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Hong Kong Open Day Three – Player Reaction
The Everbright Securities International Hong Kong Squash Open continues today and we’ll have reports and reaction from the third round matches at the Hong Kong Squash Centre right here.
2016 champion Nouran Gohar kicks things off against England’s Jasmine Hutton at 12:00 (GMT+8) with the likes of Hania El Hammamy, Diego Elias and Mohamed ElShorbagy to follow later on.
You can watch all the action on SQUASHTV, while live scoring is available here.
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Order of Play
(All times are local GMT+8)
Gohar Advances Into Quarter-Finals
World No.1 Nouran Gohar moved into the last eight of the Hong Kong Open after she overcame England’s Jasmine Hutton to record an 11-5, 11-6, 9-11, 11-3 victory in 48 minutes.
Gohar, the 2016 Hong Kong Open champion, is aiming to reach her 12th PSA final of 2022, which would see her equal the women’s record currently shared by Australian duo Sarah Fitz-Gerald and Michelle Martin.
The 25-year-old played at an unrelenting pace and gave Hutton no time to settle in a one-sided first game. The English player tried to use the boast to throw her opponent off, but Gohar was equal to the task every time.
Hutton was much improved in the second game as the World No.26 executive some fine kills into the front of the court. However, back-to-back errors with the scores locked at 6-6 proved to be her undoing, with Gohar quickly putting the game to bed after claiming five points on the bounce.
Hutton came out on the offensive in the third game and earned a 7-4 lead after hitting her length to the back of the court and putting in some well-timed boasts. Some errors brought Gohar back into touching distance, but Hutton kept her nerve and hit some terrific winners to halve the deficit.
A fired up Gohar took no prisoners in the fourth game though, quickly building up an unassailable lead and hitting her drives to perfection to seal the win. A quarter-final fixture with either No.6 seed Rowan Elaraby or Japan’s Satomi Watanabe awaits ‘The Terminator’.
“Jasmine played really well today and she brought her ‘A’ game,” said Gohar.
“Everyone who plays against me brings their ‘A’ game. The conditions were very different, yesterday the AC was on and it was very cool whereas today it was very warm and hot. It was a bit different but I had to adapt and find a way to win.
“She played well from the beginning. When I was 2-0 up, I wouldn’t say it was comfortable, but 11-5 and 11-6 wasn’t too close. She was playing well and I could feel it. There were a couple of errors at crucial times so she could grab the third, but I’m happy the way I came back in the fourth.
“It’s always good to have some long rallies and a bit of a fight to get ready for the next match because it gets harder and harder every single round. I’m very pumped up for the quarter-finals and I can’t wait to compete again.”
Result
[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt Jasmine Hutton (ENG) 3-1: 11-5, 11-6, 9-11, 11-3 (48m)
Watanabe Becomes First Japanese Player to Reach a Platinum Quarter Final
World No.40 Satomi Watanabe has become the first Japanese player in history to reach the quarter-finals of a PSA World Tour Platinum event after she produced an incredible performance to upset No.6 seed Rowan Elaraby.
The 23-year-old from Yokohama was sublime throughout and recorded a landmark 11-9, 11-13, 11-8, 11-9 victory to set up a mouthwatering last eight battle with World No.1 Nouran Gohar.
It looked for all the world that Elaraby would take an opening-game lead after a strong start from the World No.7 put her 9-4 up, but as soon as her accuracy dropped off, Watanabe found a way back into the match and put seven straight points on the board to go a game to the good.
A confident Watanabe picked off her opponent in the opening exchanges of the second game but squandered two game ball opportunities, hitting the tin at crucial times to hand Elaraby a lifeline, which the Egyptian duly took to level the scores.
Both players exchanged winners and errors in the opening stages of the third game, but Watanabe found her accuracy towards the end of the game and played the important points well to restore her lead. The Japanese player was now on a roll and she absorbed Elaraby’s attempts to attack in the fourth game to secure a massive win.
“I’m really happy but I still can’t believe that I’ve done that,” said Watanabe.
“There have been a lot of Japanese players on the PSA Tour. It’s really hard to get into the top eight of a Platinum event, even though Misaki [Kobayashi, the highest ranked Japanese player] reached No.29. I’m really happy I have achieved this, but I want to go for more, so I wouldn’t say I’m too happy about it.
“I’ve been playing some really good squash, so that gives me a lot of confidence. I hope this goes on.
“I’ve never shared a court with her [Gohar] before, but it’s going to be a tough match. I’m really looking forward it to it, and I’ll just try to enjoy the match.”
Result
Satomi Watanabe (JPN) bt [6] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) 3-1: 11-9, 11-13, 11-8, 11-9 (44m)
Elias Ousts Rooney in Three
Peru’s Diego Elias has booked his spot in the last eight of the Hong Kong Open for the first time courtesy of a convincing 3-0 victory over World No.22 Patrick Rooney.
The last meeting between the pair saw Rooney take Elias all the way to five games in a gripping first round clash during May’s PSA World Championships, but it was a more comfortable match for the latter today, who displayed impeccable ball control and shot selection throughout the 42-minute affair.
Elias was able to work Rooney around the court and fire in his attacks whenever the Englishman was out of position. The game was played at a pace which suited the languid Peruvian and his patient approach to constructing the rallies paid off as he closed out an 11-5, 11-7, 11-6 victory.
The No.2 seed will go up against either Egypt’s Youssef Soliman or Frenchman Auguste Dussourd for a place in the semi-finals.
“I think I played a good match today,” said Elias.
“Patrick is a very good player, very talented, and I knew it was going to be very tough with a lot of pace from the beginning, so I think it worked.
“We played at the World Championships in May and we went to five games. He played a very good match and I think I didn’t play the right tactics in that match, I think I played too slow and he played very well. Today I didn’t want to give him any time on the ball and I tried to keep the pace high.
“I like this court, it suits my game. I think I played very well today and yesterday and I hope I can keep going like this for the rest of the week.
“I have a rest day tomorrow then I play either Youssef Soliman or Auguste Dussourd. I think that could be a close match, but I’m going to rest and get ready for it.”
Result
[2] Diego Elias (PER) bt Patrick Rooney (ENG) 3-0: 11-5, 11-7, 11-6 (42m)
Soliman Takes Out Dussourd
World No.12 Youssef Soliman booked his spot in the last eight courtesy of a 15-13, 11-3, 11-8 win over unseeded Frenchman Auguste Dussourd.
Soliman, the No.8 seed for the event, won the opening game on a tie-break after a series of lengthy, attritional rallies. Both players adopted a cautious approach, aiming to squeeze errors out of each other, with Soliman taking the game by the narrowest of margins after initially going 5-0 down.
The second game saw Soliman completely switch up his tactics as he stepped up the court and got on the volley whenever he could, and the second game quickly went in the Egyptian’s favour.
It was Dussourd’s turn to attack in the third and he was initially rewarded for his bravery with a 4-1 lead. Soliman was able to work his way back into the game, elongating the rallies where necessary to force Dussourd to play one extra shot every time. That approach worked as he closed out the win to set up a quarter-final match with No.2 seed Diego Elias.
“The first game was tricky, so it was good to close that one out, things started to become easier and the court is quite tricky so it was good to get used to it,” said Soliman.
“I’m happy to be through in three. I remember I was down [in the first game], so it was good to not lose it because if he took it then I would get more tense and he would relax. I’m glad I won it and kept it up and it made it easier for me. I think if he had it then the games would have been harder.
“I’m excited to get on court with Diego. We’re the same age and we’ve played each other in the World Junior finals, but he’s been playing well and I think I’ve been playing well, too. It’s good to test myself against him, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Result
[8] Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt Auguste Dussourd (FRA) 3-0: 15-13, 11-3, 11-8 (53m)
El Tayeb Comes From Behind To Secure Quarter-Final Place
Nour El Tayeb fought back from one game down to defeat her compatriot Fayrouz Aboelkheir to reach the last eight.
16-year-old Egyptian Aboelkheir took the lead when she secured the first game 11-9, but El Tayeb’s experience began to show as she stormed back in the second to level the match with an 11-9 victory.
El Tayeb, who reached the final of the Hong Kong Open back in 2014, made a blistering start to the third, eventually winning 11-9 to move 2-1 up before rounding off an impressive display with 11-4 victory in the fourth to confirm her place in the quarter-finals.
“We’ve played a little bit back home in Egypt, so I knew what to expect,” she said.
“She goes for flashy winners at every occasion. She’s only 16 and I’m approaching 30, so I can’t believe this is the age gap between us. I’m very proud of my performance, I had to dig in and I was a bit nervous before the match.
“She took advantage of that and she plays a game which is not very good if you are nervous because she attacks at every occasion.
“It’s normal when you play someone young [to be nervous]. I want to start making it to the later stages of tournaments now, so I had a little bit of pressure on me. I know she had nothing to lose, these Egyptian youngsters don’t have respect for anyone, so I had to take all of that into account today.
“I think my intensity was a little bit off today at the beginning. That’s why she is a very good junior and she’s going to be very good in the future.
“I was talking to Ali [Farag, El Tayeb’s husband on the phone following the match]. I wanted to discuss the match quickly, normally in between games you can see the replay in between games and you can see how you play. But here I can’t see anything, so I wanted to know if I saw or felt the match the same way that he did from outside or was it different?
“I don’t take these wins for granted anymore, I used to want more and I wasn’t grateful to be in a quarter-final. But now, to be in a quarter-final of a major is very nice.”
Result
[5] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) 3-1: 9-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-3 (33m)
El Hammamy Brushes Aside Azman
The tournament’s No.3 seed Hania El Hammamy cruised into the quarter-finals as she swatted aside Aifa Azman 3-0.
Both players played with high intensity from the off, but costly errors from Azman towards the end of game one were punished by El Hammamy who won 11-6.
El Hammamy opened up a 5-1 lead in the second game, but Azman was able to reduce the arrears to two points with some superb improvisation to produce an excellent winner as she was falling. However El Hammamy kept Azman at arm’s length to go two games up with an 11-4 win.
Azman, who defeated Mariam Metwally in round two, took a 5-2 lead in game three but El Hammamy proved to be too strong for the Malaysian, clawing it back to 5-5 before going 10-6 up.
Azman saved two match balls, but an error sealed the victory for El Hammamy who meets Nour El Tayeb in the last eight on Friday.
“I’m definitely happy to be through in three,” said El Hammamy.
“I played against Aifa many times in the juniors, so I knew what to expect from her and how tricky it can be to play against her. I had to be on my toes and tried to stick to my game plan as much as I could, I’m pleased I managed to do that.
“She’s [El Tayeb] a tough opponent and she’s very talented. I expect it to be very physical between the two of us. I’m going to have a rest day tomorrow, I’m going to come up with a game plan and hopefully I can come out on top this time.
“Every loss teaches you a lesson, so I learned a couple of things from the last couple of matches. I’ll carry those with me into my quarter-final match with her. Hopefully the lesson is learned and I can do the things I want to do.”
Result
[3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt Aifa Azman (MAS) 3-0: 11-6, 11-4, 11-8 (27m)
Ruthless Hesham Books Last Eight Spot
World No.9 Mazen Hesham battled back from one game down to produce a ruthless display to down World No.38 Iker Pajares Bernabeu.
A slow start from Hesham was punished as Pajares moved into a 1-0 lead after claiming the first game 11-4, but the Egyptian sparked into life from the second as he opened up an 8-4 lead over the Spaniard.
Errors from Hesham brought Pajares back level at 8-8, but Hesham overcame the blip to go on and take game two 11-8.
The speed and crisp finishing from Hesham proved to be too much for Pajares as the Egyptian nudged 2-1 up, with an 11-2 win in the third before clinching the crucial fourth game 11-5 to progress to the last eight where he will meet either Ivan Yuen or Mohamed ElShorbagy.
“It was really tough mentally more than physically to back up the last tournament,” said Hesham.
“I had a really tough tournament and I was not used to that. To play six matches in seven or eight days is not normal for me. But I’m happy the way I came back after the first.
“In the first one he was going really hard at 100 miles per hour. I didn’t know where to go or what to expect. After that I calmed myself down, started hitting my targets, and I think it paid off.
“It [the win in Malaysia] has given a lot of confidence. I hadn’t won for quite some time, and I needed it for my confidence. Hopefully, it will have a positive impact in this tournament, and the next few.
“I’m doing a lot of work to get myself in the best shape of my life, so I think that will pay off.
“I expect too much of myself. I’m not playing to be the World No.8, I’m playing to be the World Champion and World No.1. The pressure is always going to be on, especially when you’re Egyptian.
“I need to give myself some credit though, I’ve done great with the stuff I’ve faced over the years and I’m going to push as much as I can until the end of my career and we’ll see how far I can get.”
Result
[6] Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) 3-1: 4-11, 11-8, 11-2, 11-5 (42m)
Dominant Display From ElShorbagy To Seal Quarter-Final Berth
Mohamed ElShorbagy continued his hot streak as he made it ten wins in succession to progress to the quarter-finals following a 3-0 win against Ivan Yuen.
ElShorbagy, who’s won four titles this season already, was behind in the opening game before bagging six unanswered points to take game one in just seven minutes.
The 31-year-old sealed another game victory in the same time as the first, with rapid fire scoring extending his lead to 2-0 after winning 11-6 heading into the third.
Yuen’s excellent range of shots put him 5-2 ahead in the third game, but ElShorbagy was back on the front foot after falling behind to book his place in the next round in just 23 minutes following an 11-8 triumph.
Afterwards ElShorbagy said: “Very happy. Ivan (Yuen) and myself go way back – we played the final of the World Junior finals, and he was my greatest rival in juniors. He was by far the best junior I played, and there were a lot of them, but he was the best I played. It was good to get back on court with him, it brought back a lot of memories and it’s been a while since we played. We’ve played twice before on tour, I think 2010 and 2012 were the last times so it’s been ten years and it was good to get on court again.
“He’s (Mazen Hesham) in good form, I’m in good form, so people will be expecting a good match from us. He’s won his first title in seven years having a great win against Tarek (Momen) in the final (of the Malaysia Open), and it’s never easy to beat Tarek. He’s going to be full of confidence, we played recently in San Francisco which was very brutal and I just got away with it. He’s an exciting player, very unique and I’m looking forward to getting back on court with him.
“I think the way I was playing in 2019 is a lot different to how I’m playing now. Every point in my career I’ve had to adapt because I’ve played against many different players so you have to adapt, you have to study the game and keep up with the game. You can’t stay the same as staying the same means going backwards, and I can’t stay the same. If I want to stay in the top four for a consistent amount of time then you have to evolve all the time. I think I’m playing well, with squash you can play well for so many matches in a row and get it wrong one day you can be out of a tournament. Every day you have to find a way to win and it’s going to be the same for me.”
Result
[3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (ENG) bt Ivan Yuen (MAS) 3-0 : 11-6, 11-6, 11-8 (23m)
