'I still can't believe that', says Paratore after sealing back-to-back HotelPlanner Tour wins
'I still can't believe it!' said an elated Renato Paratore after clinching his second consecutive HotelPlanner Tour title in the UAE, capping off a sensational fortnight with a four-under-par 66 to win the Abu Dhabi Challenge in Al Ain.
The Italian, who lifted the UAE Challenge trophy just a week earlier, once again showed nerves of steel with birdies on two of his last four holes—finishing at 17 under par and edging out Scotsman David Law and Spain's Sebastian Garcia by a single stroke. Law had set a fierce clubhouse target with a blistering nine-under 61, but Paratore held firm under pressure.
Entering the final round one shot off the lead, Paratore picked up shots on the fifth and seventh holes to gain early momentum. Despite a couple of back-nine bogeys, the 28-year-old bounced back with clutch birdies—including a decisive one at the par-five 18th after reaching the green in two.
'I felt confident coming into today because I won last week,' Paratore said. 'But I knew it was going to be tough with so many in contention. I'm really proud of how I handled it.'
Garcia and Law shared second place at 16 under, while American Davis Bryant finished third at 15 under. A quartet of players, including Frenchman Robin Siegrist and Italy's Stefano Mazzoli, tied for fifth at 14 under.
Paratore's double triumph rockets him to second in the Road to Mallorca Rankings, further fueled by support from the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Arena, Al Laith, and eGolf Megastore.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Dubai Eye
10 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
Alcaraz returns to French Open final after ailing Musetti retires
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached back-to-back French Open finals after Italian eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti retired with injury while trailing 4-6 7-6(3) 6-0 2-0 on Friday. Alcaraz, who is attempting to become only the third man to retain his Roland Garros title this century after Rafa Nadal and Gustavo Kuerten, will face either world number one Jannik Sinner or 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final. "It's never great to go through like this," Alcaraz said, before hailing Musetti's achievement of reaching at least the semi-finals of all four elite claycourt events this year. "He's a great player, he has had an incredible claycourt season...I wish him a speedy recovery and I'm sure we'll be enjoying his tennis pretty soon." Musetti twice denied Alcaraz the chance to break in the opening nine games before the 23-year-old suddenly dialled up the intensity and snatched the opening set when his Spanish opponent produced errors in a poor service game. A frustrated Alcaraz kicked his bench during the second set but finally found a way through Musetti's dogged defence to draw level after a tiebreak and then produced a dazzling display of power and precision to dish out a bagel in the third set. Musetti, who appeared to be hampered by a left thigh issue midway through the third set, threw in the towel after two games in the fourth. "The first two sets were tough. I had chances to be up in the match but couldn't make the most of them," Alcaraz added. "When I won the second set, I was relieved and I knew that I needed to be aggressive and be myself. I was calmer. I could see clearer and I could play great tennis at the start of the third. "I'm feeling great physically. It's been three intense weeks but I have one more step to take. I'm playing great tennis and I have great confidence. I've been doing great things in this tournament and now is the time to give 100 per cent in the final." Alcaraz said he would tune into the second semi-final on Court Philippe Chatrier to study his potential opponents. "I'm not going to miss tonight's match, it's one of the best we can have right now, Sinner against Djokovic," he said. "I'm going to watch it and enjoy it and take tactics from the match."
Gulf Today
20 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Pep dreams of WC glory, rules out plans to leave City anytime soon
Pep Guardiola has no plans to leave Manchester City anytime soon but the Spaniard has often thought about what it would be like to guide an international team and says he would love to take on the challenge of a World Cup or Euros campaign. 'I would love to be in a World Cup, in a Euro, a Copa America,' Guardiola said. 'I have always thought about it. But it depends on many, many things. If it happens, it's fine. If it doesn't happen, it's more than fine as well.' After winning 12 domestic top-flight titles across Spain, Germany and England, Guardiola endured a trophyless campaign with City last season, a shock to the system after so much success. While he came in for some stinging criticism over his elite squad's failure on all fronts, Guardiola said he was not interested in 'proving the haters wrong' when City start afresh next season. 'It's to prove myself that I can do it, I don't want to have those feeling that last season left' he added. 'Because when we win, the wine tastes better afterwards, you sleep better. I don't know a manager who loses games and sleeps like a baby. It doesn't happen. You've got to worry. That's part of our life.' Top of Guardiola's 'to-do list' is to win another Champions League with City and should they cross paths once more with Real Madrid, his nemesis Carlo Ancelotti will not be in the opposing dugout after the Italian took charge of Brazil. Mere mention of Ancelotti's departure was enough to put a smile on Guardiola's lips. The pair faced each other five times in the knockout rounds of the Champions League, with the Italian coming out on top in all but one. 'I'm so happy for him,' Guardiola said. 'But I'm so happy that he's not in Madrid anymore because all the time he beats me. That I don't have to handle it anymore.' The Spaniard added that it was unrealistic to expect him to win everything every year, and said that even the most successful athletes lose more than they win. 'I won 12 domestic leagues in 16 years. It's not bad, I would say. But you cannot win all the time. I cannot win the Champions League all the time,' he added. 'Michael Jordan, the best athlete I've ever seen in my life won six NBA Championships in 15 years. Tiger Woods, one incredible golf player, Jack Nicklaus, I don't know how many he has. But they lost more Grand Slams than they won. It happens.' Agencies
Gulf Today
2 days ago
- Gulf Today
Grebnev hangs on to slim lead despite draw
A draw was sufficient for Grandmaster (GM) Aleksey Grebnev to maintain his half-point lead after a catastrophic collapse by one of his closest pursuers in the eighth round of the 25th Dubai Open Chess Tournament at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club. Grebnev of Russia upped his score to 6.5 points after a relatively short, uneventful 21-move draw with Iran's GM Sina Movahed, one of two players who were just half a point behind the tournament leader. Grebnev's compatriot GM Ivan Zemlyanskii, the other player within striking distance of the lead, dropped out of the running for the championship after losing to Armenia's GM Shant Sargsyan. Movahed, Sargsyan, and Spain's GM Alan Pichot, who defeated IM Rohith Krishna S of India, closely trail Grebnev with six points each going into the final round. Playing the white pieces in an Italian Game, Sargsyan sacrificed a pawn that created room for his pieces to operate on both sides of the board. Looking for counterplay, Zemlyanskii decided to strike in the centre with a pawn break on the d-file, a flawed plan that allowed Sargsyan to win back the sacrificed material and enter the endgame with a strategically won position. Zemlyanskii stirred the game into complications in a bid to provoke errors and create practical chances, but despite a few imprecisions in technique, Sargsyan maintained control and converted with a tactical blow to finish the game. Grebnev will take on Sargsyan in Wednesday's final round, while Movahed faces Pichot, with all four players in the running for the title. In Category B, after six straight wins to start the tournament, Fide Master (FM) Mahdi Nikookar conceded a second consecutive draw, allowing India's Candidate Master (CM) Alankar Sawai Vandan to tie him for the lead. Nikookar drew his game with India's M. Mridav, while Vandan defeated Sri Lanka's Pesandu Rashmitha Liyanage. Both have seven points, a full point ahead of five others. Tournament format, schedule, prizes The tournament follows a 9-round Swiss system with a 90-minute time control plus a 30-second increment per move. Games are played every day from 5pm, except the final round on June 4, which starts at 10am. The tournament offers a prize pool of $52,000 to be handed out to the winners of both categories. Category A, contested by players with a rating over 2300, has a total prize fund of $39,500 with $12,000 going to the champion, while Category B, open to players rated below 2300, offers $12,500 in total prizes and $2,000 awarded to the champion. Special prizes will also be distributed to top performers among rating categories, unrated, youth, women, and UAE players. International arbiter team & live coverage International Arbiter Majed Al Abdooli of the UAE spearheads the tournament's international team of arbiters who will manage and oversee the competition. Chess fans from around the world can watch the Category A games live on the club's website as well as chess platforms such as and
