Garas and Eltayeb Cause Upsets On Opening Day Of Carol Weymuller Open

The opening day of the Carol Weymuller Open threw up a couple of surprises as Egypt’s Salma Eltayeb and Nardine Garas both downed higher-ranked opposition to move into the second round at the Heights Casino, Brooklyn.

Garas took on compatriot Nour Aboulmakarim on the opening day, and the match looked like it would go the way of the higher seed, as Aboulmakarim took a two game lead. She won both of the opening two games by an 11-9 scoreline to sit in a commanding position.

However, the World No.64 was able to fight back, winning the third game 11-8. She then continued her fight back, and despite being more than 20 places below her compatriot in the World Rankings, the match was pushed into a deciding game. There, it was Garas who took the victory, winning the fifth 11-8 to book her second round spot. She will now face No.2 seed Georgina Kennedy for a place in the quarter finals.

“I was very nervous because she’s older and is a higher seed. I play with Nour a lot in Egypt and this is actually the first time I have beaten her! It’s one of my biggest wins in my career!” Garas said after the victory.

The other surprise result on the opening day in Brooklyn saw another Egyptian, in Salma Eltayeb, get the better of Canada’s Nicole Bunyan. The World No.63 overcame the Canadian in straight games, needing less than 20 minutes to get the job done in an 11-6, 11-3, 11-4 victory. Eltayeb will now take on compatriot Mariam Metwally in the last 16.

Elsewhere, Zeina Mickawy, Yathreb Adel, Fayrouz Aboelkheir and Hana Moataz made it six Egyptian victories on the opening day in Brooklyn. The other two winners were Malaysia’s Aifa Azman and Japan’s Satomi Watanabe.

Mickawy will now take on top seed Olivia Fiechter, the World No.10, in the second round on Thursday evening. Egypt’s Salma Hany and American Sabrina Sobhy will also be looking to start strongly, when they do battle with Aboelkheir and Watanabe, respectively.

The second round of the PSA World Tour Bronze level competition will see the eight seeded players come into the draw. All the action will be streamed live on the Heights Casino’s YouTube channel here. You can also keep up to date with live scores from the tournament here.

First Round Results: Carol Weymuller Open
Zeina Mickawy (EGY) bt Millie Tomlinson (ENG) 3-2: 11-8, 11-2, 3-11, 5-11, 11-8 (49m)
Aifa Azman (MAS) bt Saskia Beinhard (GER) 3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 11-2 (22m)
Yathreb Adel (EGY) bt Nadia Pfister (SUI) 3-0: 11-5, 11-4, 11-2 (16m)
Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) bt Jana Shiha (EGY) 3-1: 11-9, 4-11, 11-5, 11-7 (36m)
Satomi Watanabe (JPN) bt Kenzy Ayman (EGY) 3-0: 12-10, 11-6, 11-3 (28m)
Hana Moataz (EGY) bt Ineta Mackevica (LAT) 3-0: 11-7, 11-7, 11-4 (19m)
Salma Eltayeb (EGY) bt Nicole Bunyan (CAN) 3-0: 11-6, 11-3, 11-4 (19m)
Nardine Garas (EGY) bt Nour Aboulmakarim (EGY) 3-2: 9-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-8 (47m)

Second Round Draw: To Be Played Thursday, January 12
[1] Olivia Fiechter (USA) v Zeina Mickawy (EGY)
Aifa Azman (MAS) v [8] Lucy Turmel (ENG)
[5] Emily Whitlock (WAL) v Yathreb Adel (EGY)
Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) v [3] Salma Hany (EGY)
[4] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) v Satomi Watanabe (JPN)
Hana Moataz (EGY) v [7] Joshna Chinappa (IND)
[6] Mariam Metwally (EGY) v Salma Eltayeb (EGY)
Nardine Garas (EGY) v [2] Georgina Kennedy (ENG)