Doha, February 24 (QNA) - Secretary-General of Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation (QTSBF) Tariq Zainal affirmed that the Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2024 will continue excellence next year after it was upgraded to 500 status.

In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Zainal said that the closing day of the tournament was special, praising the strong competitions enjoyed by all throughout the tournament.

He added that the final match was a summit match during which Russian Karen Khachanov and Czech Jakub Mensik played an enjoyable game in the arts of tennis.

Zainal praised the 18-year-old player Mensik, expecting that he will have a great future in tennis after he fought strong matches and presented a level that heralds the emergence of a great player in the future, and after he eliminated Britain's Andy Murray in the second round and then ousted Russian Rublev, ranked first and fifth in the world, in the quarter-finals on his way to the final.

The Secretary-General of the Qatar Tennis Federation confirmed that the tournament will have another significance after it was upgraded to 500 status. It will be among 16 tournaments in its category starting from next year's edition and will witness an increase in financial prizes and a more distinguished presence from the top ten seeds.

Zainal pointed out that the tournament presented a new champion this year: the Russian Karen Khachanov who also performed at a distinguished level just like his compatriot Medvedev who won the tournament title last year. (QNA)