Al Muzayen Continues Kuwait Reign
by Howard Harding

6 November 2013 - Top-ranked Kuwaiti squash player Abdullah Al Muzayen extended his reign as the man to beat in his home country when he won the inaugural PSA Challenger 10 Gulf Insurance Challenger to increase his tally of Tour titles on home soil to 11 since February 2009.

The top-seeded 25-year-old reached the final at South Surrah Ministries Complex in Hawalli - his 19th on the PSA World Tour - without dropping a game.

His opponent Greg Lobban, the No2 seed from Scotland, dropped his first game in the semi-finals before overcoming fourth seed Ammar Altamimi, the Kuwaiti number two, 11-3, 9-11, 11-5, 11-8.

But left-hander Al Muzayen, ranked 41 in the world, was too strong for Lobban - denying the 21-year-old from Edinburgh his first title of the year by winning 11-4, 11-7, 11-6 in 35 minutes.

The triumph marked the 16th Tour title of Al Muzayen's career.

RESULTS: PSA Challenger 10 Gulf Insurance Challenger, Hawalli, Kuwait

1st round:
[1] Abdullah Al Muzayen (KUW) bt Kevin Moran (SCO) 11-5, 11-0, 11-5 (20m)
Ahmad Al-Saraj (JOR) bt [WC] Fallah Mohammed (KUW) 11-7, 8-11, 11-8, 11-6 (40m)
Benjamin Fischer (SUI) bt [Q] Zeyad Tareq Alowaesh (KUW) 11-8, 11-7, 11-9 (40m)
Douglas Kempsell (SCO) bt [3] Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) 10-12, 13-11, 11-3, 11-8 (47m)
[4] Ammar Altamimi (KUW) bt Bader Al Hussaini (KUW) 11-8, 11-7, 13-11 (55m)
[Q] Ali Bader Al-Ramzi (KUW) bt Yousif Nizar Saleh (KUW) 11-3, 8-11, 12-10, 11-7 (55m)
Ahmed Atef (EGY) bt [Q] Jamie Henderson (SCO) 11-6, 11-7, 11-9 (37m)
[2] Greg Lobban (SCO) bt [Q] Mohamed El Tabaa (EGY) 11-2, 11-7, 11-7 (42m)

Quarter-finals:
[1] Abdullah Al Muzayen (KUW) bt Ahmad Al-Saraj (JOR) 11-6, 11-8, 11-8 (30m)
Benjamin Fischer (SUI) bt Douglas Kempsell (SCO) 11-1, 11-8, 11-8 (35m)
[4] Ammar Altamimi (KUW) bt [Q] Ali Bader Al-Ramzi (KUW) 11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 11-6 (70m)
[2] Greg Lobban (SCO) bt Ahmed Atef (EGY) 11-9, 11-2, 11-7 (45m)

Semi-finals:
[1] Abdullah Al Muzayen (KUW) bt Benjamin Fischer (SUI) 11-4, 11-7, 11-7 (36m)
[2] Greg Lobban (SCO) bt [4] Ammar Altamimi (KUW) 11-3, 9-11, 11-5, 11-8 (50m)

Final:
[1] Abdullah Al Muzayen (KUW) bt [2] Greg Lobban (SCO) 11-4, 11-7, 11-6 (35m)