Mohammed Abdulwahhab
Doha, Qatar: The WTT Star Contender Doha 2026 enters its main draw at the Lusail Sports Hall today following the successful completion of the qualifying rounds yesterday.
A strong Qatar contingent will feature across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles as the home paddlers prepare to test themselves against some of the world’s best.
Led by national No.1 Mohammed Abdulwahhab, the hosts face a demanding opening day, with multiple first-round clashes across different categories.
Abdulwahhab takes on China’s Xue Fei in one of the highlights for home fans in the men’s singles Round of 64, which will also see wildcard Sultan Al Kuwari take on Portugal’s Joao Geraldo, who advanced from the qualifying rounds.
The women’s singles draw also features two Qatari wildcards. Rokaia Elbaz is drawn against Hong Kong star Doo Hoi Kem in a demanding Round of 64 encounter, while Aia Mohamed meets fellow wildcard Yoo Yerin in search of a place in the next round.
In the women’s doubles Round of 16, Aia Mohamed and Rokaia Elbaz will face the Chinese pairing of Qin Yuxuan and Zong Geman. The men’s doubles sees Ahmed Korani and Sultan Al Kuwari up against France’s Florian Bourrassaud and Lilian Bardet, while brothers Mohammed and Abdullah Abdulwahhab take on second seeds Wong Chun Ting and Chan Baldwin of Hong Kong in a challenging contest.
In mixed doubles, Sultan Al Kuwari and Rokaia Elbaz meet China’s Chen Yuanyu and Kuai Man, while Mohammed Abdulwahhab and Aia Mohamed face Pang Koen and Zeng Jian, rounding off a packed day for the hosts.
Meanwhile, yesterday’s action saw the final stages of the qualifying rounds.
The state-of-the-art venue witnessed an action-filled day, including a mesmerizing 54-point game in which Germany’s Cedric Meissner produced the standout result of the day.
Meissner knocked out No.13 seed Indian Akash Pal in a gripping five-game battle (8-11, 28-26, 8-11, 11-4, 11-5). Ranked World No.125, Meissner dropped the opening game and trailed 2-6 in the second. The game then gained remarkable momentum, with Pal fighting back before the Germans finally sealed a 28-26 win. Pal then regained control by taking the third game, but Meissner wrapped up a memorable win by securing the fourth and fifth games to complete an upset. However, Meissner was beaten in the third round of the qualifiers by China’s Fei (3-2), who booked a meeting with Mohammed Abdulwahhab.
The women’s singles qualifiers were equally intense. Unranked Arina Slautina pushed World No.196 Vlada Voronina all the way in a five-game contest. However, Voronina’s run was halted by India’s Diya Chitale, who recorded a straight games win before she went down in the third round of qualifiers. She lost to top Chinese Taipei’s Tsai Yun-En (1-3), who is set to take on Wales’ Anna Hursey today in the round of 64.
