Hong Kong Football Club Open – Semi-Finals: Player Reaction

It’s semi-finals day of the Bronze-level Hong Kong Football Club Open as the last eight remaining players spar for a spot in the final.

Play begins at 17:00 (GMT+8) and all four matches will be streamed for free on SQUASHTV.

For more information on the Hong Kong Football Club Open 2023, visit the PSA website or follow the PSA on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

Order of Play

Subramaniam Downs Perry in Straight-Games to Reach Final

Sivasangari Subramaniam continued her brilliant run of form at the Hong Kong Football Club Open with a straight-game victory over No.2 seed Sarah-Jane Perry.

Coming into the match, Perry held a 4-0 head-to-head record and most recently defeated her opponent at the VITAGEN Singapore Open quarter-finals just last week.

The start of the match suggested that this winning trend for Perry may continue, with the Englishwoman racing out of the blocks and taking an 8-3 lead. However, Subramaniam started to settle into the match, finding her length and happy to punish and short balls in the middle of the court. The Malaysian started to find her groove, pick up the pace of rallies, and managed to claim eight consecutive points to take the first game.

The second was almost a carbon copy of the first, with Perry dictating terms early on and racing into an 8-1 lead. However, as was the case in the first, Subramaniam kept her cool and slowly reeled off point after point, gaining parity and subsequently doubling her advantage after a string of 10 points in a row.

Both players continued to trade blows in the third, displaying that they were happy to go short and use the boast on the slow-natured court inside the Hong Kong Football Club. However, it was Subramaniam who pressed on, moving from a 5-5 scoreline to eventually seal the third game 11-6 and progress to the final.

After the match, the No.7 seed said: “I feel really happy to be winning in the semi-finals today, but it was a bit weird on court today, in the first and second games I started off very slow, which I don’t normally do.

“I was 8-3 down in the first and 8-1 down in the second, but I just told myself to try and refocus in each point and stay positive. I was a bit sluggish at the start of each game, but I tried to increase the pace and get my follow-through going.

“I tried to reduce my errors and I’m just really happy with how I fought today.”

Result:

[7] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt [2] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 3-0: 11-8, 11-9, 11-6 (28m)

Eain Yow Topples Top Seed ElSherbini to Reach Maiden Bronze Final

Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng conquered No.1 seed Mohamed ElSherbini in straight games to reach his maiden Bronze-level final on the PSA World Tour.

Both players were happy to engage in lengthy rallies in a chess-like start to the match, with the pair trading points up to 7-7, however, it was Eain Yow who nicked the important first game after a brutal 19 minutes of play.

With ElSherbini having played two five-game duels in the last two days, Eain Yow seemed content to keep his patience in rallies before looking for the drop whenever his opponent was positioned deep in the court. The No.3 seed moved through the gears in the second to double his advantage thanks to an 11-5 scoreline.

As the match entered the third, the Malaysian continued to grow in confidence, finding a heavy length and forcing ElSherbini into some brutal movements. The Egyptian struggled to keep up with this pace and fell to defeat after 36 minutes of action.

After the match, Eain Yow said: “It was a tough match today, even if the scoreline didn’t really show it. There was a lot of discipline required in the first game and I had to make sure I kept to my game plan and not get too trigger-happy.

“I needed to play to my strengths as well, moving the ball towards the front, and after making a few errors early on I think I got the balance right, putting the ball really deep, before hitting a few more short.

On reaching his first Bronze final, he added: “I’m really excited. I know I’m capable of reaching these finals with the quality of squash I have been playing. I’m just going to back myself up again tomorrow and I just have to believe in myself on court.”

Result:

[3] Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bt [1] Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 11-5, 11-4 (36m)

Orfi Conquers Kennedy in Five-Game Thriller 

Egyptian 16-year-old Amina Orfi came from 2-1 down to defeat No.1 seed Georgina Kennedy in a five-game thriller and progress to the Hong Kong Football Club Open final. 

Despite the pair having never played on the PSA Tour, there was no time for figuring each other out, with the match played at lightning speed right from the very first point. The pair cancelled each other out in the early stages of the first game, both sticking to their trademark hard-hitting styles of play, but it was Orfi who found the upper hand to take the first 11-4. 

England No.1 Kennedy refused to go down without a fight though, storming out of the blocks in the second and starting to force some errors from the racket of the Egyptian teenager. The No.1 seed levelled proceedings and then took the lead for the first time in the match thanks to 11-8 and 11-5 wins.

However, there was one more twist to come in this relentless match, as World No.18 Orfi set up a deciding game and then took a slender lead in the latter stages of the fifth. 

At 9-7 up, Orfi hit a wonderful backhand drop shot into the nick to set up three match balls, and despite Kennedy saving one of these, the tie was sealed on a no-let decision against the Englishwoman. 

After the match, Orfi said: “It was a very tough match, because after the first game I was sort of tired even though I won 11-4, so after that, her experience won over me in the next two games. 

“In the last two games I just tried to focus on my squash and four on moving her around and not giving her any cheap opportunities and I think that worked out pretty well. 

On her final against Sivasangari Subramaniam, she said: “Siva is in very good form, and she beat Nour El Tayeb, so I know it is going to be a battle. I’m going to do my best to claim this title. I came a long way and it is just a matter of patience.”

Result:

[4] Amina Orfi (EGY) bt [1] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) 3-2: 11-4, 8-11, 5-11, 11-6, 11-8 (66m)

Faultless Eleinen Powers into Hong Kong Finals

Aly Abou Eleinen cruised into the Hong Kong Football Club finals after a near-faultless display against No.4 seed Iker Pajares.

Eleinen, who has enjoyed life on the feature court this week, continued where he left off from his quarter-final against Tsz Kwan Lau, keeping his lines and lengths tight and allowing the ball to die in the back of the court. Pajares, who arrived in Hong Kong on the back of a victory at the Niort Venise Verte, had no answers to this in the early stages of the affair, with the Egyptian taking the opener 11-2.

The second proved to be a tighter battle, with Pajares settling into his rhythm and engaging in some lengthy rallies with his opponent, but no matter the pressure, World No.19 Eleinen refused to budge. The lack of errors from the No.2 seeds racket ensured he never fell significantly behind in the second, eventually taking it 11-7.

Despite the two players trading points at the beginning of the third, Eleinen always looked in control, sealing his semi-final victory with an immaculate backhand drop-shot after 44 minutes of action.

“I’m super pleased,” Eleinen said after the match. “Getting a 3-0 win against Iker is never easy, it was physically tough, but I’m glad I got through.

“Like I’ve said all week, finding my length on this court has helped me a lot and I had never played Iker before, so I didn’t know what his strengths and weaknesses were, and in situations like these, you just have to stick to the basics and adjust your game, stay aware and pick up things here and there that you can use to your advantage.

“I’m super excited for the final. Right now I just need to recover, get a good night’s sleep and put myself in a good position to get the title.”

Result:

[2] Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) bt [4] Iker Pajares (ESP) 3-0: 11-2, 11-7, 11-5 (44m)