Qatari No.1 Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi got his 2020 Qatar Classic campaign underway with a win over England’s Patrick Rooney as the PSA World Tour Platinum tournament began at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex in Doha.

The Qatar Classic returns for the first time since 2018 after taking a year out to host the PSA Men’s World Championship in 2019, and Al Tamimi will appear in the second round of this tournament for the first time after beating Rooney in five captivating games.

2011 Qatar Classic winner Gregory Gaultier picked up an opening day win against Spaniard Iker Pajares Bernabeu. Gaultier has been handed a wildcard spot for this tournament following a 14-month spell on the sidelines due to a knee injury. Gaultier will play CIB PSA World Tour Finals winner Marwan ElShorbagy in the next round in what will be their first PSA meeting since 2017.

England’s George Parker has booked his spot in the next round after he prevailed in a gripping five-game contest with Frenchman Victor Crouin.

There will two players making their debut appearances in the second round of a Platinum tournament after England’s Richie Fallows and USA’s Shahjahan Khan beat Pakistan’s Tayyab Aslam and India’s Vikram Malhotra to reach that stage for the first time.

There were also wins for the likes of England’s Declan James, Mexico’s Cesar Salazar, Spain’s Borja Golan and Germany’s Raphael Kandra.