QSF 3 2023: Seeds fall on opening day at QSF 3 Challenger 30 event

On an exciting and competetive opening day in Qatar, only half of the 9/16 seeds made it through to round two of the QSF 3 2023 after four upsets from unseeded players split the draw wide open heading into round two of the Challenger 30 event.

Kuwait’s former World No.33 Abdulla Almezayen is always dangerous and is more than capable of causing upsets and showed that ability again as he overcame Egypt’s Yassin Elshafei from 2-0 down to claim a spot in round two. He will now face top seed and recent Asian Games Gold medalist Eain Yow Ng in round two.

England’s Perry Malik scored a hard fought win over Czech’s Martin Svec to reach round two. The Englishman took a 2-0 lead after winning 11-9, 11-7 and despite Svec clawing a game back in the third, Malik managed to regroup to take the fourth game 11-9 and complete the upset in just over 40 minutes.

There were also surprise wins for European duo Toufik Mekhalfi and Daniel Mekbib as they defeated Yannick Omlor and Muhammad Asim Khan. Mekbib lost the opening game agaisnt Khan but showed his class by convincingly taking the following three games 1106, 11-7, 11-4 to move into round two. Mekhalfi managed to produced three superb games against fellow-European Yannick Omlor and needed just over half an hour to claim the win.

Results: QSF 3 2023 – RD1
Abdullah Almezayen (KUW) bt [9/16] Yassin Elshafei (EGY) 3-2: 8-11, 4-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-5 (48m)
Perry Malik (ENG) bt [9/16] Martin Svec (CZE) 3-1: 11-9, 11-7, 5-11, 11-9 (42m)
[9/16] Aly Hussein (EGY) bt Khaled Labib (EGY) 3-1: 11-5, 11-3, 9-11, 11-7 (57m)
[9/16] Velavan Senthilkumar (IND) bt [WC] Ahmad Mohammad Altamimi (QAT) 3-0: 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 (23m)
[9/16] Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) bt [WC] Salem Al-Malki (QAT) 3-0: 11-8, 11-2, 11-9 (25m)
[9/16] Zahed Salem (EGY) bt Wong Chi Him (HKG) 3-0: 12-10, 11-5, 17-15 (42m)
Toufik Mekhalfi (FRA) bt [9/16] Yannik Omlor (GER) 3-0: 11-6, 11-4, 11-8 (31m)
Daniel Mekbib (CZE) bt [9/16] Muhammad Asim Khan (PAK) 3-1: 7-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-4 (46m)

Draw: RD2
[1] Eain Yow Ng (MAS) v Abdullah Almezayen (KUW)
[8] Addeen Idrakie (MAS) v Perry Malik (ENG)
[5] Declan James (ENG) v [9/16] Aly Hussein (EGY)
[4] Rui Soares (POR) v [9/16] Velavan Senthilkumar (IND)
[3] Sébastien Bonmalais (FRA) v [9/16] Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI)
[7] Simon Herbert (ENG) v [9/16] Zahed Salem (EGY)
[6] Mazen Gamal (EGY) v Toufik Mekhalfi (FRA)
[2] Abdulla Al-Tamimi (QAT) v Daniel Mekbib (CZE)