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Houston Open Day One: Player Reaction
The PSA World Tour gets back under way today for the Houston Open and we’ll have reports and reaction from the Houston Squash Club right here.
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-6)
Masotti Downs Salazar
World No.23 Baptiste Masotti became the first player to book his place in the second round of the 2023 Houston Open after he put in a dominant performance to overcome Mexico’s Cesar Salazar.
Masotti had fallen to a 3-1 defeat against Salazar in their only previous meeting on the PSA Tour, but this time around the Frenchman was in the zone as he dominated the ’T’.
Salazar was unable to hit his targets at the back of the court and the World No.37 struggled to move Masotti away from the centre of the court, leading to Masotti taking a comfortable two-game lead.
Salazar was able to show his experience in the third game though as the 35-year-old dug in and forced a series of errors from his opponent, coming back from 9-7 down to hold a game ball. A tenacious Masotti kept on fighting though and was ultimately able to hold the Mexican off to seal the win in straight games.
Masotti, who was making his Houston Open debut, will take on World No.4 Mohamed ElShorbagy in the last 16.
“It’s never easy to play these kinds of guys in the first round,” said Masotti.
“I have huge respect for him because I knew he was struggling with injuries over the years. We never know what to expect from him, the only thing is that he will never give you the match. At the end of the third game, I was very scared of losing it.
“Even if he is not moving that well it is always very difficult. He’s a nice guy and a true competitor, so congrats to Cesar and I hope I will have many battles with him again.
“Mohamed [ElShorbagy] is a friend of mine and his coach, Greg [Gaultier], is like my brother. It will be a special match for me. I hope he [Gaultier] will not give him a lot of advice about me.
“He’s a legend of the game, and I’m very grateful and pleased to have the opportunity to share the court with him. When I played him two years ago, it was a special time because he wasn’t at his best, so I can’t wait for the match tomorrow. He’s 100 per cent and he wants to be World No.1 again, so I’m very happy to play him in his best shape.”
Result
Baptiste Masotti (FRA) bt Cesar Salazar (MEX) 3-0: 11-5, 11-4, 14-12 (37m)
El Sherbini Halts Pajares
Egypt’s Mohamed ElSherbini earned his spot in the last 16 after beating World No.33 Iker Pajares Bernabeu in a lengthy four-game battle.
It was only the pair’s second game on tour following Pajares’s 3-0 win at the CIB Egyptian Squash Open back in 2019, but it was ElSherbini who started the better of the two as he snuck a tight opening game.
The Egyptian was the more positive player at the end of the game and was rewarded for his attempts to go short early, but he conceded the second game in contentious fashion.
ElSherbini, who had already failed to convert a game ball, was convinced that Pajares’s winning rally to draw level had featured a double bounce but the referee called the ball good, enabling the Spaniard to draw level.
Despite his frustration, ElSherbini came back on court with a cool head in the third and fourth games, hitting solid lines and attacking well to seal an 11-7, 11-13, 11-6, 11-4 victory in 65 minutes.
A second round meeting with compatriot Youssef Soliman awaits.
“I played the first game pretty well but at the back end of the second game he came out strong,” said ElSherbini.
“I was a bit gassed but he managed to win the game and I’m not going to say anything.
“I’m looking forward to playing with Youssef, he’s a pretty good player. He’s been beating a lot of good players lately and he’s been on form. I’m excited to play with him, he’s a very good friend of mine, and I’m just having fun.”
Result
Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY) bt Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) 3-1: 11-7, 11-13, 11-6, 11-4 (65m)
Cardenas Defeats Steinmann
World No.30 Leonel Cardenas has reached the second round of a PSA World Tour Gold event for the first time after an impressive 3-0 victory over Switzerland’s Dimitri Steinmann in the third match of the day.
The pair had met in a 75-minute epic at the Qatar Classic earlier this season, with Steinmann ultimately winning in five, but the Mexican player was in fine form today in Houston.
Cardenas showed an ability to switch up his game between defence and attack and was able to use that unpredictability to his advantage has he halted the rhythm of his opponent and prevented Steinmann from being able to establish himself on the match.
Steinmann’s best opportunity came in the second game where he was able to take a game ball in the tie-break, but Cardenas kept his cool and timed his attacks well to ensure that he wouldn’t drop a game to the player from Switzerland.
“The second game was crucial, but I managed to keep my focus and win it, it was important to win 3-0,” said Cardenas, who will take on another Swiss player, Nicolas Mueller, in the next round.
“I realised that I needed to be more lean to compete with these guys and I put the work in. I’m feeling better on court and I can pick up more balls.
“I’m only playing players from Switzerland, but I’m going to give everything tomorrow.”
Result
Leonel Cardenas (MEX) bt Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) 3-0: 11-7, 13-11, 11-7 (58m)
Scintillating Eleinen Powers Past Bonmalais
Aly Abou Eleinen (left) takes on Sebastien Bonmalais (right)
A sublime display from Egypt’s Aly Abou Eleinen saw him earn his place in the second round at the expense of World No.28 Sebastien Bonmalais.
Eleinen, who was only added to the draw following the withdrawal of defending champion Ali Farag, was superb from the outset as he mixed up the pace and hit his targets with aplomb.
In the opening game, Bonmalais only really showed signs of growing into the match towards the back end of the game, but any good work from the Frenchman was undone in the second as he picked up just a solitary point against an opponent really finding his flow out there on court.
World No.37 Eleinen continued his fine form into the third game to seal the win and set up a last 16 clash with last year’s runner-up Mazen Hesham.
“This is my first gold tournament, I was No.1 on the reserve list and I just had a feeling that somebody was going to pull out,” said Eleinen afterwards.
“A couple of days before the tournament Ali pulled out, so it was a good chance for me. I’ve never played Sebastien before and I was ready from the get go. I didn’t know what to expect, but I had to stick to the fundamentals and stick to my training.
“The quicker you hop on the ball, the more time you take away from your opponent. I try to play as quick as I can but I’m still adjusting to the pace on tour. All of the players play so fast, it’s my first year on tour and I’m trying to close the gap between myself and the top players. Today was a good step and tomorrow is another chance.
“Mazen’s obviously one of the best players in the world, he’s very entertaining and fun to watch. I’m looking forward to the chance to play him tomorrow.”
Result
Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) bt Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) 3-0: 11-5, 11-1, 11-4 (34m)
Mosaad Beats Harrity To Advance
Egypt’s ‘Hammer of Thor’ Omar Mosaad silenced the home crowd in Houston as he defeated Todd Harrity to advance to the second round of the Houston Open 2023.
Mosaad’s crisp hitting was on point in the opening two games as he barely missed a corner and always had Harrity on the move to take a 2-0 lead, confidently winning 11-7, 11-5.
Harrity showed his determination in the third game and battled back against the tall frame of Mosaad to take the game 11-9 and breathe more life into the contest. Harrity’s joy was short-lived however as errors at crucial times stifled the American’s progress and gave a tiring Mosaad much needed points as he ran through to 11-6 to claim the match.
Mosaad will now face France’s Victor Crouin tomorrow for a place in the Gold event quarter finals.
Here’s what Mosaad has to say after his win:
“Playing against Todd [Harrity] is always hard, he’s been in Egypt for a while so he was training with other Egyptians so we know each others games a bit now. I needed to change a bit during the match, in the beginning I found my length but in the third he changed the game and I think he played really well and I’m just really happy to win in four games.
“I’m feeling old but I’m really excited to compete again. At the end of last year I had a cold so I didn’t finish well. I’ve been training well with my coaches and I’m really happy be back again and I’m really excited for the next one.
“It’s match by match so I will try and put everything into tomorrow, he [Victor Crouin] is one of the best on the tour so I will just try my best tomorrow.”
Result:
Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt Todd Harrity (USA) 3-1: 11-7, 11-5, 9-11, 11-6 (54m)
El Sirty Battles Past Lake
Egypt’s World No.27 Moustafa El Sirty produced a battling performance to defeat England’s Nathan Lake in a tight four game encounter.
Lake got the better of El Sirty in the opening game, using his accuracy to pin the Egyptian deep in the back corners then attack the front of the court with great severity.
The match featured lost of refereeing decisions with both players determined to hold their ground in the middle of the court and minimise opportunities for the other player to attack. El Sirty managed to hold his composure best and used the interruptions to his advantage and rattle off points to take a 2-1 lead.
More followed in game four as El Sirty used his straight kill to shut Lake out after the Englishman lost a bit of accuracy. El Sirty converted the match at the first time of asking at 10-7 to win in just under an hour and move into round two. He will play compatriot and World No.2 Mostafa Asal in the next round. Here’s what he had to say about his match and upcoming round two clash with Asal:
“I’m really happy to be through. Nathan had such a good tournament last year so I knew today wouldn’t be easy at all, he’s such a good squash player and yeah it was physical because were both big and it wasn’t my best day so I’m really happy to be through.
“In 2021 I took it tournament by tournament, so I’ll do the same this year, it will be hard to do the same but I’m looking forward to making this season better than the last.
“Mostafa [Asal] doesn’t need anyone to talk about him, he’s World No.2 and nearly World No.1 so there’s no pressure on me, it’s all on him and hopefully we’ll see a good one and I can win.”
Moustafa El Sirty (EGY) bt Nathan Lake (ENG) 3-1: 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-7 (57m)
Kandra Takes Down Wildcard Chandra In Three
German No.1 Raphael Kandra moved into round two of the Houston Open for the second successive year as he defeated well-supported wildcard Arhan Chandra in a competitive three game encounter.
18-year-old Chandra wasn’t able to keep up with the pace that Kandra was setting in the first two games of the penultimate match of the day. The German was hunting the volley and pinning Chandra at the back of the court and earning winners from that area without having to attack to the front much.
After taking a 2-0 lead, Kandra took his foot off the gas in the third game and Chandra took advantage. The junior rattled off several winners to take an impressive 8-1 lead in the game and looked sure to be taking the match into a fourth. Kandra started to claw his way back however and after Chandra held three game balls, the experienced German levelled at 10-10. The American squandered another game ball at 11-10, which allowed Kandra to step forward to win the next two points and take the game 13-11 and the match in three games.
Kandra was full of admiration for his opponent after the match and spoke about how difficult it is to play wildcards in events:
“Especially against the young guns, he’s trying to enjoy the atmosphere and he gets to be the wilccard in his home club in a 100k, gold event. Such a big opportunity for him and he was trying to take his chances, he played amazing in the third game and I was struggling out there. I think he did a good job and I said to him he just needs to focus and train harder and try to get up there and he really looks like he wants it and I think he has good chance.
Kandra then spoke about his upcoming clash with No.3 seed Marwan ElShorbagy.
“I think we have a crazy head-to-head, Marwan and I, we’ve played crazy matches and hard matches, most of them were fair, others not. But lately it’s just been good squash and I’ll try to do the same tomorrow. I feel good and I like the atmosphere here, I like the club, it’s a good set up and hopefully I can sneak the win tomorrow.”
Result:
Raphael Kandra (GER) bt [WC] Arhan Chandra (USA) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 13-11 (31m)
Dussourd Bests Khan To Close Out Day One
France’s Auguste Dussourd ensured there would be four Frenchmen in round two of the Houston Open 2023 as he defeated USA’s Shahjahan Khan to close out the opening day’s matches and complete the round two line-up.
There is only six places between the two in the current PSA World Rankings and that showed in the rallies as the scoreline remained tight throughout the first two games. Dussourd managed to playtime big points well to creep ahead in the crucial stages and take a deserved 2-0 lead.
Spurred on by the home crowd, Khan mounted a comeback in the third game and exposed the movement of the Frenchman and found success by moving around Dussourd to counter attack. He secured game three 11-4.
Khan couldn’t maintain this momentum however as Dussourd returned to his accurate, hard-hitting game and started to squeeze Khan on the side walls and pick the American off around the middle. He closed out the match, winning 11-4 to take his place in the second round where he’ll face compatriot Gregoire Marche.
“He’s [Shahjahan Khan] a tough opponent, every player struggles with him. Lots of players go to five with him so I knew I’d have a tough match. I was confident, the last few weeks I’ve trained hard and I came here ready positive and feeling good. I played relaxed and I’m happy to win today.
“I had a good start to the season, now the goal is to do the best in every tournament. My first goal is to get to the top 20 as fast as I can and every win takes me closer to that.
“Tomorrow, the last match has nothing to do with it. I won in two games and I know Greg [Marche] is a very physical player so best-of-five will suit him better than best-of-three. I know Greg will be really hungry but I am too and I can’t wait to play it already.”
Result:
Auguste Dussourd (FRA) bt Shahjahan Khan (USA) 3-1: 11-7, 11-9, 4-11, 11-4 (54m)
