New Zealand Open Day One: Side Courts – Player Reaction

The men’s Robertson Lodges New Zealand Open and the women’s Barfoot & Thompson New Zealand Open begin today in Tauranga and we’ll have reports and reaction from the side court matches at the Devoy Squash & Fitness Centre right here.

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There was originally eight matches on today’s slate at the Devoy Squash & Fitness Centre, but due to Scotland’s Lisa Aitken withdrawing with a foot injury, Kiwi wildcard Kaitlyn Watts has received a walkover through to the second round. This means there will now only be seven matches taking place at the side courts on the opening day.

Order of Play
(All times are local GMT+13)

13:00 – Jasmine Hutton (ENG) v Malak Khafagy (EGY)
13:45 – Tsz Kwan Lau (HKG) v Andrew Douglas (USA)
15:30 – Martin Svec (CZE) v Leandro Romiglio (ARG)
18:00 – Ka Yi Lee (HKG) v Rana Ismail (EGY)
18:45 – Greg Lobban (SCO) v Rex Hedrick (AUS)
19:45 – Sarah Cardwell (AUS) v Olivia Clyne (USA)
20:30 – Syed Azlan Amjad (QAT) v Balazs Farkas (HUN)

Khafagy Comes Through Brutal Five-Gamer

The opening match of the day at the Devoy Squash & Fitness Centre in Tauranga was a brutal encounter, with Egypt’s Malak Khafagy getting the better of England’s Jasmine Hutton in five games.

It was the pair’s first meeting on Tour, and it was the Englishwoman, ranked 67 places above her opponent, who took the first game. Khafagy, though, fought back to win the second comfortably to level the match. 

From there on, each game went to a tie-break. Hutton took the third game 12-10 to reassert her advantage, but the young Egyptian battled back once more. Despite the World No.26 saving several game balls at the back end of the fourth game, Khafagy was able to come through it 14-12.

Following a small break for a bloody injury after Hutton was clipped on the bridge of the nose, the fifth game went deep into a tie-break. Both women saved multiple match balls, and it was the Egyptian that eventually came through after a tough 70 minutes of action.

Khafagy will now face off against Canadian No.1 and Commonwealth Games Silver Medallist Hollie Naughton in the second round on Wednesday afternoon.

“I was so nervous, I didn’t imagine I could win but I am so happy to get the win!” Khafagy said.

“I have had a tough time with tie-breaks and being 10-8 up. It is my fear! I am so glad I won the last game.. She is so good, I didn’t imagine I could win ever. I am so over the moon right now. I don’t know what to say, I was shaking after the match! I am so happy.

“The last tournament I played, I was 10-8, match ball up. It was really tough for me because I lost the match. I thought the same thing, that it could happen to her. I don’t know, I just kept calm, kept my focus and it came!

“I am so excited to play her [Hollie Naughton]. She is so good, I have watched her play so many times. I am super excited and I am not looking for anything, I just want to play my best and do everything I can. I hope I can play a great match!”

Result
Malak Khafagy (EGY) bt Jasmine Hutton (ENG) 3-2: 9-11, 11-3, 10-12, 14-12, 16-14 (70m)

Douglas Downs Lau In Three

One of the strong American cohort in the New Zealand Open, Andrew Douglas, kicked things off in the men’s event at the Devoy Centre with a win. He got the better of Hong Kong’s Tsz Kwan Lau in straight games to move through to the second round.

Just three places separate the pair in the World Rankings, but the American came out firing, and dropped just four points in the opening game of their contest. The second game was then much tighter, with Lau forcing a tie-break.

The Hongkonger saved three games balls to get back from 7-10 down to 10-10, but Douglas regrouped to win it on a tie-break 12-10. Lau then saved a couple of match balls in the third game, but the World No.63 eventually got over the line 11-8, to advance to the second round.

The American will now face the No.8 seed for the tournament, Frenchman Sebastien Bonmalais, in the last 16 on Wednesday afternoon in Tauranga.

“I am feeling good. I feel like that was a big mental push for me because I have been away from home for a month now, so honestly, I just want to go home. You’ve just got to push out those wins, so it was good to get a win even though it might not be the ideal circumstance for me. I am glad I stuck it out and I played really well, actually.

“It’s just that you only get this opportunity for such a short time, and even though it sucks, and every fibre of your body is telling you to leave, you only get to play so many matches. Regardless of where they are, you have to make the most of it.

“It [having a big American group in New Zealand] certainly makes it feel a lot more like home, which makes everything better. We are actually all staying together still, enjoying it. Every day, it feels like it has the same momentum, so it’s been great!

“I am looking forward to it a lot, we [Douglas and Sebastien Bonmalais] played once already this season and it was a good match. I am sure it will be another good match, and I am enjoying it, we have been here for a long time, so playing on these courts, we are used to it.”

Result
Andrew Douglas (USA) bt Tsz Kwan Lau (HKG) 3-0: 11-4, 12-10, 11-8 (33m)

Romiglio Secures First Silver Level Victory

Argentina’s Leandro Romiglio got the better of the Czech Republic’s Martin Svec in the opening round of the Robertson Lodges New Zealand Open, securing his first ever win at a Silver level tournament on the PSA World Tour.

The Argentine featured in the main draw of the CIB PSA World Championships Cairo for the first time earlier this year, and the firsts keep on coming. After taking a tight first game 11-7, he then had to go the distance in the second game.

It went to a tie-break, with both men having games balls before Romiglio eventually took it 14-12. He found his range more in the third game, and his energy levels maintained at a high pace, rounding out the win in three to move through to the second round.

“It is tough! We know each other pretty well and we have played this year also. It is always tough to play him, he is a tall guy, reaches a lot of balls, so I am happy to get through,” the Argentine said.

“The court is a bit tricky also, it is cold in the front, so I am happy to win in three! My strategy was to keep the ball tight to the wall, which did not work at the beginning! I was trying to open the court, and to not leave the ball in the middle for him to volley.

“I found in the last few points of the second and the third game, I found my straight drop, hitting it tight to the wall. That gave me a good couple of points, so I took advantage of that.

“I am really looking forward to the second round, playing against Saurav [Ghosal]. He is a really tough opponent, as we all know. It is my first Silver event, so my main objective was to get past the first round. I will give it my all tomorrow!”

Result
Leandro Romiglio (ARG) bt Martin Svec (CZE) 3-0: 11-7, 14-12, 11-6 (35m)

Lee Overcomes Ismail To Advance

Hong Kong’s Ka Yi Lee made her way into the second round of the Barfoot & Thompson New Zealand Open after a solid performance saw her get the better of Egypt’s Rana Ismail.

The World No.46 was in control of the early exchanges, winning the first five points, as she went on to claim the opening game 11-4. She then also took the second game 11-7 to double her advantage in the contest.

The third game was much tighter, with the young Egyptian having several game balls. Lee saved them all to make it 10-10, but Ismail claimed the game 12-10 to extend the match. The fourth was also much tighter, but the Hongkonger was able to keep her opponent at bay throughout, securing a four-game victory to set up a clash with the USA’s Sabrina Sobhy on Wednesday evening.

“Of course, I am happy to get the win. She is a good player, she picks up a lot of balls and punches the ball really hard. Her back court is also quite strong,” Lee explained.

“I tried to get my rhythm back after the loss of the third game. It was quite close at the end and I am happy to get through. It is a pity that I didn’t get the third, but I didn’t want to think about it too much, so I could keep my focus. I tried to stick to my gameplan, get that rhythm back, and I got my shots back as well.

“I am playing Sabrina [Sobhy]. It will be my first time playing against her and I know she had some good results at the U.S. Open. I won’t think too much but I will just try to enjoy the match and give it a good fight.”

Result
Ka Yi Lee (HKG) bt Rana Ismail (EGY) 3-1: 11-4, 11-7, 10-12, 11-9 (33m)

Lobban Through After Beating Hedrick

Scottish No.1 Greg Lobban is into the second round in Tauranga after getting the better of Australian Rex Hedrick in straight games at the Devoy Squash & Fitness Centre.

It was the toughest possible draw for the Scot, coming up against the former World No.48, but he dealt with the challenge well. He started strongly in the first game and would take it 11-6.

Hedrick fought back in the second game with some good attacking squash, but Lobban was able to come through to double his advantage in the match, before winning the third after a quick run of points in the latter stage of the game. He will now face Adrian Waller, just two weeks after beating the Englishman in the semi-finals of the City Tattersalls Club Australian Open.

“Rex is a great player. Former top 50 and you know you have to beat Rex, he is never going to beat himself,” Lobban said.

“You know what standard he is going to bring and I needed to make sure I was up for that match because I know he has been getting into the habit of winning these Challenger 5s and 10s in Australia and New Zealand. He is a hard beat and I am glad to get through today.

“I had a good week in Australia, played some semi-competitive matches in the Nations Cup, which was a good sharpener for this week. It’s nice to play two tournaments in the same place, usually you lose and you are off to the next place so it is nice to have another shot here. 

“That was the first time I had beaten Adrian [Waller] in a PSA match, so that was a good confidence booster. I am feeling really good going into this week, I targeted these two events at the start of the year as the two most important events of the year. I am feeling good, pretty sharp on there, and I am looking forward to getting stuck in.”

Result
Greg Lobban (SCO) bt Rex Hedrick (AUS) 3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 11-6 (45m)

Clyne Overcomes Cardwell

USA’s Olivia Clyne got her New Zealand Open campaign underway strongly, with a straight games victory over Australia’s Sarah Cardwell.

The America, who currently sits at World No.20, started the first game strongly, but saw a fight back from the Australian. In the end, Clyne took it 11-9, and that set the tone for the rest of the contest.

She went on to win in straight games, dropping 11 more points across the next two games, to book her place in the second round of the competition, where she will take on World No.12 Tinne Gilis.

“We have known each other since juniors, and I think this is the first time we have played on Tour, which is kind of cool,” Clyne said.

“It’s nice to play someone new, but someone old because we have known each other a long time. Honestly, I thought she played really well. I was take aback by how tactically sound her gameplan was. I could tell what she was trying to do and  after that first game, I had to go and make adjustments, and I was just happy that I had enough in my toolbox to make the adjustments I needed to.

“It’s funny, but after the Nations Cup where it was first to seven, I feel like the longer games are quite nice! We have all the time in the world to settle in. I am not too bothered in going an extra game, but I would prefer to win in straight games. I am not too concerned, as long as I doing things right. It is more a concern of whether I am tightening up the screws where they needed to be tightened.

“She [Tinne Gilis] is a fantastic player, she likes to play fast and furious, but this court does not play so fast and furious, so it will be interesting to see. I am excited, excited to get stuck in and it will be a battle!”

Result
Olivia Clyne (USA) bt Sarah Cardwell (AUS) 3-0: 11-9, 11-6, 11-5 (24m)

Farkas Finishes Devoy Centre Action In Style

Hungary’s Balazs Farkas was the last man to take victory at the Devoy Squash & Fitness Centre on Tuesday evening, after he defeated Qatari No.2 Syed Azlan Amjad in straight games.

It wasn’t easy for the Hungarian No.1 though, as he had to save a game ball in the first to send it into a tie-break. He eventually came through it 13-11, and he carried that gained momentum throughout the rest of the contest.

The second game was crucial for Farkas to take the overall victory. He claimed it 11-8, despite some high-quality squash from Amjad. He was then able to cruise to the win in the end, despite the Qatari saving a handful of match balls in the third. Farkas will now face the Qatari No.1, Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi, on Wednesday.

“It is always hard to play really far out of Europe. The first game I struggled a lot with my legs, my back and everything,” the Hungarian admitted.

“After that, I found my tempo and I tried to play well into the back corners, and then into the front. Sometimes I made a couple of mistakes from the middle of the game, but at the end I always found a way back, so I was happy to close the first round with a 3-0 win.

“If you want to have a really good tournament, you have to try your best. I was so angry with myself because sometimes I had a really good position and I made a mistake, or a bad choice. Hopefully, I always find a way back and I fight until the end!”

Result
Balazs Farkas (HUN) bt Syed Azlan Amjad (QAT) 3-0: 13-11, 11-8, 11-7 (37m)