Lau and Leung Stun Seeds to Reach Hong Kong Football Club Quarter-Finals 

Hong Kong’s Tsz Kwan Lau and Henry Leung scored thrilling five-game upsets over Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi and Auguste Dussourd to advance to the Hong Kong Football Club Open quarter-finals on day two of action.

In front of a packed-out Hong Kong Football Club arena, Lau and No.8 seed Al Tamimi treated the home fans to a brilliant spectacle, engaging in a string of entertaining rallies all the way through their 56-minute clash.

Despite falling 1-0 down and 2-1 down, World No.44 Lau seemed to relish the opportunity of causing an upset at his home club, feeding off the crowd at the pivotal moments in the match and eventually take the deciding game 11-7. 

After his victory, Lau said: “I feel unreal at the moment because for me he is a very strong player and I think he’s a top ten player in the world.

“Before the match I didn’t think about winning or losing, I just wanted to perform well, but in the first game I didn’t play well. Luckily with my style, I could make him tired and I feel very happy to get the win today.

“In the fifth it was a mental battle, who would get tired first, so I just kept telling myself not to make any mistakes. I just wanted to pick up every single ball and I did that.”

Elsewhere, less than 24 hours after coming through a five-game duel against compatriot Wong Chi Him, Leung showed no signs of fatigue, rallying from behind twice to take his match against No.5 seed Dussourd in five games and 54 minutes of action. 

In a fifth game that had several swings in momentum, it was Leung who eventually took the spoils 11-9, roaring in delight upon clinching his 100th victory on the PSA Tour. 

After the match, he said: “I’m so happy that this time I could win in five games in my hometown. I was struggling in the first game with my length but after that my coach gave me some advice and I changed my game a little bit. 

“After winning the second game I got some confidence back. In the fifth game I was a little bit emotional and some points I started shouting out. Overall I’m just happy to win in front of my friends, my family and my coach.”

Leung will play No.1 seed Mohamed ElSherbini for a spot in the semi-finals after the Egyptian came through a tough five-game encounter of his own. 

After swiftly moving 2-0 up against Yassin Elshafei, the tables began to turn on ElSherbini as his lower-ranked opponent levelled the match with some well-constructed squash. Despite the scare, it was the World No.16 who eventually prevailed, taking the fifth 11-6, to walk off the court after 65 minutes of action. 

Elsewhere, there were wins for England’s Nathan Lake, Spain’s Iker Pajares Bernabeu and Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng, who all progressed in straight games. 

Egyptian No.2 seed Aly About Eleinen and France’s Gregoire Marche were the final two men to book their spots in the last eight. 

In the women’s draw, No.1 seed Georgina Kennedy started her quest for silverware with a victory, battling past a spirited Aira Azman in straight games. 

Despite the 3-0 scoreline, the England No.1 didn’t have it all her own way, having to win the first two games in tie-breaks before racing away with the match in the closing stages. Kennedy will play home favourite Tomato Ho in the quarter-finals after the Hong Kong player defeated Australia’s Jessica Turnbull 11-6, 11-3, 11-8. 

Following the conclusion of her match, Kennedy said: “It was really tough, the first two games in particular, the scoreline could have gone either way. I feel physically I had an advantage in the third game, but that could have been completely different if I had lost the second game. 

“I’m just proud of the way I kept fighting, because she’s an extremely talented player, very difficult to read, so I think she will do really well on the PSA World Tour. 

“Sometimes you’re feeling amazing, sometimes you’re not, so it’s all about finding a way to win.”

Elsewhere, Rachel Arnold knocked out No.8 seed Fayrouz Aboelkheir with a tenacious performance, taking the match 3-11, 11-3, 14-12, 14-12 in 41 minutes. 

After losing a one-sided opening game, the World No.29 started to assert her dominance on the match progressed and played some of her best squash in the most pivotal moments of the match.

Arnold will take on another Egyptian teenager in the next round, in the form of Amina Orfi, after the No.4 seed eased past Ka Yi Lee in three games. 

No.2 seed Sarah-Jane Perry and No.3 seed Sabrina Sobhy both advanced to the last eight in straight games, securing wins over Cheng Nga Ching Sara and Zeina Mickawy, while Melissa Alves and Sivasangari Subramaniam also booked their spots in the next round with four-game victories.

Tomorrow’s action at the Hong Kong Football Club begins at 17:00 (GMT+8), with every match shown live on SQUASHTV. For more information on the event, follow the PSA on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok  and YouTube.

Results – Women’s Second Round

[2] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt Cheng Nga Ching Sara (HKG) 3-0: 11-4, 11-5, 11-4 (21m)

[3] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) bt Zeina Mickawy (EGY) 3-0: 11-8, 11-5, 11-3 (30m)

[4] Amina Orfi (EGY) bt Ka Yi Lee (HKG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-9, 11-6 (32m)

[1] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) bt Aira Azman (MAS) 3-0: 13-11, 14-12, 11-1 (26m)

[7] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) v Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG) 3-1: 11-8, 11-6, 7-11, 11-9 (38m)

[6] Tomato Ho (HKG) bt Jessica Turnbull (AUS) 3-0: 11-6, 11-3, 11-8 (25m)

[5] Melissa Alves (FRA) bt Ainaa Amani (MAS) 3-1: 11-5, 11-3, 7-11, 11-4 (31m)

Rachel Arnold (MAS) bt [8] Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) 3-1: 3-11, 11-3, 14-12, 14-12 (41m)

Results – Men’s Second Round

[6] Gregoire Marche (FRA) bt Ibrahim Elkabbani (EGY) 3-1: 11-1, 11-3, 5-11, 11-7 (41m)

Henry Leung (HKG) bt [5] Auguste Dussourd (FRA) 3-2: 8-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8, 11-9 (54m)

[1] Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY) bt Yassin Elshafei (EGY) 3-2: 11-5, 11-6, 10-12, 7-11, 11-6 (65m)

[3] Ean Yow Ng bt Leandro Romiglio (ARG) 3-0: 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 (42m) 

[4] Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) bt Faraz Khan (USA) 3-0: 11-9, 11-4, 11-7 (45m)

[7] Nathan Lake (ENG) bt Shahjahan Khan (USA) 3-0: 11-8, 12-10, 11-2 (33m)

Tsz Kwan Lau (HKG) bt [8] Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) 3-2: 5-11, 12-10, 6-11, 11-6, 11-7 (56m)

[2] Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) bt Seif El-Shenawy (EGY) 3-0: 11-2, 11-9, 11-9 (29m)