Optasia Championships 2024: Quarter-Finals – Afternoon Session

In the first quarter-finals session of Optasia Championships 2024, No.2 and No.3 seeds Paul Coll and Mostafa Asal made it through to the semi-finals, while Nada Abbas came back from 2-0 down to beat Tesni Murphy, and No.1 seed Nele Gilis defeated Hana Moataz

Abbas Recovers To Best Murphy

The first quarter-final looked to be producing the first seeding upset as Wales’ Tesni Murphy raced out of the blocks to take a two-game lead over No.3 seed Nada Abbas. Murphy took control from the outset of both games, converting an 8-4 lead in the first and an 8-2 opening to the second to lead 11-7, 11-5.

The Welsh No.1, who spent the majority of the last few years ranked above Abbas before dropping in the last 18 months, took the opening point of the third game but was never ahead again as Abbas mounted a tremendous recovery.

The Egyptian went 4-1 up in the third game, reducing the deficit 11-5 with Murphy getting frustrated with some decisions not going her way, before Abbas converted a 7-1 opening to the game four to level the match 11-3. The No.3 seed held the lead throughout the decider, pulling clear from 4-3 to 10-3 and booking her semi-final spot on her second match ball with a delicate boast that left Murphy stranded.

“I’m really happy with my fightback,” said Abbas after the match. “I think the old me would’ve just let it go and wouldn’t fight back so I’m really proud that I dug deep and kept pushing and I’m really proud I got the win.

“I think I was kind of passive in the first two games. I was allowing her to play her game. She was slowing the pace and I wasn’t doing anything about it. I tried to inject the pace a little bit in the second game and I tried to volley back every time she volleyed and not allow her slow down the pace.”

Coll denies Masotti another Wimbledon Semi-Final

Taking on No.2 seed Paul Coll for another semi-final appearance, France’s Baptiste Masotti made a convincing start, matching the World #3 New Zealander throughout an 18-minute first game where Coll could never quite pull clear. At 9-8, Masotti slipped on the way to the ball then tinned the subsequent match ball as Coll took the lead.

Masotti continued to press at the start of the second, but became increasingly distracted by moisture on the floor, and Coll took advantage by racing through from 5-4 to 11-4 to double his lead in ten minutes.

It was a similar pattern in the third as Coll stepped up the pressure from 6-6 and closed out the match 11-7 to reach the semi-finals.

“I’m very happy with my lengths,” said Coll after the match. “I think I found it better than the first match. I maybe could’ve been more aggressive a couple of times but I know the danger he possesses and you have to be quite calculated with your attacks and your balls. I’m very happy to get through that in three.

“I always try and use my speed to attack and really get into those front  corners. There’s a couple of times on the backhand that I went in a bit slow and a bit big but I’m really happy with the intent I showed in the match.”

Gilis Makes The Semi-Final In Style

Top seed Nele Gilis was given a bit of a test by No.8 seed Hana Moataz, who proved difficult to shake off during their three-game quarter-final encounter, but the Belgian came through comfortably enough, if a little to her own relief.

All three games were evenly contested for their first two thirds, but Gilis found the way, taking runs of points at the end of the first two games, winning both from 7-6 then crucially extending from 7-6 to 10-6 in the third before sealing the victory on her third match ball.

“It definitely wasn’t as easy as the scores may tell you,” said Gilis after the match. “She’s a very aggressive and great player, and it was very difficult to put my game onto her. Anything short or loose, she just attacked me.

“It’s very easy to get stuck into their game and hit it hard. I just had to take a step back and focus on what I was doing. I just focused on finding my good length again and taking some pace off the ball. Once I did that, I felt that I was winning rallies again.”

Asal Battles Past Makin

Egypt’s Mostafa Asal continued his quest for the Optasia title in his maiden appearance, eventually overpowering Wales’ Joel Makin in three tough games.

The Welshman more than held his own in the opening game, despite falling 9-3 down as Asal powered through the opening rallies. Makin became more comfortable chasing down the Egyptian’s powerful drives and started to force errors from his opponent’s racket as he levelled the game 9-9 with the crowd very much behind him. Asal regained the lead 10-9, 11-10 and 12-11, finally taking the lead 13-11 after 27 minutes of compelling action.

Makin admits he isn’t back to match fitness after a difficult few months, and it showed in the following games as Asal took them both 11-4 to advance to the semi-finals.

“Joel is a really tough player,” said Asal after the match. “It’s hard battle between us alway. It’s very physical, very tough. It’s unreal what he’s doing, the physicality and the gym stuff. I’m proud of my performance today, the crowd is full.

“I played some amazing squash in the second game and I’m proud of it.”

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Results: Optasia Championships 2024 Day Four (Quarter-Final) Afternoon Session
[3] Nada Abbas (EGY) bt [5] Tesni Murphy (WAL) 3-2: 7-11, 5-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-4 (53m)
[2] Paul Coll (NZL) bt [8] Baptiste Masotti (FRA) 3-0: 11-8, 11-4, 11-7 (45m)
[1] Nele Gilis (BEL) bt [8] Hana Moataz (EGY) 3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 11-8 (37m)
[3] Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt [6] Joel Makin (WAL) 3-0: 13-11, 11-4, 11-4 (52m)