Colombia’s World No.10 Miguel Rodriguez advanced into the third round of the Qatar Classic 2020 after beating the 62-ranked Shahjahan Khan of the USA (11-3, 11-3, 11-6) on the Glass Court of the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex on Tuesday.
The 35-year-old ‘Colombian Cannonball’ ensured that the 10-year age difference between him and Khan wasn’t any problem, but rather an advantage, in the convincing defeat of his much younger opponent as he was near-perfect in all his moves, especially in the first two games.
Khan attempted to fight back in the third and started to find his line and length more down the backhand side, but Rodriguez had too much in the end, winning the third 11-6 to wrap up the win in 45 minutes.
“I played him in Guatemala, and he is a talented player. He is very fast on the court, and the match was good. I had a bit more experience on the glass which helped today,” Rodriguez said in his post-match interview. “He was, maybe, not hitting his targets in the first and second, but in the third, he pushed, and I had also to find my corners and to be precise with my shots.”
He added, “I haven’t played many tournaments this year. We have had a long break, and it is tough. I spent a lot of time at home doing different things and putting some work into my body. It wasn’t easy to play a little bit today because I have only done solo practice on the side courts here for six days. I am grateful to be here, it is one of the best-organised tournaments on tour, and I am so happy to be through.”
The Colombian, who is the first South American ever to make the top 10 in the world rankings, will face either fellow South American Diego Elias or the home favourite, Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi, in the third round.
