PSA World Champs – Day One: As It Happens

Round one of the 2018-2019 PSA World Championships presented by the Walter Family begins today as 128 of the world’s best players battle it out for the chance to be crowned ‘World Champion’.

There’s plenty of action throughout the day to enjoy, with all round one matches distributed between three venues in Chicago – Union Station, MetroSquash and the University Club of Chicago.

Matches from the glass court inside Union Station will be live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and Facebook (excluding Europe and Japan).

All courts from MetroSquash will be streamed live on the PSA SQUASHTV YouTube channel.

Schedule
Court two

12:00 [7] Laura Massaro (ENG) v Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL)
12:45 Olli Tuominen (FIN) v [14] Ryan Cuskelly (AUS)
14:00 Tinne Gilis (BEL) v [9] Alison Waters (ENG)
14:45 Leo Au (HKG) v [15] Raphael Kandra (GER)
17:00 [13] Nicol David (MAS) v [L] Menna Nasser (EGY)
17:45 [7] Paul Coll (NZL) v Karim Ali Fathi (EGY)
19:00 Ineta Mackevica (LAT) v [14] Joshna Chinappa (IND)
19:45 Ben Coleman (ENG) v [12] Max Lee (HKG)

Court three

12:00 [30] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) v Nicole Bunyan (CAN)
12:45 [L] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) v Nicolas Mueller (SUI)
14:00 [26] Nadine Shahin (EGY) v Low Wee Wern (MAS)
14:45 Campbell Grayson (NZL) v Nathan Lake (ENG)
17:00 Olivia Fiechter (USA) v [24] Millie Tomlinson (ENG)
17:45 Joel Makin (WAL) v Tsz Fung Yip (HKG)
19:00 [18] Joey Chan (HKG) v Sarah Cardwell (AUS)
19:45 Zahed Salem (EGY) v Mazen Hesham (EGY)

Court five

12:00 Nikki Todd (CAN) v [12] Annie Au (HKG)
12:45 [9] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) v Declan James (ENG)
14:00 [15] Victoria Lust (ENG) v Danielle Letourneau (CAN)
14:45 [8] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) v Mathieu Castagnet (FRA)
17:00 [6] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) v Vanessa Chu (HKG)
17:45 Youssef Soliman (EGY) v [5] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
19:00 Milou van der Heijden (NED) v [10] Tesni Evans (WAL)
19:45 [10] Diego Elias (PER) v Adrian Waller (ENG)

Court six

12:00 Coline Aumard (FRA) v [28] Nele Gilis (BEL)
12:45 [L] Shahjahan Khan (PAK) v Chris Simpson (ENG)
14:00 [L] Anna Serme (CZE) v [21] Emily Whitlock (ENG)
14:45 Gregoire Marche (FRA) v Greg Lobban (SCO)
17:00 Enora Villard (FRA) v [20] Yathreb Adel (EGY)
17:45 [L] Christopher Binnie (JAM) v Cameron Pilley (AUS)
19:00 [32] Nada Abbas (EGY) v Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG)
19:45 Borja Golan (ESP) v Rex Hedrick (AUS)

University Club of Chicago
Schedule
U1 12:00 [16] Salma Hany (EGY) v Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG)
U1 12:45 [L] Ramit Tandon (IND) v [6] Miguel Rodriguez (COL)
U1 14:00 Menna Hamed (EGY) v [8] Nouran Gohar (EGY)
U1 14:45 [16] James Willstrop (ENG) v Ivan Yuen (MAS)
U1 17:00 [4] Joelle King (NZL) v Heba El Torky (EGY)
U1 17:45 Eain Yow Ng (MAS) v [13] Fares Dessouky (EGY)
U1 19:00 Jenny Duncalf (ENG) v [5] Camille Serme (FRA)
U1 19:45 [11] Saurav Ghosal (IND) v [L] Dimitri Steinmann (SUI)

U2 12:00 [31] Zeina Mickawy (EGY) v Haley Mendez (USA)
U2 12:45 Tom Richards (ENG) v Edmon Lopez (ESP)
U2 14:00 Lee Ka Yi (HKG) v [17] Hania El Hammamy (EGY)
U2 14:45 Cesar Salazar (MEX) v Arturo Salazar (MEX)
U2 17:00 Ho Tze-Lok (HKG) v [23] Mayar Hany (EGY)
U2 17:45 Peter Creed (WAL) v Mostafa Asal (EGY)
U2 19:00 [27] Rachael Grinham (AUS) v Lisa Aitken (SCO)
U2 19:45 Vikram Malhotra (IND) v Richie Fallows (ENG)

You will also be able to follow the action here as we bring you the latest scores and reaction from the matches…

Not able to watch the action? You can follow the live scores from all matches.

El Tayeb off to Winning Start

Egypt’s World No.4 Nour El Tayeb was in dominant form to dispatch Malaysia’s Rachel Arnold in straight-games to get her PSA World Championships campaign off to a strong start.

El Tayeb quickly settled into her rhythm and dominated against the 22-year-old Malaysian to take the first game by an 11-2 margin, before Arnold began to compose herself and come back at the Egyptian in the second.

However, the experienced El Tayeb proved to be too strong and secured her place in the second round where she will face compatriot Zeina Mickawy after she defeated United States’ Haley Mendez.

“We played two or three weeks ago, so I knew that she was going to know my game from the beginning,” said the 25-year-old.

“I started sharply and I think I played well throughout the whole match, but she started to get into it the more the match went on. She seemed to figure out what I was going to play next, but I’m very happy with my performance against a tough opponent.

“It feels very exciting and obviously I have very good memories from Chicago from last year, so I’m hoping for another nice memory. I’m very happy to play in this incredible venue and hopefully I can keep going.

“We all know that this is the World Championships and you can’t hide from it. In any squash tournament I want to relax and enjoy it and so far, so good.”

Elsewhere on the side courts, former World No.1 and World Champion Laura Massaro got her tournament off to a winning start as she took out New Zealand’s Amanda Landers-Murphy in straight-games.

While, a shock result saw World Championship qualifier Melissa Alves defeat Canada’s Samantha Cornett by an 11-8, 12-10, 10-12, 13-11 in 42 minutes to reach round two.

Results:
[3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt Rachel Arnold (MAS) 3-0: 11-2, 11-6, 11-6 (21m)
[12] Annie Au (HKG) bt Nikki Todd (CAN) 3-0: 11-6, 11-3, 11-4 (18m)
[30] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt Nicole Bunyan (CAN) 3-0: 11-2, 11-3, 11-4 (19m)
[7] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL) 3-0: 11-4, 11-3, 11-8 (21m)
[16] Salma Hany (EGY) bt Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG) 3-0: 12-10, 11-9, 11-6 (29m)
[31] Zeina Mickawy (EGY) bt Haley Mendez (USA) 3-1: 11-6, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9 (40m)
[L] Melissa Alves (FRA) bt [29] Samantha Cornett (CAN) 3-1: 11-8, 12-10, 10-12, 13-11 (42m)
Coline Aumard (FRA) bt [28] Nele Gilis (BEL) 3-2: 13-11, 4-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7 (58m)

Momen Advances Against Harrity

Egypt’s World No.3 Tarek Momen advanced through to the second round after overcoming home hope Todd Harrity with a strong showing inside Chicago’s Union Station.

Momen – who is one of the front runners for the men’s crown – was focused to take the first game as Harrity struggled to contain the Egyptian. However, the American battled back well in the second to level the scores.

Momen soon recovered though to increase the tempo and put Harrity under pressure with his trademark style and secure a second-round berth.

The 31-year-old – who was celebrating his birthday today – will now face either England’s Tom Richards or Spain’s Edmon Lopez in the next round.

“I’ve been celebrating my birthday in Chicago for the last five or six years now,” said Momen following his win.

“I have to keep focusing on the task in hand, I need to play well and the birthday celebrations can be postponed.

“It was a good performance overall. Playing your first match is always tough because the conditions are new and we have never played in this venue before – which is amazing by the way. But there are many things to adjust to and gradually I think I got into the match game after game.

“Todd played really well and I thought that we both played a quality match. I’m happy with the way I played and this is going to give me the confidence to do better in the next rounds.”

Meanwhile on the side courts, Egypt’s number nine seed Mohamed Abouelghar survived a scare against England’s Declan James as he came from 2-1 down to prevail in 58 minutes.

It was also a good day for Abouelghar’s compatriot Youssef Ibrahim – who was a qualifier for the event – after he downed Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller to advance to the second round.

Results:
[4] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Todd Harrity (USA) 3-1: 11-5, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6 (34m)
[6] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bt [L] Ramit Tandon (IND) 3-0: 11-3, 11-6, 11-8 (34m)
[14] Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) bt Olli Tuominen (FIN) 3-0: 11-8, 11-6, 11-7 (40m)
[L] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) bt Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 3-1: 12-14, 12-10, 12-10, 11-5 (48m)
Alan Clyne (SCO) bt [L] Daniel Mekbib (CZE) 3-1: 11-9, 11-4, 8-11, 11-2 (52m)
[9] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) bt Declan James (ENG) 3-2: 7-11, 12-10, 3-11, 11-7, 11-5 (58m)
Chris Simpson (ENG) bt [L] Shahjahan Khan (PAK) 3-0: 12-10, 11-7, 13-11 (56m)

El Welily Begins Title Defence Strongly

Reigning World Champion Raneem El Welily got her title defence off to a strong start after she overcame South Africa’s Alexandra Fuller in the opening round of action.

El Welily – who had never faced Fuller on the PSA Tour before – has an impressive record in Chicago with three Windy City Open titles to her name and the Egyptian once again showed her prowess on court in the American city to win in straight-games.

World No.44 Fuller started the match positively, but it was the defending World Champion El Welily who took the first game, before rattling off the points in the second to double her lead.

From then on it was a clinical performance from the World No.1 as she secured an 11-6, 11-7, 11-3 win and ensured a safe passage through to the second round.

“I think this might be the first time that I have seen her play and actually play her,” said the 30-year-old.

“I’ve seen her results though, so I know how dangerous she can be and I was definitely trying out some new things today – it’s a new court and atmosphere. Great venue and I’m so happy to be back here in Chicago.

“It’s a new opponent as well, so it’s always tough mentally to adjust to all of these new conditions. At the end I maybe found my spots on court a bit better and I’m happy to be through.

“Being the defending World Champion doesn’t mean that you are going to come back and win. Everyone is here to win, it’s still the first match and I’m just happy to be through today and looking forward to tomorrow’s match.”

Results:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt Alexandra Fuller (RSA) 3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 11-3 (23m)
[8] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt Menna Hamed (EGY) 3-0: 11-6, 11-4, 11-1 (20m)
[9] Alison Waters (ENG) bt Tinne Gilis (BEL) 3-0: 11-5, 11-7, 11-4 (22m)
[26] Nadine Shahin (EGY) bt Low Wee Wern (MAS) 3-0: 11-7, 11-4, 11-8 (25m)
[21] Emily Whitlock (ENG) bt [L] Anna Serme (CZE) 3-0: 11-6, 11-3, 11-7 (29m)
[25] Fiona Moverley (ENG) bt Lucy Turmel (ENG) 3-1: 11-8, 6-11, 11-5, 11-5 (37m)
[15] Victoria Lust (ENG) bt Danielle Letourneau (CAN) 3-2: 8-11, 10-12, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7 (53m)

ElShorbagy Prevails in Masters Challenge

Reigning World Champion Mohamed ElShorbagy overcame England’s Joshua Masters in a high-quality first round battle at Chicago’s Union Station.

The World No.1 was forced to work hard against the Englishman with Masters pushing ElShorbagy all the way in a tight encounter. However, it was the experience of the Egyptian that shined through in the end to prevail in four-games.

The two players know each other’s game well after training together in Bristol, however, today marked the first meeting between the pair on the PSA Tour and Masters put in a gutsy performance to challenge ElShorbagy.

The Egyptian took the close opening game, before Masters came out fighting again in the second to level the scores. The young Englishman pushed ElShorbagy once more in an edgy third game, but was unable to prevent ElShorbagy from taking the lead.

From then on, the Bristol-based Egyptian put in a professional display to close out the match and book his place in the second round.

ElShorbagy will now face Mexico’s Cesar Salazar after he defeated twin brother Arturo in their match at the University Club of Chicago.

“We aren’t just training partners, we actually lived together for three years as well, so he knows me very well,” said the current World No.1.

“We’re very good friends and training partners. When you play against someone, who you have trained with for so many years, then it’s tougher to be aggressive with each other on court sometimes and that brings a little bit of a softer side for both of us when we play each other.

“He put me under a lot of pressure today and played so well and I’m just really happy to get through. First rounds are always tough and to get into the tournament mentally is always very important.

“Every day you learn something new and even with my experience on Tour now being a defending World Champion is not something that I have experienced before. It’s probably the only thing I have never faced before in my career and it’s going to be a new experience for me. But I like challenges. It’s what brings the best out in any athlete and I hope I can be at my best form this week.”

Elsewhere, Mohamed’s younger brother Marwan advanced through to the second round after he defeated France’s Mathieu Castagnet in straight-games.

Scotland’s Greg Lobban and France’s Gregoire Marche played out a mammoth four-game encounter, with the first game going all the way to a 19-17 scoreline in favour of Marche. The Frenchman then went on to claim a 19-17, 8-11, 11-4, 11-7 scoreline in 84-minutes.

Results:
[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) bt Joshua Masters (ENG) 3-1: 11-7, 8-11, 11-8, 11-5 (45m)
[16] James Willstrop (ENG) bt Ivan Yuen (MAS) 3-0: 11-4, 11-4, 11-6 (37m)
[L] Victor Crouin (FRA) bt Tayyab Aslam (PAK) 3-1: 9-11, 11-2, 11-5, 11-6 (41m)
Tom Richards (ENG) bt Edmon Lopez (ESP) 3-0: 11-7, 11-0, 11-6 (30m)
Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt Arturo Salazar (MEX) 3-1: 11-9, 11-7, 5-11, 11-9 (41m)
Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt Nathan Lake (ENG) 3-1: 8-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-4 (49m)
Leo Au (HKG) bt [15] Raphael Kandra (GER) 3-1: 11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 11-3 (55m)
[8] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) bt Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) 3-0: 11-9, 15-13, 11-3 (44m)
Gregoire Marche (FRA) bt Greg Lobban (SCO) 3-1: 19-17, 8-11, 11-4, 11-7 (84m)

El Sherbini off to Winning Start

Egypt’s two-time World Champion Nour El Sherbini opened her 2018-2019 World Championships campaign strongly courtesy of a 3-0 win over England’s Lily Taylor.

World No.2 El Sherbini will be keen to get her World Championship title back after losing to compatriot El Welily in last season’s final as she came out firing under the lights at Chicago’s Union Station to progress to round two.

England’s 22-year-old Taylor put in a positive performance to test El Sherbini from the outset, however, it was the Egyptian who opened up a strong two-game lead.

The young Englishwoman was on form in the third game as she found her range to rattle off quick points, but it was El Sherbini who closed out the victory by an 11-8, 11-5, 11-9 scoreline in 24 minutes.

The former World No.1 will now face Australia’s Christine Nunn in round two.

“I’ve never played Lily before and never seen her play,” said the 23-year-old from Alexandria.

“It’s hard to play someone you have never seen play before. I was getting into the game a bit slowly but I’m just glad that I was getting better game after game and managed to take the last one.

“The venue is one of the most beautiful that we have played in and it’s good to have a change. Every tournament we play in the same place, so it’s good to have a new venue and a new atmosphere. It’s good for the players and the people to come and watch squash in this place.”

Results:
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [L] Lily Taylor (ENG) 3-0: 11-8, 11-5, 11-9 (24m)

David Begins Final World Championships as Perry Marks Comeback with a Win

Malaysia’s eight-time World Champion Nicol David got her final World Championships under way with a 3-0 victory over Egyptian qualifier Menna Nasser at MetroSquash.

David, 35, earlier this week announced that she will retire at the end of the season, and the former World No.1 has won more World Championships than any other woman on the tour.

Meanwhile, Nasser had booked her place at the biggest tournament in squash after reaching the final of the E.M. Noll Classic

However, Penang’s David claimed an 11-3, 11-6, 11-3 victory in 21 minutes to set up a second round fixture against Millie Tomlinson, who recovered from a mammoth 24-22 opening game defeat against US player Olivia Fiechter to book her last 32 spot.

Their fixture will be played at the glass court situated in Union Station’s picturesque Grand Hall.

“The World Championships are always going to be schedule and the girls are already gearing up for it, myself included,” said David.

“I’m very excited to be here in the first $1 million event, it’s really amazing for squash to have come this far and to get to where it is. I’m excited to be part of this and I will make the most of playing on the glass court tomorrow.

“A 3-0 win is always good, I’ll take it any day. It felt good, I was just moving well, that’s the main thing and I’m feeling fresh.

“The glass court is amazing, I was watching a little bit on SQUASHTV before my match and it’s a really great atmosphere.

“It looks like it’s going to be a good one, and once we keep the tournament rolling the vibe is going to be amazing.”

Meanwhile, England No.1 Perry marked her return from a four-month spell on the sidelines with a comfortable 3-0 triumph against Hong Kong’s Vanessa Chu.

The World No.6 was forced to withdraw from last month’s J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions due to an elbow injury, but she showed signs of nearing full fitness after a dominant 11-7, 11-3, 11-6 victory against Chu.

Perry will line up against Egypt’s Yathreb Adel for a place in the third round as both players vie for a coveted spot on the glass court at Union Station.

She said: “I was really happy to get through the match, my elbow felt good and that was the main thing. It was a solid start, I haven’t played a match on tour for a few months, so I’ve got to be pleased with a 3-0 win.

“I’m not putting any pressure on myself with results or anything, I need to keep improving, and I feel I’m getting stronger every day. I’ll see if I can play a bit better in the next round and I’ll see what level I can get out. I’m very competitive, so I do want to win, but ultimately it’s more about trying to play as well as I can and keep improving.

“I haven’t managed to get over to the glass court yet, but I’ve seen lots of pictures, videos and things and it looks absolutely amazing. It would be great to win tomorrow to make it onto the glass court and add it to the list of the iconic venues I’ve played in.

“But, ultimately, it is the World Championships and I just want to get as far as I can in that respect too.”

Meanwhile, Kiwi World No.5 Joelle King dispatched Egypt’s Heba El Torky in straight games and her second round opponent will be World No.23 Mayar Hany.

Results
[13] Nicol David (MAS) v [L] Menna Nasser (EGY) 3-0: 11-3, 11-6, 11-3 (21m)
[24] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) bt Olivia Fiechter (USA) 3-1: 22-24, 11-5, 12-10, 11-8 (55m)
[6] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) v Vanessa Chu (HKG)11-7, 11-3, 11-6 (20m)
[20] Yathreb Adel (EGY) bt Enora Villard (FRA) 3-0: 11-6, 11-8, 11-5 (22m)
[4] Joelle King (NZL) bt Heba El Torky (EGY) 3-0: 11-6, 11-9, 11-6 (24m)
[23] Mayar Hany (EGY) bt Ho Tze-Lok (HKG) 3-1: 11-6, 12-14, 11-7, 11-7 (38m)

Farag Conquers Selby

Egypt’s soon-to-be World No.1 Ali Farag prevailed in straight-games against England’s Daryl Selby to reach round two in Union Station.

2019 Tournament of Champions winner Farag started strongly, with experienced Englishman Selby struggling to settle into any kind of rhythm as the Egyptian took the first game for the loss of two points.

Farag continued to hold his focus to double his advantage, with Selby – who reached the final of the British Nationals last week – picking up a back injury in the process, which required him to take an injury break at the start of the third.

From then on it was clear that the 36-year-old was struggling as Farag romped home to complete an 11-2, 11-5, 11-4 victory in 30 minutes.

“It’s really sad to see that, especially at the biggest event of the year,” said Farag after the match.

“Daryl is such a great player, we just played a marathon of a match at the last tournament, it was 3-0 but 60 minutes and all the games went to tie-breaks and I had to save multiple game balls in each game.

“I knew I was up for a big one and I started off well in the first and then at the beginning of the second when he was twisting, he slipped and felt something in his back, which is really sad to see.

“You treat every tournament the same way. Rankings are just rankings, whoever is better in the week is who wins the tournament. I’m just going to take it one step at a time and hopefully I can go all the way.”

Results:
[2] Ali Farag (EGY) bt Daryl Selby (ENG) 3-0: 11-2, 11-5, 11-4 (30m)
Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [L] Christopher Binnie (JAM) 3-0: 11-5, 11-5, 11-3 (32m)
[13] Fares Dessouky (EGY) bt Eain Yow Ng (MAS) 3-0: 11-5, 11-5, 12-10 (38m)
[7] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) 3-1: 11-6, 9-11, 11-3, 11-3 (44m)

Soliman Comes From Behind to Stun Gawad

The first huge upset of the 2018-2019 PSA World Championships saw Egypt’s World No.33 Youssef Soliman complete a remarkable comeback from two games down to send former World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad to a shock exit.

Gawad, the World No.5, was one of the frontrunners for the men’s trophy, but his exit leaves the draw wide open after a magnificent fightback from Soliman saw him record a 9-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-9 victory to claim the biggest win of his career.

“To come back against Karim is really tough because you always fear that he will be the one to come back when you play him,” Soliman said.

“To be the one that was 2-0 down and to come back, I had to push really hard and it was an unbelievable match for me.

“I worked him really well in the first game, but he obviously won that one and then the second. If I played fast and hit the ball hard, he was so good at taking the pace off the ball and making me run around.

“That’s why it was so tough at the beginning, so I had to try to make it tight against him and go for it when I had the chance. This is definitely the biggest win of my career, I just beat the No.5 in the world.

“But I won’t think about it because sometimes when you have a huge win, it takes it out of you a lot, I won’t enjoy it that much, I will just focus on my next round.”

Gawad and Soliman were competing on the tour together for the first time, and the former’s title credentials were on show in the opening two games as he attacked well and drew Soliman out of position to take a 2-0 lead.

However, that deficit seemed to spur Soliman on as the World No.33 played without fear and took the game the game to his opponent, claiming 11-8 victories in each of the next two games to level the scores.

Gawad is a five game specialist and he looked to have quelled Soliman’s uprising after taking four of the first six points on offer. Soliman came back once again though to lead 8-6 as the pair traded points to set up a nail-biting conclusion.

Then it was Gawad’s turn to tie up the scores, but he was unable to shake off a dogged Soliman, who edged back ahead and profited off a stroke at match ball up to claim a stunning win.

Welshman Joel Makin stands in Soliman’s way next after he made a successful comeback from an ankle injury to beat Hong Kong’s Tsz Fung Yip.

Also through to round two are World No.6 Paul Coll and World No.26 Cameron Pilley, who achieved wins over Egypt’s Karim Ali Fathi and Jamaica’s Christopher Binnie, respectively.

“He’s [Fathi] very skilful with the racket, so it was a good one to sharpen me up and move onto the next round,” Coll said.

“The glass court looks incredible, so I’m super keen to get onto that. I’m playing Pilley tomorrow, we haven’t played in a while but we used to train together a lot. It’s going to be a tough match but I’m really looking forward to it and hopefully I’ll get onto the glass afterwards.

“It [The prize money] motivates you, but it puts pressure on you as well, it’s the biggest tournament we’ve ever had. I’m not trying to think about it too much, I’m just going to enjoy it and try to play my best.”

Elsewhere, Egyptian duo Fares Dessouky and Mohamed Reda will go head-to-head in round two after they claimed respective victories over Malaysian pair Eain Yow Ng and Nafiizwan Adnan.

Results
Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt [5] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 3-2: 9-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-9 (87m)
Joel Makin (WAL) bt Tsz Fung Yip (HKG) 3-2: 11-6, 9-11, 4-11, 11-8, 11-9 (78m)
[7] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) 3-1: 11-6, 9-11, 11-3, 11-3 (44m)
Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [L] Christopher Binnie (JAM) 3-0: 11-5, 11-5, 11-3 (32m)
[13] Fares Dessouky (EGY) bt Eain Yow Ng (MAS) 3-0: 11-5, 11-5, 12-10 (38m)
Mohamed Reda (EGY) bt Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) 3-1: 9-11, 11-4, 13-11, 11-6 (66m)

US No.1 Sobhy Beats Courtice

United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy got her PSA World Championships campaign underway with a straight-games victory over England’s Julianne Courtice.

The World No.10 was in impressive form in front of her home crowd inside Chicago’s Union Station to begin her tournament strongly as she found her way into the game quickly to take the opener.

From then on, Sobhy dominated proceedings to claim an 11-4, 11-6, 11-7 victory in 29 minutes. She will now face compatriot Olivia Blatchford-Clyne, after she defeated Canada’s Hollie Naughton 3-2 at the University Club of Chicago, in an all-American round two battle.

“Julianne is tough,” said the 25-year-old from New York.

“I saw the draw and I was like ‘ok, I have one of the tougher first rounds’, but I’m kind of happy because it just rips the band aid off and you can get straight into it.

“She ran me around, but I enjoyed playing on the court and it’s a fantastic audience.

“It’s amazing to be playing in front of a home crowd and I love it. The bigger and rowdier the crowd, the better!”

Result:
[11] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt Julianne Courtice (ENG) 3-0: 11-4, 11-6, 11-7 (29m)

Evans and Serme Book Round Two Spots

Wales’ Tesni Evans and France’s Camille Serme have both earned their places in the last 32 after respective wins against Dutchwoman Milou van der Heijden and 2011 World Championship runner-up Jenny Duncalf at the side courts.

Evans got the better of van der Heijden by a 13-11, 11-4, 11-9 scoreline at MetroSquash to set up a second round fixture with Hong Kong’s Liu Tsz-Ling.

World No.31 Van der Heijden troubled Evans in the opener as she went game ball up, but Evans was able to overturn the deficit to build up a one-game lead.

Evans’ superior control at the front of the court enabled her to drop just four points in the second, before she fended her opponent off to wrap up the win in three games.

“It was a tough match, and I knew it was going to be tough because Milou has been playing really well,” said Evans, who will play Hong Kong’s Liu Tsz-Ling in the next round.

“There was some good squash on there, and I’m happy I won 3-0 and wasn’t on there for too long in the end.

“It’s the World Champs, so everyone is at the top of their game. I haven’t played her [Liu Tsz-Ling] in a long time, but it’s one to look forward to.

“I haven’t been down to the venue yet, but I’ve seen pictures and it looks amazing. It would be great to play at another great venue and hopefully I’ll give it a good go.”

Serme progressed to round two after taking out England’s Duncalf – who was making her first appearance in nine months due to injury – 11-2, 11-4, 11-2 in 18 minutes at the University Club of Chicago.

Her opponent will be Scotland’s Lisa Aitken after she dispatched 2007 World Champion Rachael Grinham in straight games.

Meanwhile, India’s Joshna Chinappa and Joey Chan also claimed wins, beating Latvia’s Ineta Mackevica and Australia’s Sarah Cardwell, and they will go head-to-head for a place in round three.

Results
[10] Tesni Evans (WAL) bt Milou van der Heijden (NED) 3-0: 13-11, 11-4, 11-9 (37m)
Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) bt [32] Nada Abbas (EGY) 3-1: 11-3, 7-11, 12-10, 11-8 (43m)
[5] Camille Serme (FRA) bt Jenny Duncalf (ENG) 3-0: 11-2, 11-4, 11-2 (18m)
Lisa Aitken (SCO) bt [27] Rachael Grinham (AUS) 3-0: 12-10, 11-7, 11-4 (29m)
[14] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt Ineta Mackevica (LAT) 3-0: 11-5, 11-3, 11-7 (24m)
[18] Joey Chan (HKG) bt Sarah Cardwell (AUS) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-6 (24m)

Rösner Through in Three Against Mosaad

Germany’s World No.4 Simon Rösner prevailed in straight-games against Egypt’s former World No.3 Omar Mosaad in the evening session at Chicago’s Union Station.

It was the ninth meeting between the pair on the PSA Tour with Rösner claiming the last three victories and the German made sure to keep up that winning streak with a dominant win over his Egyptian opponent.

A tight first game went in favour of the German before he took full control of proceedings to run out as an 11-8, 11-2, 11-7 winner in 41 minutes.

Rösner will now take on England’s Richie Fallows in round two after he defeated India’s Vikram Malhotra in straight-games.

“It felt good,” said the 31-year-old.

“I knew I had a tough opponent, Omar was in the final four years ago and he’s been playing some good squash recently.

“I was really glad to get off in three because you never know when you lose a game how he his confidence is or how he’s reacting to it, so I’m really glad that I was able to take him down 3-0.”

Results:
[3] Simon Rösner (GER) bt Omar Mosaad (EGY) 3-0: 11-8, 11-2, 11-7 (41m)

Waller on Form to Upset Elias

England’s Adrian Waller put in one of the displays of his career to cause a major upset against Peru’s World No.10 Diego Elias.

Waller had beaten Elias in their only previous encounter – a 76-minute, five-game battle back in 2015 – but the Peruvian has soared up the rankings since then to sit in the top 10.

It was Elias who prevailed in the opening game, dropping just five points en route, but Waller was immaculate in the early part of the second game as he built on a 7-2 lead to level.

The Englishman continued to show some beautiful touches into the front of the court in the third, edging it 11-9 to establish a lead for the first time.

Despite a couple of unforced errors, Waller kept out in front throughout the fourth and, after conceding one game ball, finally struck a finishing blow to claim his place in the next round.

“Diego was good in the first game, so I had to get stuck in and see where I could get a foothold in the match,” Waller said.

“I scrapped hard to get that foothold and tried to disrupt him a bit. Once I did, I capitalised on it, so I’m happy with that.

“I played some big rallies well, which he maybe expected to win or maybe he was expecting a bit more from himself. Whatever it was, he did get a bit frustrated at times, but I had to keep myself on the straight and narrow and I’ll look forward to tomorrow.

“It doesn’t really count for much if I don’t go on and post something tomorrow, so I’ll have to get on it again and I’ll see what happens.”

Egypt’s Mazen Hesham awaits Waller in the next round after beating compatriot Zahed Salem by a 3-2 margin, while there were also wins for Borja Golan, Ben Coleman, Saurav Ghosal and Lucas Serme.

Results
Adrian Waller (ENG) bt [10] Diego Elias (PER) 3-1: 5-11, 11-9, 11-9, 12-10 (53m)
Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt Zahed Salem (EGY) 3-2: 11-8, 7-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6 (78m)
Borja Golan (ESP) bt Rex Hedrick (AUS) 3-2: 9-11, 11-13, 11-4, 12-10, 11-3 (87m)
Ben Coleman (ENG) bt [12] Max Lee (HKG) 3-2: 12-10, 6-11, 14-12, 11-13, 11-9 (91m)
[11] Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt [L] Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) 3-0: 11-3, 11-5, 11-3 (33m)
Lucas Serme (FRA) bt Karim El Hammamy (EGY) 3-0: 11-8, 11-1, 11-5 (41m)