Canadian Men’s Open 2024 Day Two – As It Happens

The Canadian Men’s Open 2024 Presented by AirSprint Private Aviation resumes today, with eight matches taking place on the show court at the Bow Valley Athletic Club as the seeded players enter the draw, including former World No.1 Diego Elias and Canadian No.1 David Baillargeon.

All eight matches will be played on the glass court, and you can watch live on SQUASHTV from 12:00 (GMT-7).

We’ll be bringing all the results and reactions from the day, while you can follow the live scores on the PSA Live Scores page.

Steinmann too strong for Soares

In the first match of the day, Swiss No.7 seed Dimitri Steinmann cruised past Portugal’s Rui Soares to reach the last eight.

Steinmann, whose attacking display proved too much for Soares to handle, was on top throughout the contest, taking the lead through an 11-7 game one win.

Soares caused the Swiss No.2 some nervy moments in the second game, with the Portugal No.1 saving five game balls before eventually losing out 11-9, with the No.7 seed going on to take the third game 11-2 to win it in 36 minutes.

“I really enjoy being here, it’s one of my favourite tournaments on the circuit, being in the mall with so many people here watching,” Steinmann said afterwards.

“Those first two games were tough and Rui kept me busy and was asking the right questions. I’m happy I pulled away in the third game.

“Having Nikki [Mueller] as a role model since I was a kid helps the younger generation like Yannick [Wilhelmi] and me to really focus. The secret ingredient is Nikki!

“Thanks for tuning in. It’s always a real honour with everyone staying up late when we play in North America – I hope they weren’t listening to what I was saying on court!”

Result – Second Round: Canadian Men’s Open 2024 Presented by AirSprint Private Aviation
[7] Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) bt Rui Soares (POR) 3-0: 11-7, 11-9, 11-2 (36m)

Farkas stuns No.4 seed Al Tamimi

In the shock of the tournament so far, Hungarian No.1 Farkas Balazs took down No.4 seed Abdulla Al Tamimi to reach a first ever Silver-level quarter-final.

The World No.53, who yesterday impressed in a 3-0 win over Alejandro Reyes, was dominant all over court, attacking well at the front and back and pouncing on Al Tamimi’s frequent errors.

After taking a stop-start opening game 11-5, Farkas doubled his advantage against the struggling Al Tamimi with a well-earned 11-8 win in game two.

The Hungarian then pressed on in the third, reading the World No.21’s attacks time and again to send shockwaves through the tournament.

Afterwards, he said: “It means a lot. I’ve been working at home to play better and better and today he made a few more errors than usual and I tried to play without mistakes.

“The first round was really good and now against Tamimi, he’s a top top player and so I’m really happy!”

Result – Second Round: Canadian Men’s Open 2024 Presented by AirSprint Private Aviation
Farkas Balazs (HUN) bt [4] Abdulla Al-Tamimi (QAT) 3-0: 11-5, 11-8, 11-8 (40m)

Last Canadian Standing Baillargeon Fights Back To Reach Quarters

In an exciting contest, last Canadian standing and No.8 seed David Baillargeon put in a crowd-pleasing performance as he came from behind to beat Japan’s Ryunosuke Tsukue for the first time.

Tsukue, who had won all three of their previous meetings, initially looked to be extending that record when he edged the first game 12-10.

Baillargeon, however, fought back excellently. The 27-year-old pushed up the court in game two and was rewarded with an 11-7 win to restore parity.

From here, the Canadian looked in control as Tsukue began to tire and, roared on by the home crowd, the World No.45 completed the comeback with an 11-4 win in game three and an 11-6 in game four.

Afterwards, he said: “I’m super relieved, to be honest. I’ve had an injury over Christmas and have struggled. I’ve had one win and five losses since Christmas. But I knew this tournament was an opportunity to do well. I had some extra pressure on myself here in Canada because I’ve been doing well on this court. But it feels super good to win this match!”

Result – Second Round: Canadian Men’s Open 2024 Presented by AirSprint Private Aviation
[8] David Baillargeon (CAN) bt Ryunosuke Tsukue (JPN) 3-1: 10-12, 11-7, 11-4, 11-6 (50m)

Wilhelmi Downs Dussourd

Switzerland’s Yannick Wilhelmi successfully navigated his way through to the quarters after overcoming French No.6 seed Auguste Dussourd, who struggled throughout the match with an injury.

World No.28 Dussourd went into the contest as favourite, but was immediately hampered in the opening rally of the match when he pulled up clutching his calf.

The Frenchman opted to continue, but his movement was laboured as he struggled to deal with shots to the front.

For his part, Wilhelmi managed the situation well, opening up a 2-0 lead with 11-3 and 11-4 wins.

The danger presented by Dussourd even while not fully fit was on display in game three as the Frenchman fired in accurate winners early on.

Wilhelmi, however, was able to reset and took a seemingly insurmountable 9-5 lead.

Incredibly, Dussourd somehow hung on, with the French No.3 moving better as he chipped away at Wilhelmi’s lead, scoring six unanswered points to pull a game back with an 11-9 win.

Wilhelmi, though, did not appear to be rattled by the manner of the third game, and the 23-year-old booked his spot in the last eight with a comfortable 11-3 victory in game four.

“All credit to Auguste, who played a good match but I’m very happy to be in the next round. There’s no pressure tomorrow, with nothing to lose!” Wilhelmi said afterwards.

Result – Second Round: Canadian Men’s Open 2024 Presented by AirSprint Private Aviation
Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) bt [6] Auguste Dussourd (FRA) 3-1: 11-3, 11-4, 9-11, 11-3 (46m)

Efficient Elias Eases Through

Top seed Diego Elias opened his account with a confident performance against an in-form Todd Harrity to move through to the quarters.

Elias was tested by Harrity in game one, but was able to maintain a lead throughout, with the Peruvian taking the opener 11-8.

The World No.3 then pushed on, taking game two 11-3 and then finishing things with an 11-5 win in game three.

Afterwards, he said: “I know sometimes it doesn’t look so tough from the outside, but it’s actually really tough.

“Even if it’s half an hour, it’s very high paced and tiring.

“I’m very happy to be playing here in Canada again at a big event. It’s great for Canadian Squash and squash in America in general.”

On how he has improved over the years, Elias said: “All the effort and sacrifices I put in from the start, with my dad, coming from Peru with no one to play and meeting Jonathon Power at 14 and coming to Toronto to train with him and I think that also gave me the push to start playing better.”

Result – Second Round: Canadian Men’s Open 2024 Presented by AirSprint Private Aviation
[1] Diego Elias (PER) bt Todd Harrity (USA) 3-0: 11-8, 11-3, 11-5 (37m)

Hesham too hot to handle

No.2 seed Mazen Hesham booked his spot in the last eight with a comfortable win over training partner Tom Walsh.

Hesham took the opening game 11-6 before moving 2-0 up with an 11-7 win in game two.

The Egyptian appeared to want the match over as soon as possible in game three, often serving quickly and hurrying his opponent and referee Ben Groot along.

Despite a valiant rearguard from Walsh, Hesham was able to close out the match in straight games, with the Egyptian taking game three 11-8.

“From the moment I arrived, everyone’s been very welcoming and excited to watch the squash this week,” Hesham said.

“Hopefully, we’ll be up to the task and you can enjoy us playing here this week.

“I try to have fun wherever I play, however I play and I think it shows. I hope you’re enjoying it and hopefully we’ll see lots of Falcons in the future!”

Result – Second Round: Canadian Men’s Open 2024 Presented by AirSprint Private Aviation
[2] Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt Tom Walsh (ENG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 11-8 (41m)

Mueller outmaneuvers Singh

Swiss No.5 seed Nicolas Mueller fought his way past India’s Abhay Singh in a fast-paced shootout in the day’s penultimate match.

Both players came out firing in game one, with Mueller hitting his targets better as he took the lead with an 11-7 win.

Both men continued to be positive in game two, and Singh deservedly levelled the score with an 11-8 victory.

Perhaps spurred on by that game two loss, Mueller regained the initiative, upping the tempo to take the third game 11-5 and then the fourth 11-4.

After the match, Mueller said: “It was a really good match and the crowd got into it. It was entertaining for us and I hope you enjoyed that one!

“The altitude isn’t much of a change as I’m from Switzerland, but I think it’s a completely different game here [in Calgary]. You shouldn’t go too hard because once you’re in oxygen debt it’s hard to get out of it.

“I took it easy every now and again.”

Result – Second Round: Canadian Men’s Open 2024 Presented by AirSprint Private Aviation
[5] Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt Abhay Singh (IND) 3-1: 11-7, 8-11, 11-5, 11-4 (38m)

Soliman Dominates v Poleshchuk

In the last match of the day, Egyptian No.3 seed Youssef Soliman made short work of Israel’s Daniel Poleshchuk.

The Egyptian came out early with some ferocious line hitting, which Poleshchuk had no answer to.

After taking the first game 11-2, Soliman took complete control with an 11-5 win in game two, before completing the rout with an 11-3 in game three.

“It’s good to have a solid first round,” Soliman said afterwards.

“It boosts your confidence for the next one.

“I just tried to move him around because I didn’t really know what to expect from him.”

Result – Second Round: Canadian Men’s Open 2024 Presented by AirSprint Private Aviation
[3] Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt Daniel Poleshchuk (ISR) 3-0: 11-2, 11-5, 11-3 (28m)