Squash On Fire Open RD2 Afternoon Roundup: Lau Downs Ibrahim In Pulsating Clash

Hong Kong’s Tsz Kwan Lau got the better of Egypt’s Youssef Ibrahim in a surprising and exciting victory on Thursday afternoon in Washington, D.C.

Ibrahim came into the tournament as the No.3 seed, while Lau already had a match under his belt. It was the Egyptian who got the better of the early exchanges, taking the opening game 11-6.

A second game tie-break went the way of the Hongkonger, who sits 35 places below Ibrahim in the World Rankings. The pair then swapped quick-fire games to send the match into a decider. It went the distance, with Lau eventually coming through to win it 11-9 to advance to the last eight of the Bronze level competition.

“I am very happy to win the match! I didn’t expect this, and this is one of my best, I think!” Lau admitted.

“Before this, in the last two weeks, I didn’t play well in Detroit or Calgary so luckily I was able to perform well here at Squash On Fire. Ibrahim is a very good player, but I put enough pressure on him today to force him to make errors.”

Also winning in the afternoon session was top seed Victor Crouin, but the Frenchman having to battle through five tough games against home favourite Timothy Brownell.

The World No.10 took the lead twice, but saw Brownell fight back to level the tie on both occasions. The fifth game got slightly scrappy, with both men knowing what was at stake, but it went the way of the Frenchman in the end, with the tournament’s top seed moving through to the last eight.

“I am just relieved to get the win. It is my first match here, I thought I was going to be more up for it mentally having had a few days off after coming from Calgary,” Crouin said.

“It is never easy with Timmy. We have always had tough battles so I was looking for a good battle. He pushed me all the way to a fifth game and I have been there a million times, especially this season.”

Egypt’s Moustafa El Sirty and Spain’s Iker Pajares Bernabeu were the other two men to make it through to the quarter finals of the Bronze level competition in the afternoon session of action.

In the women’s event, top seed Tinne Gilis got her campaign underway in perfect fashion, as she defeated Hong Kong’s Tsz-Wing Tong in straight games. It was the Belgian’s first appearance since featuring in New York, and she is happy to be back pain free after battling through injuries for the last few months.

“[I am] relieved. Obviously, I have been battling injuries in the last couple of months, but I have been here in D.C. since the TOC [Tournament of Champions], and I have been taking care of myself, the best ever. I have seen several physios, been training hard and I am feeling a lot better.

“Coming here, this tournament has a bit of pressure because on paper, I am the top seed, but on the other side, I am just relieved and happy that I can play pain-free again. I am definitely very happy with the result today.”

Gilis will be joined in the quarter finals in Washington, D.C. by England’s Katie Malliff and the Egyptian duo of Farida Mohamed and Sana Ibrahim. Malliff and Ibrahim both took down seeded opposition to book their last eight places.

The Squash on Fire Open continues with the evening session of day two beginning at 17:30 (GMT -5). Matches will be streamed live on the PSA World Tour website.

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Men’s Results – RD2 Afternoon Session: Squash On Fire Open
[1] Victor Crouin (FRA) bt Timothy Brownell (USA) 3-2: 11-9, 9-11, 11-4, 6-11, 11-5 (70m)
[6] Moustafa El Sirty (EGY) bt Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) 3-0: 11-5, 11-6, 11-7 (35m)
[8] Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) bt Rui Soares (POR) 3-1: 9-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-9 (57m)
Tsz Kwan Lau (HKG) bt [3] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) 3-2: 6-11, 13-11, 11-4, 2-11, 11-9 (50m)

Women’s Results – RD2 Afternoon Session: Squash On Fire Open
[1] Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-6, 11-5 (27m)
Katie Malliff (ENG) bt [8] Melissa Alves (FRA) 3-1: 11-8, 8-11, 11-5, 11-4 (43m)
Sana Ibrahim (EGY) bt [7] Rachel Arnold (MAS) 3-0: 11-3, 11-7, 11-7 (29m)
[3] Farida Mohamed (EGY) bt Marina Stefanoni (USA) 3-1: 11-8, 7-11, 11-7, 11-9 (44m)