Zainal upbeat over unprecedented interest in Ooredoo Qatar Major 2022

 

Zainal upbeat over unprecedented interest in Ooredoo Qatar Major 2022

 

Doha:  Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation (QTSBF) Secretary-General Tareq Zainal said that the unprecedented interest in the Ooredoo Qatar Major 2022 has further confirmed Qatar's status as a major global sports hub.

The Ooredoo Qatar Major 2022 which takes place from March 28 to April 2 at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex in Doha is the first leg of the recently-announced Category 1 events of the Premier Padel Tour, which is backed by the Professional Players Association (PPA) and Qatar Sports Investments (QSI).

Almost all the world's top-ranked players have indicated their interest in the Doha event with world No.1 pair of Juan Lebrón Chincoa and Alejandro Galán Romo of Spain will be headlining a starcast that include Francisco Navarro (Spain)/ Martin Di Nenno (Argentina), Alejandro Ruiz Granados (Spain)/ Franco Stupaczuk (Argentina) and Federico Chingotto (Argentina)/Juan Tello (Argentina) and Pablo Jose Mongelo De Lima (Brazil)/Maximilano Sanchez Aguero (Argentina), among others.

"We are very delighted with the massive interest shown by the world's top players to participate in the Doha tournament, the maiden edition of the Category 1 events of the Official Tour. The registration is unprecedented in the history of padel, and it clearly shows that everyone wants to come and play in Qatar. Qatar is committed to promoting padel globally and making it among the world's most-loved sports, and we are not going to rest on our laurels as we continue to strive to achieve this. The preparations for the tournament are on track, and we are hopeful of hosting yet another successful event," Zainal said.

 

 Qatar Major has broken a record of sorts without a match being played, with 123 pairs registered, including players from 19 different countries and record tournament prize money of €525,000.

Until now, the previous registration record for an international padel tournament had been a maximum of 50 pairs.

A total of 56 pairs will eventually be contesting in the main draw, with 44 getting automatic qualification via rankings, eight pairs will secure their entry through the qualifiers, while four wildcard entrants will complete the final list.

In addition to the prize money, the winning pair will earn 2000 ranking points while the finalist garners 1200 points and the semifinalists 750.

Last November, more than 320 players from 16 nations participated in the Padel World Championship in Doha, the first to be held in Asia, in what was widely regarded as the most dazzling and successful padel tournament ever, with the state-of-the-art facilities, the overall professionalism of tournament and the keen focus on player welfare being unparalleled in padel.