Open de France: Day Two – Player Reaction: Glass Court

It’s the second night at the Open de France de Squash, and following on from the 12 matches that took place on the traditional courts at La Maison du Squash, we have four matches on the glass court at Hangar 24 to conclude the second round.

There will be two French players in action, with Melissa Alves taking on Egypt’s Fayrouz Aboelkheir in the opening match of the evening, before new French No.1 Victor Crouin take on old college rival Aly Abou Eleinen in the last match of today’s play.

All the action from the glass court will be shown live on SQUASHTV, and you can also keep up to date with the live scores from the event.

We will bring you all the reaction from those in action on the glass court in Nantes throughout the evening right here.

Order Of Play – Glass Court

Aboelkheir Downs Home Hope Alves

Egypt’s Fayrouz Aboelkheir stunned the home crowd in the opening match of the night’s action by taking out French No.1, and the tournament’s No.4 seed, Melissa Alves, in straight games.

It was the first time the pair had met, and the young Egyptian, who still competes as a junior, came out of the blocks quickly, with her pace and power troubling the Frenchwoman. It stayed tight throughout, with neither player able to build a big lead, but Aboelkheir took it 11-9 to hold the advantage in the contest.

The second game followed a similar pattern, as once again, it stayed within two points throughout. It went on into a tie-break, with Alves saving two match balls early on in it. The frenchwoman had her chances to extend the match but Aboelkheir was able to eventually come through it 15-13, to book her spot in the quarter finals, where she will face close friend Nour Aboulmakarim.

“I am so happy. The court is a bit bouncy but I like it! All credit to Melissa, she is a top player and no-one can deny that. Being on court with here was a pleasure for me,” Aboelkheir said.

“Winning in front of this crowd.. Before the match, I was a bit worried, obviously being so loud and being against the French No.1, it was really tensing and all credit to her. I am happy with the way I played and I am happy to now be playing Nour [Aboulmakarim], we are good mates in Egypt. I am glad to be in the quarters!

“I started playing squash when I was 4 years ago. My mum would go to work and leave me there, I was like any other child, seeing a ball and racket, I wanted to play! It has been my dream to be in such big tournaments, and all credit to my coaches and family, they are the main reason I am here now. It is not about the quantity, but the quality of coaches and the people you have around you. It is always by watching the top players. Nicol David, Camille Serme, I watched the top players and it is always about the passion inside. It is not just about the talent!”

Result:
Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) bt [4] Melissa Alves (FRA) 2-0: 11-9, 15-13 (33m)

Ghosal Downs Lee In High-Quality Battle

Indian No.1 Saurav Ghosal became the first seeded player of the night to make it through to the quarter finals of the Open de France de Squash in Nantes, as he got the better of England’s Charlie Lee in straight games at Hangar 24.

It was the Englishman that started the stronger of the two, winning six of the first eight points with some great winning shots. However, Ghosal proved why he has been a top ten player in the past, fighting back to take the first game 12-10.

That form continued into the second game, and he was able to shut the game down, and restrict Lee’s shot-making abilities. The Indian won it 11-4 to advance to the quarter finals, where he will face Spanish No.1 Iker Pajares Bernabeu.

“First of all, we have to give credit to Charlie. he came out quick out of the blocks, let his arm go, and hit some very good shots, which I wasn’t reading,” Ghosal explained. 

“When I was down, I was just trying to find my way back onto the match, lengthen the rallies, and get good length and width as much as possible. Even if I did lose the first, i was going to make him work for it, thankfully I won it which is always a help so the second was better. It is good to get into the match and the tournament, so it is good to get through today!

“If I am playing, I want to play with the top guys, beat the top guys and play in the deep end of events. I am working hard to achieve that goal and that is the ambition, the goal. Mentally and physically, I want to push myself! I think when I was younger, I didn’t have as many matches as some of the other guys, which is an advantage for me now. i have to keep putting the work in, and doing the right things and the wins will come for me soon!”

Result:
[3] Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt Charlie Lee (ENG) 2-0: 12-10, 11-4 (31m)

Gilis Fights Back To Beat Watanabe

World No.11 Tinne Gilis is into the quarter finals of the women’s event at the Open de France de Squash after coming from behind to get the better of Japanese No.1 Satomi Watanabe in an exciting contest at Hangar 24.

From the off, the shots were flowing from the racket of the Japanese player, who has been inside the world’s top 45 in the past. She took the first game 11-8, but Gilis was able to fight back in the second, finding her length most importantly in the early stages.

That helped her take the second game comfortably, and she rode that momentum, with the crowd also cheering her on, to take the third game as well, to move through to the last eight of the Bronze level event.

“I find it very stressful the best-of-three, because everyone is playing so well so you have to focus from the very beginning until the end. There have been so many upsets already so anything can happen,” Gilis said.

“I did my best at the beginning but Satomi played some unreal shots in the first game and I just couldn’t do anything. I just tried to find my lengths better in the second and the third, and that paid off for me in the end.

“Honestly, I was very excited to start the season because it is Nantes, and this is one of my favourite tournaments! It is alway so good, the crowd is unreal, the atmosphere is great from round one until the final, it makes it so much better for the players and for everyone who comes! I am really happy to be here, and I hope to perform even better tomorrow!”

Result:
[2] Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt Satomi Watanabe (JPN) 2-1: 8-11, 11-4, 11-5 (30m)

Crouin Cruises Into Quarter Finals

New French No.1 Victor Crouin delighted the home crowd in Nantes with a sublime performance to come through in straight games against former college rival Aly Abou Eleinen in the last match of the evening’s action.

After making the finals of the CIB Zed Squash Open and the QTerminals Qatar Classic in his first two outings of the 2022-2023 season, Crouin is arguably the most in-form player, and that showed early on, as he flew out of the blocks.

The ‘Iron Marshall’ took the first game 11-3, before then winning the first ten points of the second game as well. Eleinen saved six match balls as Crouin tried to finish it with some flair, but he got there in the end, winning ini straight games to move through to beat another quarter final.

“It was a tricky first round. Aly, I could have played in the final. He is an incredibly talented player, played him so much in college! He is only 60-something in the World Rankings, but he is definitely going to be in the top ten one day!” Crouin said.

“I wasn’t taking that match lightly at all, as you could see on court. I was very focused on what I had to do. I just wanted to play squash and have fun out there because it has been a crazy few weeks! I need to really stay in the moment and perform on the court! Super happy to finally get a win here in Nantes!

“A lot of people have asked me what it would feel like to be French No.1 But that was not my goal, I knew if I performed well on the PSA World Tour then I would get to that point. Now that I am French No.1, it feels different but I was just trying to avoid feeling that pressure. it is an honour to be French No.1 because there have been so many good players for our country, and there still are. There are still many players that I wouldn’t like to be on court with them. it is tough competition, but I guess I earned it, and I hope I can stay there for a long time now!”

Result:
[4] Victor Crouin (FRA) bt Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) 2-0: 11-3, 11-6 (26m)