Challenger Events
SA Open: Hutton & Turmel into All-English Final, Elkabbani Ends Home Hopes
Ibrahim Elkabbani ended hopes of a South African winner in Johannesburg, beating Dewald van Niekerk 3-1 in the SA Open semi-finals.
Van Niekerk was the last remaining hope of a home winner following Alexandra Fuller’s quarter-final exit, but was unable to match the No.1 seed, who came through in 64 minutes.
After taking the opening game, Elkabbani looked as though he might make light work of the home favourite at 3-0 up in the second, but van Niekerk responded well, winning the next five points to put himself in command.
Back came the Egyptian, though, claiming seven of the next eight points before smashing a forehand winner into the nick to secure a two-game lead.
Determined not to disappoint the home crowd, the South African fought back to take game three 11-8 and keep the match alive, but he was unable to repeat the trick in game four.
He hit a delightful forehand drop at 8-4 down which brought a loud cheer from the crowd, but there was to be no fairytale comeback, as Elkabbani drilled a forehand winner down the line to convert his third match ball at 10-7.
England’s Ben Smith later ensured that both the men’s and women’s finals would be the top two seeds facing off.
Smith took on dangerous young Dutchman Rowan Damming, who was looking to reach yet another final.
The 19-year-old has made it to at least the semi-finals of every PSA Tour event he’s played in 2023, other than the World Championships, getting to the final of nine different events.
There would not be a 10th in the Rainbow Nation, though, as Smith made his experience count, wrapping up a 3-0 victory in less than 45 minutes, not dropping more than seven points in any of the three games.
As well as setting up another battle between the top two seeds, Smith’s victory also kept chances of an English double alive, with an English winner guaranteed in the women’s draw.
Top seed Jasmine Hutton was the first to book her spot in the final, beating Nour Aboulmakarim 3-1 in the day’s first match.
After taking the opening game 11-6 on an Aboulmakarim backhand into the tin, Hutton was pegged back in the second when she herself hit the tin on game ball at 10-8 down.
The third was nip-and-tuck in the early exchanges, before a stroke ended a lengthy rally in which the Egyptian twice did the splits at 6-6, putting Hutton back in front.
From there, she didn’t look back.
She won four of the next five points to close out game three 11-7, before winning the fourth 11-0, meaning she finished the match by dropping just one of the last 18 points.
Hutton’s win was followed later in the day by a 3-1 victory for second seed Lucy Turmel, setting up an all-English final between the two 24-year-olds.
Turmel had to come from two games down in her quarter-final win, but didn’t have quite as much drama in the last four.
She did still have to overturn a 9-7 deficit in game one, winning four points on the bounce to take it 11-9, but looked far more clinical in game two, punishing anything loose from her opponent Nour Heikal, sealing the game 11-6 with a crisp forehand winner.
Heikal hit back to take game three on a stroke, but Turmel kept her composure in the fourth, booking her spot in the final with a cross-court forehand winner.
Results: Men’s Semi-Finals
[1] Ibrahim Elkabbani (EGY) bt [4] Dewald van Niekerk (RSA) 3-1: 11-4, 11-6, 8-11, 11-7 (64m)
[2] Ben Smith (ENG) bt [3] Rowan Damming (NED) 3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 11-6 (43m)
Results: Women’s Semi-Finals
[1] Jasmine Hutton (ENG) bt [4] Nour Aboulmakarim (EGY) 3-1: 11-6, 8-11, 11-7, 11-0 (40m)
[2] Lucy Turmel (ENG) bt [8] Nour Heikal (EGY) 3-1: 11-9, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7 (43m)
Draw: Men’s Final
[1] Ibrahim Elkabbani (EGY) v [2] Ben Smith (ENG)
Draw: Women’s Final
[1] Jasmine Hutton (ENG) v [2] Lucy Turmel (ENG)
