Open de France: Semi-Finals – Player Reaction

We’re down to the final four of the Open de France in the men’s and women’s draws, as the semi-finals take centre stage in Nantes.

The No.2 seed in the women’s draw Tinne Gilis takes on Egyptian teenager Fayrouz Aboelkheir first up, while Tinne’s sister Nele faces Tesni Evans of Wales in the other semi-final clash.

In the men’s tournament, No.1 seed Marwan ElShorbagy will lock horns with India’s No.1 Saurav Ghosal for a place in tomorrow’s final, and French duo Victor Crouin and Auguste Dussourd will battle it out for the other spot.

You can watch all four matches live on SQUASHTV, with play beginning from 19:30 (GMT+2). You can also keep up with the live scores from the event.

We’ll have all the reaction from the winners of tonight’s semi-finals right here.

Order of play

T. Gilis Eases Into Final

No.2 seed Tinne Gilis booked her place in the final of the Open de France after a straight sets victory over spirited teenager Fayrouz Aboelkheir.

The Belgian was 2-0 up quickly, winning 11-6 and 11-3, as she looked on course to seal her place in the final against Aboelkheir, who had grabbed headlines on her route to the last four after she dumped French No.1 Melissa Alves out in the second round.

The Egyptian teenager battled back in the third game to make it more difficult for Gilis, with the scores tied at 10-10.

However Gilis was able to shrug off a valiant display from Aboelkheir to seal the win and earn a place in tomorrow’s final.

Afterwards on court, she said: “I’m very happy. Tomorrow I’m going to play the biggest final of my career, so I’m very happy to get the win today. She’s (Abolkheir) a very young player, she’s only 16 years old and reaching the semi-finals of a bronze tournament is very impressive.

“She’s obviously very good and has a bright future, but I was just trying to focus on my game because one bad shot and you’re under pressure so I had to make sure I stayed focused. I might have lost my focus a bit at the end, but I’m happy I found it again and a way out. 

“Right now I can’t believe I’m going to play a final tomorrow so I’m just going to let it sink in for now. I’m going to enjoy the rest of the matches, enjoy the crowd, it’s been absolutely amazing and I’m having the best week of my life. This tournament has been great and I hope the crowd is going to enjoy it tonight with some great matches coming up!”

ElShorbagy Shrugs Off Ghosal Fightback To Reach Final

The No.1 seed in the men’s draw, Marwan ElShorbagy was able to shrug off a fightback from India’s No.1 Saurav Ghosal to advance to the final.

The Egyptian comprehensively won the first game, but a strong comeback from Ghosal in the second, where he saved three game balls, eventually came to no avail for the No.3 seed as ElShorbagy went 2-0 up.

ElShorbagy looked to be on course to cementing his place in tomorrow evening’s final as he stormed into a 7-1 lead, but the tenacious Ghosal battled back to halve the deficit, taking the third game 13-11.

Ghosal was finding his groove after clawing his way back into the contest, however it was ElShorbagy who was able to prevail in the fourth game – clinching it 13-11 and sealing his place in the final where he will meet either Victor Crouin or Auguste Dussourd.

“First I want to thank the crowd for giving us this atmosphere – this is the best atmosphere I’ve ever played in!” ElShorbagy said.

“I’ve played in the PSA for ten years, I’m loving this experience and I’m really happy me and Saurav put on a great show. It was a great match, very tough mentally and physically, he’s a great player and I think this is the first time I’ve beaten him on the PSA World Tour. He’s a top player and a player I really admire a lot, and I wish him all the best for the rest of the season. 

“Saurav is a very skilful player, very fast to the front and he’s good with the hands. He took me out of my comfort zone and I found it a little bit tough to come back mentally from that, but I’m really happy with the way I came back in the fourth game.

“I almost screwed up another lead, but I’m just really happy with my performance. I think overall there are still a few bits I can improve. It’s not the first time that it’s happened where I almost messed up a lead, but overall I’m happy with the way I’m hitting the ball and the way I’m moving. I’m looking forward to the final tomorrow.”

Nele Gilis Battles Back To Face Sister Tinne In Final

Top seed Nele Gilis will face off against her sister Tinne in tomorrow’s final after she battled back to see off No.3 seed Tesni Evans.

It was a tightly contested match between the two, who were meeting for the fifth time on the PSA World Tour, that went the distance of five games in 77 bruising minutes.

Despite saving a game ball to force a tie breaker, it was Evans who came out on top to take the first game.

Shorter rallies in the second game came up trumps for Gilis as she made it one game apiece. A tight affair in game three saw Gilis produce a sublime shot to save a game ball, but Evans capitalised on the two rallies which ensued to reclaim her lead.

But Gilis, the World No.13, restored parity again in game four and the 26-year-old proved to be too strong for Evans in the decider after the scores were locked at 5-5, setting up a meeting with her sister in the final tomorrow night.

“So many things were going through my mind, but I really enjoyed this match from start to finish,” Gilis said on court afterwards.

“I thought it was really good squash, really clean squash, we both enjoyed it, I think the crowd enjoyed it. When I went 2-1 down, in my mind I was thinking I’m almost on the plane home!

“But I’m glad I found a way to win. I want to thank the crowd because the energy, as players we can really feel it on court. 

“It means so much. Coming back, this is my biggest final so far and I get to play it against my sister. My mum came over from Belgium so it’s going to be extra special. I’m really happy and I’m really excited!”

Crouin Breezes Into Final

French No.1 Victor Crouin cruised into the final on home court after dispatching his compatriot Auguste Dussourd in straight sets.

Crouin, who reached the final of the Qatar Classic last week, will have another opportunity to claim some silverware when he takes on No.1 seed Marwan ElShorbagy tomorrow evening.

The 23-year-old played with the confidence that was on display in Doha last week that saw him earn a place in the final against Marwan’s brother, Mohamed.

Crouin comfortably went 1-0 up when he took the first game 11-4, before winning the second and third games 11-6 and 11-7, respectively against his fellow countryman.

“It’s great to play in front of that crowd. We don’t play that often in France, usually we just play local events and it’s nice to have a small community in a club to watch us and support us,” Crouin said on court afterwards.

“This is one of the biggest events on tour, this is one of biggest crowds we have on tour and it’s very enjoyable to play.

“I think it’s the seventh time we’ve played against each other (Crouin and Dussourd). I studied a lot today because I’m very studious. We know each other very well, it’s always a tough battle, I never feel comfortable playing on court against Auguste which shows how good he is.

“I’m really proud of the improvements I’ve made to win in three today because it’s really tough mentally to stay focussed during the entire match, especially at that time. Really proud to win in three, that’s really important, I’m fresh for tomorrow and hopefully I can go one more.”