Gilis Survives Hany Resurgence To Win Five-Game Epic In El Gouna International Quarter-Final

In a thrilling El Gouna International quarter-final, Belgium’s Tinne Gilis defeated Salma Hany in spite of the Egyptian levelling the match from 2-0 down.

The Belgian had won on both previous meetings between the two players: in the 2022 Singapore Squash Open and 2023 Qatar Classic, during which Hany has only taken one game. The World No.12 reached the quarter-finals with a shock win over Gilis’ sister and World No.4 Nele Gilis.

The No.7 seed started well in the first game, causing issues for the Egyptian as she disrupted her play. The match stayed level to 5-5, but the World No.9 pushed on from there and earned four game balls, converting on the third time of asking with a backhand drop from the back of the court.

Hany looked out-of-sorts from the start of the second game. Gilis’ movements and shots both looked impeccable, and the Belgian scored 11 points without response to double her lead.

The third game saw a response from the Egyptian as she fought Gilis to 4-4. An ace from Hany gave the Egyptian a 6-4 lead and the No.7 seed rallied back to level at 7-7, but Hany’s saw a second wind in the game as she earned three game balls, winning 11-7 with a back-hand crosscourt.

The contest remained close in the fourth game, as the players battled to to 7-7. In a frantic end to the match. Gilis earned a match ball at 10-9, but after referee Donny Warner gave a no let in favour of the Egyptian to the surprise of the Belgian, Hany came back to win the game 12-10 and level the match at 2-2.

Gilis controlled the fast pace of game five, and dominated in a similar manner to the second game as she raced to an 8-2 lead, before earning six match balls. The World No.9 booked her place in the semi-finals with a to make it 11-5.

Afterwards, Gilis said: “I started the match with a lot of confidence. I know what she’s capable of but I just felt really good on court and enjoying my time. In the first two games I felt like everything was going pretty well but in the third I think she thought she had nothing to lose and just fought her way back in and she did that pretty well. She wasn’t missing but I was missing my targets.

“I’m just happy and very relieved I managed to sneak the fifth, now I’ll reset and focus on what I did well.”

On Hany’s movement and the traffic issues during the match, Gilis said: “There was some traffic sometimes. There were definitely some dodgy movements but I think the ref did well to punish her or give me a let when she did a bad movement. I’m happy I didn’t let that into my head and kept focusing on my own targets.

“It was crucial [having Gregory Gaultier coaching her]. Greg made a big difference for me. Not even just today, I’ve had some very tough matches and it was just little things that I didn’t see and he sees so well. His knowledge of the game is so big.”

For updates on the El Gouna International Squash Open 2024, visit the PSA website or follow the PSA on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Result:
[7] Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt Salma Hany (EGY) 3-2: 11-8, 11-0, 7-11, 10-12, 11-5 (68m)