Czech Open: Mueller Sees Off Serme, Harris Edges Thriller

Nicolas Mueller remains on course for a third consecutive Czech Open title, after beating Lucas Serme across three hard-fought games in the quarter-finals. 

The No.1 seed and two-time defending champion had to call on all his experience to see off the Frenchman, who pushed right until the end in Brno. 

Mueller took the first game 11-8 and was soon 8-4 up the second, but Serme responded by taking four of the next five points to make it 9-8, only for Mueller to hold off the charge and move two games clear. 

It was then Serme who found himself on top in game three, leading 8-5 and then 9-7, sitting just two points from forcing a fourth, before the Swiss veteran came back to slam the door shut, winning on a tie break 12-10. 

Mueller will play Raphael Kandra in the semi-finals, after the No.4 seed saw off the threat of Declan James. 

James was playing just his third tournament since returning from an achilles injury, and was unable to stay with the German, who ran out 3-0 winner in 40 minutes. 

The bottom half of the draw will see the No.2 and 3 seeds face off, with Patrick Rooney and Yahya Elnawasany easing through their quarter-final matchups. 

Rooney took just 36 minutes to beat Hungary’s Balazs Farkas, never dropping more than six points in a game, while the Egyptian might even lighter work of Portugal’s Rui Soares, spending less than half an hour on court in an 11-7, 11-3, 11-6 victory. 

In the women’s draw, Poland’s Sofi Zrazhevska ensured there would not be a clean sweep of the top four seeds in the semi-finals, knocking out Alison Thomson in five games. 

The unseeded Pole was one game away from defeat after losing games one and three to the Scot, but took control in the fourth, control that she would never give up, securing the last two games 11-7, 11-6. 

Zrazhevska will now face top seed Haya Ali for a spot in the final, with the Egyptian having also come through a five-game tussle with France’s Lauren Baltayan. 

The drama continued in the bottom half of the draw in the women’s competition too, with Tessa ter Sluis needed four games to beat Ali Loke, before Asia Harris and Léa Barbeau produced what was arguably the match of the day. 

Locked at two games apiece after 35 minutes, the pair went toe-to-toe through a nail-biting fifth, with Barbeau saving two match balls at 10-8 down, before Harris took her third opportunity to book her spot in the last four. 

Results: Men’s Quarter-Finals 

[1] Nicolas Müller (SUI) bt [5] Lucas Serme (FRA) 3-0: 11-8, 11-9, 12-10 (40m) 
[4] Raphael Kandra (GER) bt [8] Declan James (ENG) 3-0: 11-9, 11-2, 11-8 (40m) 
[3] Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) bt [7] Rui Soares (POR) 3-0: 11-7, 11-3, 11-6 (27m) 
[2] Patrick Rooney (ENG) bt [6] Balázs Farkas (HUN) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-5 (36m) 

Results: Women’s Quarter-Finals 

[1] Haya Ali (EGY) bt [5] Lauren Baltayan (FRA) 3-2: 7-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-8, 11-7 (46m) 
Sofi Zrazhevska (POL) bt [4] Alison Thomson (SCO) 3-2: 7-11, 11-4, 5-11, 11-7, 11-6 (57m) 
[3] Tessa ter Sluis (NED) bt [8] Ali Loke (WAL) 3-1: 11-7, 6-11, 11-9, 11-8 (35m) 
[2] Asia Harris (ENG) bt [7] Léa Barbeau (FRA) 3-2: 11-2, 4-11, 12-10, 8-11, 12-10 (49m) 

Draw: Men’s Semi-Finals 

[1] Nicolas Müller (SUI) v [4] Raphael Kandra (GER) 
[2] Patrick Rooney (ENG) v [3] Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) 

Draw: Women’s Semi-Finals 

[1] Haya Ali (EGY) v Sofi Zrazhevska (POL) 
[2] Asia Harris (ENG) v [3] Tessa ter Sluis (NED)