Ellis Charges On In Madeira

Englishman Sam Ellis moved within one victory of his first appearance in the main draw of a PSA World Tour event since September 2014, after cruising past unranked Portuguese opponent António Gomes in the first round of qualifying at the Madeira International Open.

Ellis, who was born in New Mexico but now resides in Bristol, recorded an impressive 15 winners en route to an emphatic 11-2, 11-3, 11-1 success at the PSA Challenger 5 event in Canico, Portugal.

“I started off strongly with a good attitude and I tried to play quite solidly without many mistakes,” said the world number 317.

“As the match progressed, I was able to have a bit of fun and attempt some shots I wouldn’t normally play. There are always some nerves in the first match, so it was a nice way to relax and build some confidence for the rest of the week.”

On a day where the longest match lasted less than half an hour, Ellis’ 13 minute triumph set the tone for a number of one-sided encounters. In the penultimate matchup, Irish number four Brian Byrne needed just eight minutes to romp past Pedro Miranda 11-2, 11-1, 11-1.

Byrne, 30, will now meet Roshan Bharos for a place in the last 16 at the Onda Revital Club, after the Dutchman notched his first win on Tour since early January.

Bharos had lost three consecutive qualifying matches heading into the event, but the 20-year-old brushed aside co-tournament organiser Ricardo Sardinha 11-1, 11-3, 11-2.

Sardinha’s Portuguese compatriot and colleague Milton Teixeira endured a similar fate, losing 11-3, 11-3, 11-4 to Spanish youngster Pascal Gomez, while unranked Irishman Michael Conroy suffered a thrashing at the hands of Egyptian Omar El Tahry.

Conroy, who won the pre-qualification regional tournament at the weekend, was bagelled in the opening game by the world number 428 and fared little better in the next two as El Tahry advanced 11-0, 11-1, 11-5.

Elsewhere, Portuguese trio Ricardo Santos, Pedro Gomes and Gonçalo Miranda all moved within one victory of a maiden PSA first round appearance after overcoming fellow countrymen Luis Ferreira, Carlos Delgado and Joao Gonçalves respectively.

Santos plays Ellis for a place in the main draw, while Gomes takes on Gomez and Miranda faces El Tahry.

First qualifying round results:
[1] Sam Ellis (ENG) 3-0 [L] António Gomes (POR) 11-2, 11-3, 11-1 (13m)
[L] Ricardo Santos (POR) 3-0 [L] Luis Ferreira (POR) 13-11, 11-2, 12-10 (25m)
[L] Pedro Gomes (POR) 3-0 [L] Carlos Delgado (POR) 11-2, 11-3, 11-9 (15m)
[3] Pascal Gomez (ESP) 3-0 [L] Milton Teixeira (POR) 11-3, 11-3, 11-4 (15m)
[4] Omar El Tahry (EGY) 3-0 [L] Michael Conroy (IRL) 11-0, 11-1, 11-5 (14m)
[L] Gonçalo Miranda (POR) 3-0 [L] Joao Gonçalves (POR) 11-1, 11-7, 11-2 (14m)
[5] Brian Byrne (IRL) 3-0 [L] Pedro Miranda (POR) 11-2, 11-1, 11-1 (8m)
[2] Roshan Bharos (NED) 3-0 [L] Ricardo Sardinha (POR) 11-1, 11-3, 11-2 (12m)

Final qualifying round draw (July 22):
[1] Sam Ellis (ENG) v [L] Ricardo Santos (POR)
[L] Pedro Gomes (POR) v [3] Pascal Gomez (ESP)
[4] Omar El Tahry (EGY) v L] Gonçalo Miranda (POR)
[5] Brian Byrne (IRL) v [2] Roshan Bharos (NED)

Report by Michael Catling