Fencing Grand Prix Qatar 2019 Begins

Doha, January 25 (QNA) - The Fencing Grand Prix Qatar 2019 began Friday in Aspire, with 372 players from 55 countries taking part. The first day of the tournament saw men's first and group roles, followed by the 64th primer to qualify 48 players for the 64th knockout round on Sunday, which will see the participation of the top 16 seeders in the world. Some of them include world champion Yannick Borel of France. World No.2 Bogdan Nikishin and world no. 3 Sangyoung Park from Ukraine and South Korea respectively will also take part. In the women competitions, Tunisia's Sarra Besbes and Italy's Mara Navarria will participate. The first day of the tournament was set for the men's qualifiers, and the top 16 seeders were exempted from the competition on Sunday according to the rules of the tournament, which qualify the first-seeders to the 64th round without playing. Qatar's Mohammad Ali Mirzaei succeeded in reaching the finals, the remaining Qatari players lost to more experienced opponents. The Qatari team is primarily comprised of young players looking to gain experience from playing with the world's top 32 players. The tournament will be continuing Sunday and will be dedicated to women's competitions and will involve 11 Qatari players and conclude the competitions with the round of the last 64. Some of the Qatari players competing tomorrow will be Sara and Haya Diab, Thkrayat Al Abdulla, Aisha Al Baker, and Noof Al Mazrooei. (QNA)