 (37m)
Qualifying finals:
Ahmad Alzabidi (JOR) bt Abdulaziz Kanaan (KUW) 11-6, 11-5, 12-10 (12m)
Ali Al-Ramzi (KUW) bt Nasser Al-Rashid (KUW) 11-5, 11-7, 11-3 (25m)
Waqas Mehboob (PAK) bt Saoud Al Sulaiti (QAT) 12-10, 11-5, 11-3 (15m)
Ammar Al-Tamimi (KUW) bt Nathan Lake (ENG) 11-8, 11-9, 11-8 (36m)
1st qualifying round:
Ahmad Alzabidi (JOR) bye
Abdulaziz Kanaan (KUW) bt Masoud Gharehzyaldini (IRI) 11-4, 11-9, 11-9 (27m)
Nasser Al-Rashid (KUW) bt Hasan Al-Taqi (KUW) 11-4, 11-8, 11-9 (21m)
Ali Al-Ramzi (KUW) bt Eissa Ashkanani (KUW) 11-2, 11-2, 11-3 (20m)
Waqas Mehboob (PAK) bt Sulaiman Al Khamees (KUW) 11-8, 11-5, 11-3 (16m)
Saoud Al Sulaiti (QAT) bt Nasser Al-Hussaini (KUW) 11-8, 11-9, 6-11, 11-7
Nathan Lake (ENG) bt Mohammed Yaquop Hajeyah (KUW) 11-7, 14-12, 11-6 (31m)
Ammar Al-Tamimi (KUW) bt Abbas Ali (PAK) 11-4, 11-8, 11-2 (23m)
