Rabeah and Rasha win titles at WTT Contender Series in Kosovo
Tribune News Network
Doha
Qatar's promising players Rabeah Khalid Al Kuwari and Rasha Laghribi made a remarkable achievement winning in their respective categories of the Kosovo International Table Tennis Championship, a WTT Contender Youth Series in Pristina, Kosovo.
Rabiah Al Kuwari won the Under-11 Youth title following an epic and thrilling 3-2 victory over Sri Lankan player Tavi Samaraweera.
Despite trailing 11-7 in the first set, Rabeah managed to come back and win the second game 11-9, before losing the third set 11-6. Rabeah again demonstrated his strong determination, winning the fourth 12-10, leveling the scores at 2-2. The match was decided in a marathon tiebreak that lasted 16-14 in favour of the Qatari star, who shone with steadfastness and confidence under pressure to deservedly secure the title.
This was Rabeah second title in the same tournament after a bronze medal in the under-13 section, despite originally competing in the under-11 category.
The triumph highlights his great potential as a promising player from Qatar Table Tennis Association's (QTTA) Dream Team project.
Meanwhile, Rasha Laghribi made history in her first international event by winning gold in the under-11 Junior category with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Greek player Cleo Madesi.
Rasha started the match trailing in the first set 9-11, but quickly regained her composure and won the second set 11-7. Despite losing the third set 9-11, she showed strong character and came back strongly in the fourth, winning 11-6, to win the match in a tiebreaker 11-9 and claim the gold medal.
Rasha also won a bronze medal in the under-13 category. The double achievement which underlines her status as one of the most upcoming talent.
This victories of the Qatar players are the fruits of the great efforts made by QTTA to support emerging talent through participation in international tournaments and by providing them exposure and experience.
This victory in Kosovo is an important milestone in the journey of the Qatari Dream Team, which includes a group of promising players.
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