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TTI Milwaukee Hong Kong Squash Open 2023 – Day Four: Player Reaction
The bottom half of the third round draw takes place today of the TTI Milwaukee Hong Kong Squash Open 2023, with another eight matches to come.
Play starts at 12:00 (GMT+8) at the Hong Kong Squash Centre, and you can watch all eight matches live on SQUASHTV. Live scores can be viewed here.
Follow below for reports from all eight matches as well as post-match reaction from the winners.
Order of Play
Subramaniam Downs Naughton
Sivasangari Subramaniam is into a Platinum-level quarter final for the second time in her career after downing Hollie Naughton 3-0.
Subramaniam, who was victorious at the Hong Kong Football Club Open last week, continued her excellent streak of form with a comprehensive victory over the Canadian.
The Malaysian had the first game wrapped up in six minutes as she made another strong start to the second, cruising into an 8-2 lead with her shot selection forcing plenty of errors from Naughton’s racket.
Naughton, who claimed a big win in round two over World No.10 Olivia Weaver, regroup in the third to stay within a point of Subramaniam, who was able to pull clear and book her last eight place.
“i’m really pleased with how I played today against Hollie [Naughton] – she had a big win against Fiechter [Olivia Weaver]. In the previous rounds we’ve played on the normal courts and to shift to the glass court, it can be a bit tricky,” she said.
“Whoever adapts to it will win the match and I think I adapted well to it, I took the lead in most of the sets so I’m happy to get through to the quarters.
“This court is a bit dead compared to the normal courts. I managed to find my length and depth on the court and when I had the opportunity to go short I took my shots and that worked pretty well.”
Result
Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt Hollie Naughton (CAN) 3-0: 11-5, 11-5, 11-7 (23m)
Gilis Holds Off Perry
Nele Gilis chalked up her first-ever victory against Sarah-Jane Perry on the PSA World Tour as the World No.4 held off a terrific fightback from the Englishwoman.
Gilis, who had lost all four previous meetings with Perry, was taking on the World No.12 for the first time in three years – and the Belgian got off to the best possible start as she made life difficult for Perry in the opening game, taking an 11-3 win.
Perry picked up in the second as she was able to push Gilis into the back corners, however the Belgian’s physicality came to the fore as she went on to make it a two-game advantage.
In a crucial third game for Perry, the Englishwoman’s game management improved significantly as she started to dictate the play and find the back corners which were successful for her in the second game.
After taking the third, Perry battled back superbly to save both of Gilis’ match balls and it was Perry who converted her game ball opportunity to level the match.
Despite the momentum being with Perry, Gilis dominated the fifth and comfortably ran out to an 11-2 win to advance to the next round.
Post-match, Gilis said: “That was my first time beating SJ [Sarah-Jane Perry] and there’s a reason for that – she’s so tricky around the court and I think I was finding my targets well in the first two games.
“I knew in the back of my mind that she’s a fighter and she can come back. I lost my length and you can’t do that against her because she’ll pick you off and that’s what she did. All I can say is I’m proud that I managed to find a way to win it in the fifth because it’s so tough against SJ.
“It’s hard to find any momentum when it’s stop start and I think that favoured her a bit more. I tried to keep focus and stay in my own bubble and focus on the next point every time, but she made it tough for me.”
Result
[4] Nele Gilis (BEL) bt Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 3-2: 11-3, 11-7, 6-11, 10-12, 11-2 (66m)
ElShorbagy Overcomes Dussourd in Three
Marwan ElShorbagy came through a tough 55-minute battle with Auguste Dussourd to secure a quarter final spot.
In just the pair’s second meeting on the PSA World Tour, ElShorbagy’s 9-6 lead in the opening game was quickly wiped out by Dussourd who claimed four points in succession for game ball. ElShorbagy saved that one and saved the next two for the Frenchman before the Englishman converted his first game ball chance to draw first blood.
A rapid start from ElShorbagy to go 7-2 ahead was again pegged back by Dussourd to 7-7, but ElShorbagy got himself into a good position with two game balls. Both were squandered by ElShorbagy, who went on to have a further six game balls in the tiebreak as he clinched it at the eighth time of asking.
Dussourd and ElShorbagy continued to go toe-to-toe in the third game as the latter looked to seal the match with the solitary match ball he had, but the Frenchman’s retrievals kept posing more questions to the World No.8 before he closed it out.
“I’m happy with the way I played – I’m glad I kept my composure as it’s never easy to play Auguste [Dussourd], he’s a great player, he knows how to win and it’s always hard to play against someone who knows how to win,” he said.
“You can never be comfortable, I think I was up in most of the games but he did well to keep coming back in the first and the second.
“In the third I wanted to keep that lead and he was still managing to come back. I’m happy with the way I played but it needs to be more consistent.”
Result
[7] Marwan ElShorbagy (ENG) bt Auguste Dussourd (FRA) 3-0: 14-12, 18-16, 11-9 (55m)
ElShorbagy Continues Hot Start in Hong Kong
Mohamed ElShorbagy continued his excellent start at the Hong Kong Open with another 3-0 triumph, this time over Leandro Romiglio.
It was the second time they had met on the PSA Wold Tour after meeting at the New Zealand Open last year. ElShorbagy was victorious then in straight games and he repeated that feat again in Hong Kong.
Having dispatched Baptiste Masotti in straight games inside 23 minutes, ElShorbagy was once again in red hot form against Romiglio, taking the first emphatically 11-3.
The English No.1 backed that up with back-to-back 11-6 wins for a quarter final berth, where he face his brother Marwan who faced at the same stage at the Singapore Open a fortnight ago.
“Me and him [Leandro Romiglio] trained together in Prague and we know each other’s games very well. I’m really happy to win – it was played at a fast pace as I know it was his first time on this court and it’s a tricky one when you’ve not been on this court before.
“It’s a very unique court with the lighting, the colours and how much it’s in door. It’s a very different court, but he’s had two good wins against Greg Lobban and Adrian Waller. I’m happy for him to see him doing well like that.
“It was a fast pace at the beginning of the match as I needed to get some work into his lungs and legs a bit. I’m happy I got through in the end.”
Result
[4] Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG) bt Leandro Romiglio (ARG) 3-0: 11-3, 11-6, 11-6 (25m)
El Hammamy Powers Into Quarters With Mickawy Victory
Hong Kong Open defending champion Hania El Hammamy booked her spot in the quarter-finals after a straight-game victory over fellow Egyptian Zeina Mickawy.
El Hammamy raced out of the blocks at the start of the encounter, using her sharp movement and precise hitting to negate the attacking squash of her opponent, taking the first 11-6.
Mickawy and El Hammamy began to trade blows in the second, with El Hammamy, in particular, using the straight drive to her advantage. Despite World No.40 Mickawy taking the ball much earlier and pushing herself up the court, it was the No.2 seed who doubled her advantage after 18 minutes of action.
Mickawy, who claimed a big five-game win over Nour Aboulmakarim in the previous round, continued to test her opponent physically throughout the third, but time and again, El Hammamy would retrieve impressive balls across all four corners of the court. The Egyptian worked her way back from 6-2 down to draw parity, before eventually sealing the third 11-8.
Result:
[2] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt Zeina Mickawy (EGY) 3-0: 11-6, 11-8, 11-8 (36m)
Dominant Elaraby Sets Up El Hammamy tie
Egypt’s Rowan Elaraby continued her fine progress in Hong Kong after sealing a straight-game victory over Aifa Azman and setting up a quarter-final bout with No.2 seed Hania El Hammamy.
Elaraby, who enjoyed a fine win over compatriot Nada Abbas in the previous round, started strongly, moving into a 5-1 lead and never letting her foot off the gas. The No.8 seed kept the rallies short and sharp, generally playing with a high pace and forcing her opponent into mistakes.
After taking the first game 11-5, Elaraby continued to dominate the ’T’, with her Malaysian opponent struggling to get consistent positioning in the middle of the court. The Egyptian’s accurate play down both wings helped to double her advantage through an 11-5 scoreline.
The third proved to be a tighter affair, with Azman managing to push herself up the court and take the volley on with more success. Despite the third being poised at 9-9, it was the Egyptian who pulled away at the key moment, sealing victory after 29 minutes of action.
After the match, Elaraby said: “I’m really happy with my performance today, I think I played very well. It was a little bit messy at times, but I’m glad that I am through.
“I love playing short and I think I did them well today and I hope that I can play my best in the next rounds.
On her upcoming match against El Hammamy, she added: “I’m going to call my coaches, talk to them about my game plan and hopefully I can play my best squash and come away with the win tomorrow.”
Result:
[8] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt Aifa Azman (MAS) 3-0: 11-7, 11-5, 11-9 (29m)
Elias Advances After Gawad Injury
Peru’s Diego Elias advanced to the Hong Kong Open quarter-finals after his opponent Karim Abdel Gawad was forced to retire midway through the second game with a calf tear.
No.2 seed Elias had started the match in brilliant form, taking an early 11-4, 6-2 lead, before his Egyptian opponent pulled up and fell to the ground when chasing down a backhand drop shot in the front left corner.
Gawad, who captured the Grasshopper Cup and Ace Malaysia Cup titles earlier this season, was forced to retire after consulting with the physio on the court.
“It’s never nice to win like this. I think I was playing pretty well, I was feeling good on court, but it’s never nice to win like this.
“I hope Karim gets through the injury quick, and I hope to see him back soon.
“I feel really good right now in my game. I felt good in Singapore last week, and then this week I played very well in the second round and today I felt pretty good, so I’m excited for the next few matches.”
Result:
[2] Diego Elias (PER) bt Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 3-0: 11-4, 7-2, retired (21m)
Coll Battles Past Crouin In Four
World No.4 Paul Coll saw off the threat of Victor Crouin in four games to book his spot as the last quarter-finalist of the Hong Kong Open 2023.
The pattern of the match was clear from point one, with a number of lengthy rallies taking place in the opening game. It was Coll though who edged this physical battle, forcing the Frenchman into some hard movements, and the errors subsequently coming from the Frenchman’s racket.
The New Zealand No.1 took the 13-minute opening game 11-8, before a rejuvenated Crouin came out firing in the second. The World No.11 started to find his range at the front of the court, playing some exquisite strokes to take a 9-4 lead. And despite Coll rallying to bring the score back to 9-8, Crouin had enough to level proceedings at a game apiece.
Coll adopted a more aggressive mindset at the start of the third, utilising the front corners on a more regular basis and reaping the rewards of this tactical change, retaking the lead in the match through an 11-4 scoreline.
Crouin continued to fire a few of his own blows as the fourth progressed, but some ill-timed errors allowed Coll to advance into an insurmountable lead, eventually closing out the match out after 54 minutes on court.
After the match, Coll said: “We hadn’t played on the glass court before, so I just took a little bit to start seeing the ball. I was happy with how I was hitting it, but I would like to be a little ore aggressive with my movement and just try and see it a little earlier tomorrow.
“I thought the second ran away from me, but I used it in the right way to come back in the third, become more aggressive and pin him at the back and put some straight drops in.”
On his upcoming quarter-final against Diego Elias, he added: “We had a great match at the U.S. Open, so I’m sure he’s out for my blood, but I’m feeling good and I’m going to try and back up that U.S. Open win.”
Result:
[5] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Victor Crouin (FRA) 3-1: 11-8, 8-11, 11-4, 11-5 (54m)
