Masotti Upsets Miescher to Reach Swiss Open Main Draw

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France’s Baptiste Masotti produced a remarkable comeback against home hope Patrick Miescher in the final qualifying round of the Swiss IT Factory Swiss Open, PSA M10 tournament – overturning a 2-0 deficit to qualify for the main draw.

Backed on by a partizan crowd, Switzerland’s Miescher stormed to a 2-0 lead, before being pegged back by Masotti to set up a deciding fifth game. A rally later, Miescher was forced off court due to injury after being accidentally struck by Masotti. The World No.192 was able to carry on, but was blown away by the Frenchman in a frantic ending to the match, which Masotti claimed courtesy of an 8-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-6 scoreline.

Masotti will take on seventh seed Joe Chapman in round one of the main draw, with Chapman aiming to make it to the quarter-final of a PSA World Tour event for the first time since November.

Elsewhere, Martin Svec of the Czech Republic progressed to the main draw action after seeing off Switzerland’s Remo Handl in four. The opening exchanges were closely-contested, but Svec pulled away with the scores level at 1-1 to seal his spot in the next round, where he will do battle with Germany’s Jens Schoor.

Svec’s compatriot, Daniel Mekbib, is also through to the next stage after seeing off Benjamin Aubert with a 3-1 win to set up a first round fixture with Danish second seed Kristian Frost Olesen.

Egypt’s Saadeldin Abouaish was the other victor in the final round of qualifying after he dispatched Jonas Daehler, and he will go head-to-head with Dutchman Sebastiaan Weenink.

Results – Final Qualifying Round: Swiss IT Factory Swiss Open 2016
Baptiste Masotti (FRA) bt [3] Patrick Miescher (SUI) 3-2: 8-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-6 (50m)
[1] Martin Svec (CZE) bt [5] Remo Handl (SUI) 3-1: 11-7, 7-11, 11-7, 11-1 (34m)
[2] Daniel Mekbib (CZE) bt [4] Benjamin Aubert (FRA) 3-1: 11-7, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8 (46m)
[7] Saadeldin Abouaish (EGY) bt Jonas Daehler (SUI) 3-0: 11-6, 11-9, 11-4 (28m)

Main Draw – First Round
[1] Joe Lee (ENG) v Ammar Altamimi (KUW)
[Q] Saadeldin Abouaish (EGY) v [8] Sebastiaan Weenink (NED)
[6] Shehab Essam (EGY) v [Q] Benjamin Aubert (FRA)
[Q] Martin Svec (CZE) v [4] Jens Schoor (GER)
[3] Tom Ford (ENG) v [Q] Jonas Daehler (SUI)
[Q] Baptiste Masotti (FRA) v [7] Joe Chapman (IVB)
[5] Joshua Larkin (AUS) v [WC] Dimitri Steinmann (SUI)
[Q] Daniel Mekbib (CZE) v [2] Kristian Frost Olesen (DEN)