Abou Chahine clears obstacle Doumit in final

Ibrahim Abou Chahine maintained his fruitful Holiday Beach Open run, beating Lebanon’s No. 7 Marc Doumit Wednesday 3-6 6-0 6-2 to book a place in Thursday’s 5 p.m. final, where the daunting and intimidating Bassam Baidas looms. Following his stunning upset of Lebanon’ No. 1 Jad Karaki in Tuesday’s quarterfinals, Abou Chahine stood on the precipice of Thursday’s final,with one last obstacle in his way. Enter the pre-eminent Lebanese grinder, Marc Doumit, whose blue-collar style of play has frustrated and stifled many a player. Great at nothing yet good at everything, Doumit once again employed his sturdy tactics to stagnate the vivacious Abou Chahine. Lebanon’s No. 14 paled in comparison to Tuesday’s intrepid warrior who easily dispatched of the country’s best player. But Doumit possessed opposite traits to Karaki, and the seasoned veteran was never likely to wilt under pressure as his younger understudy did the previous day. And after conceding the opening game of the match, Doumit ran riot to win four games in a row to lead 4-1. Abou Chahine was firmly on the back foot and Tuesday’s masterful exploits appeared to be in vain. Doumit’s slow-paced shotmaking was contagious. Like quicksand, the man has a knack for sucking players into his game against their will. And the first set was no exception, as Abou Chahine fell victim to the phenomenon, completely reverting his style of play to bizarrely accommodate his opponent. Abou Chahine managed to curb his unforced errors for a brief period, to move within a game of Doumit at 4-3. But the veteran was not to be denied as he maintained his composure to record the next two games and the set 6-3. The second set would see Abou Chahine awaken from his slumber, as the youngster cut a completely opposite figure. Pumped up and raring to go, he came marauding out of the gates to rattle Doumit. Blistering first serves coupled with crunching ground strokes laid siege to the shellshocked Doumit, who was helpless to prevent a second-set whitewash. The two players candidly disliked one another, and continuously hurled jibes at one another during the match, with their verbal exchanges bordering on awkward. Doumit was beginning to exhibit uncharacteristic flaws, with his opponent decidedly getting under his skin. The third set was much of the same for Abou Chahine as he afforded his foe no respite. He timed the ball to perfection, with his vicious shotmaking laying waste to Doumit in double quick time. After losing the opening game, Abou Chahine restored his guns and rocketed to a 4-1 lead. There was no way back for Doumit, and even though he rarely committed any unforced errors, he was feeling the full force of the rampant Abou Chahine, who annihilated his opponent with ferocious shot after ferocious shot. Bad lighting nearly scuppered the proceedings, but Abou Chahine recorded a 6-2 victory in the nick of time as darkness fell. The doom-and-gloom atmosphere was fitting for Doumit, as it highlighted a nightmarish two sets where he was effectively rendered a spectator. Abou Chahine now moves on to tomorrow’s final, where he faces Bassam Baidas, his biggest test of all. From TheDailyStar