Vitagen Singapore Squash Open – Day Three: Player Reaction

The bottom-half second round matches will take place today at the VITAGEN Singapore Squash Open as eight more players will book their places in the quarter finals.

commences 12:00 (GMT+8), with every match available to watch live on SQUASHTV.

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Order of play: Glass Court

Sobhy recovers from slow start to reach the QFs

USA’s Sabrina Sobhy kicked off day three with a win over Egypt’s Nour Aboulmakarim as play commenced on the glass court at the OCBC Arena.

The American got off to a slow start in the match and admitted afterwards that she has been struggling with jet-lag and had been feeling tired in the mornings. Aboulmakarim had no such trouble in the opening game as she produced attacking, accurate squash to take control of the opener and close it out 11-8.

Sobhy started to wake up both mentally and physically after going behind and started to produce the squash that we know she is capable of in the following three games. Her length improved which forced Aboulmakarim deeper in the court, giving her less opportunities to attack. The USA No.4 started to impose her own attacking style on the match, hitting severe kills into both front corners, taking the sting out of the Egyptian’s enthusiasm. Sobhy never looked back after gaining control of the match in game two and won the last three games 11-2, 11-5, 11-4.

She had this to say after her win:

“Its always difficult playing Nour [Aboulmakarim], I played her at the TOC [Tournament of Champions] and it was the same, she has such a strong start with her attacking game and I was a bit nervous which benefits her. So that all makes coming back tougher. I tried to focus not about winning but to just run around, ease the nerves and find my length. The jet lag has been really difficult, so it’s difficult to play at 12. So I just tried to stick to my disciplined tactics instead of just going to bed mentally, which is where my body wants to be really.

“I was having so much fun on court last year, I’m aware that all matches and tournaments are different and it won’t be the same as last year but I know that I perform well in this tournament and I feel good here so I haven’t got any big expectations, I just want to pay well and continue to enjoy myself.”

Result:
[7] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) bt Nour Aboulmakarim (EGY) 3-1: 8-11, 11-2, 11-5, 11-4 (35m)

Coll powers past Romiglio in quality contest

Recent U.S Open champion Paul Coll was up against Argentina’s Leandro Romiglio in his opening match of the VITAGEN Singapore Squash Open. As expected, the pair were locked into some lengthy exchanges in the opening game with both looking to find a solid length in their first outing on the glass court at the OCBC Arena. There aren’t many players in the world better at constructing and managing long rallies as Paul Coll and he showed that ability once again to dominate the opener 11-3.

Romiglio started to find his feet in the second game and remained positive in his hitting when he got the chance, firing in several quality winners to trouble the Kiwi. Coll remained calm and started to introduce the straight drop that served him so well in Philadelphia and played the big points well to always remain a few points ahead of the Argentine to win games two and three 11-6, 11-7 to win in straight games and move into the last eight.

“It was interesting, it was my 500th match today and against some who I’ve never seen or played before. Ive seen his name on the rankings but I had to research him this morning to see what to do,” said Coll.

“I saw what his base game was and where his strengths were but I had to play my game too. There were definitely areas where I want to attack and I thought I did the well today.”

Result:
[5] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Leandro Romiglio (ARG) 3-0: 11-3, 11-6, 11-7 (41m)

Tinne Gilis Marches on in Singapore

Belgium’s Tinne Gilis is the next woman to reach the quarter finals of the VITAGEN Singapore Squash Open as she overcame a spirited effort by Scotland’s Georgia Adderley to advance.

The match was played at a fast and furious pace with both ladies showcasing their quality movement around the court, using their speed to attack in the right moments whilst using it to defend also. Despite the rallies being long and hard-fought, Gilis was the more clinical of the two when the opportunities arose, firing the ball in short with great accuracy.

After taking the first two games both 11-5, Adderley stuck to her task and continued to make life difficult for the Belgian No.2 as she looked to play positively around the middle and force Gilis into some tough movements. Gilis was up to the challenge however and managed to tidy up several scenarios where the Scot had left balls short and loose. The game ran away from Adderley with Gilis closing the game out 11-3 to set up a quarter final clash with USA’s Sabrina Sobhy.

“The scoreline didn’t do this match justice,” said Gilis.

“It was such a good match, Georgia is such a good player and she has been improving so much. We played last year so I knew what to expect but every single point today was a fight and I’m just happy to be through.

“I really enjoyed this match, when I’m like this I think I play my best squash so I’m happy to be through in three today.

“I have played Sabrina [Sobhy] a couple of times. I know it’s going to be close and a big battle but I know it will be clean and a good match so I’m looking forward to it for sure.”

Result:
[4] Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt Georgia Adderley (SCO) 3-0: 11-5, 11-5, 11-3 (36m)

Asal downs Ghosal to reach first Singapore Open quarters

‘Raging Bull’ Mostafa Asal has powered his way into the quarter finals of another Gold event on the PSA World Tour after he dispatched India’s Saurav Ghosal in straight games for the second successive event.

The Egyptian started in string fashion, pulverising the ball to the back corners and looking to volley at any opportunity. The Indian No.1 had no answers for the relentless hitting of the World No.3 in the opening game has he lost 11-3, with Asal showing no signs of slowing down.

The hitting from Asal continued in game two, but with give Ghosal’s skill level and accuracy at the court, the Egyptian had to be hitting his targets well in order to not allow the 37-year-old back into the match. Asal managed to stay ahead on the scoreboard and doubled his lead, taking game two 11-7.

More followed from Asal in game three as he was determined to close the match out in three games and was well on his way to doing this as he lead 8-3. But back came Ghosal. The Indian rattled off several winners, showcasing his undoubted front court skills and managed to force a tiebreak, saving three match balls, much to the crowd’s delight. It wasn’t enough however as another thunderous forehand took Asal back to match ball which he then took to move into the quarter finals. He’ll now face Paul Coll in the last eight.

“He’s such a legend, at 37, what he’s doing is unreal,” said Asal.

“Theres no way I’ll still be playing at that age. At 37 I’ll be staying on the couch. To come back and fight in that third deserves full respect.

“Every point that he brought back, I was getting more edgy. But I’m happy to close it out. I’m just really happy to be here this time, unfortunately I was injured last year so I’m happy to be here this time.

“I’ve got Paul [Coll] tomorrow, we always have 100+ minute matches and I think everyone will have the popcorn ready for this one but I’m excited for it.”

Result:
[4] Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt Saurav Ghosal (IND) 3-0: 11-3, 11-7, 12-10 (46m)

Subramaniam stuns Singapore favourite in a high-octane battle

The match-up marked the second time the Egyptian and the Malaysian had faced each other in November, with Nour El Tayeb knocking Subramaniam out her home tournament in the semi final just seven days prior.

Subramaniam took an early 5-1 lead in the first game as she dominated the rallies, using the front of the court to outplay the favourite. Despite a fight-back from the No.1 seed, the 24-year-old kept her focus, and El Tayeb struck the tin in the final point of the first game to gift Subramaniam the lead.

The Malaysian carried her confidence into the second game, containing the shot power of the 30-year-old while playing winners of her own in both front corners.

Subramaniam had the slight edge throughout game two, and despite a close fought tie-break, a drop shot into the front left was enough to stretch El Tayeb and give Subramaniam an easy ball to dispatch on the other side of the court to give her an two-game advantage.

Subramaniam’s consistent pressure on the World No.6 finally relented as El Tayeb was able to control more of the pace of play in the third game. A few errors creeped into the Malaysian’s game, and El Tayeb took full advantage as she gave herself four game balls, converting the third to halve the deficit.

The fourth match was the closest, with El Tayeb holding the lead for the majority. The Egyptian earned herself a game ball, but two strokes in row for Subramaniam, including one on match ball that saw El Tayeb hit the deck, gave the Malaysian the win and her first match over the former World No.3 on their fifth meeting.

Speaking after her momentous win, Subramaniam was rightfully happy with her performance.

“I think that’s the best I’ve played so far ever since I came back from last year. I think what made the difference today was just my consistency. I played El Tayeb a few days ago [at the Ace Malaysia Cup] and the loss is still fresh in my mind so today what made the difference between me and her was the consistency.

“The consistency in just trying to be more patient – sometimes I tend to rush, sometimes I make too many errors. That’s what happened last time so today I tried prolong the rallies, push her, believe in my fitness and I think I did well just in terms of placing the ball and just carrying on the rally even if she’s picking up.”

Asked on her experience losing from 2-0 ahead at Squash on Fire last year, the Malaysian was very conscious not to repeat the situation.

“That was definitely on my mind, when I was 2-1 up I was like ‘Oh god… I hope it doesn’t happen again.’ and then when it was getting edgy in the fourth and she was leading the whole time so i just thought that if it went 2-2, I would’ve mentally broke down, but it was actually in my mind pretty fresh so I’m just happy to be winning 3-1.”

Result:
Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt [1] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 3-1: 11-6, 12-10, 8-11, 12-10 (53m)

Elias eases past Tandon in straight-game win

No.2 seed Diego Elias joins the tournament in a resounding way as he defeated India’s Ramit Tandon in just 30 minutes.

The World No.2 came out of the blocks in usual manner, taking control of the rallies and putting pressure on his opponents. The ‘Peruvian Puma’ proved to be too much for the Indian as he took just three points from the first game.

The pattern of the control continued into the second game, with the Peruvian pushing Tandon into making mistakes and giving away opportunities for winners which eventually led to an 11-2 win to Elias in the second game and a convincing advantage for the South American in the match.

The final game saw a similar story, with Elias putting away a every opportunity as he took the game after an 11-4 final game.

The Peruvian gave this thoughts after the match.

“I felt pretty good, pretty smart with a lot of pace in every rally so I think that was working in my favour. I played Ramit [Tandon] a few weeks ago and it was much tougher so I knew what I could expect and I’m just happy to win three games.

“I think in the U.S. Open, I played a little bit too much to the front and Ramit [Tandon] is really good at the front – he has really good hands so I just played a lot more solid. My basic game was a lot more solid so I’m very happy with that.”

Elias also spoke on his two potential match-ups in the quarter final: Fares Dessouky and Curtis Malik.

“I’ve never played Curtis [Malik], but I’ve played a lot with Fares [Dessouky] and it’s always tough. With him one day he can be one of the best in the world so I just need to prepare well for tomorrow.”

Result:
 [2] Diego Elias (PER) bt Ramit Tandon (IND) 3-0: 11-3, 11-2, 11-4 (30m)

Perry picks up second consecutive Gold Quarter Final with win over Mickawy

The two players had met four times before their round two clash in Singapore, with the England’s Sarah-Jane Perry taking the win on every occasion over Egypt’s Zeina Mickawy.

Sarah-Jane Perry took her chances better in a tight first game to take an 8-3 lead. The Egyptian fought back to 8-7, but the Englishwoman got the winners needed to win a scrappy first game.

The Egyptian looked stronger in second game, quickly building to an 8-1 lead over Perry with more postitive, aggressive play, but Perry fought back, levelling the game at 9-9, where she carried the momentum and pushed over the line to take a 2-game advantage.

The third game saw a continuation of the short rallies and front court action of the first two games. Perry tried to play holds, particularly with her fore-hand boast, but Mickawy did way to stay in the game and forced the match to a fourth game.

Mickway led to 9-8 in game four, but a burst from Perry pushed her in front, and after three match balls, the Englishwoman converted to book her spot in the quarter finals.

Perry spoke after her victory.

“Zeina’s such an attacking player, and when they’re going in, they’re going in well. As that ball was getting more and more soft, her shots were getting shorter and shorter. She’s a quality player. We’ve had some big battles before and she’s a real fighter. I had to use all my fighting power today. If you don’t take your half-opportunities then she’s firing one in.

“We had some battles of our own. Sometimes that’s all you can do in the moment. If I start focusing on technical aspects or anything like that then I lose my focus. Hopefully that will improve in the next round but today it was just about getting over the finish line which I crawled over.”

Result:
[8] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt Zeina Mickawy (EGY) 3-1: 11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 13-11 (48m)

Dessouky digs in to beat a determined Malik

The Egyptian and the Englishman kept close at the start of the first game, almost going point-for-point as Malik looked sharp, playing structured squash and making good decisions to keep up with the former World No.7.

Dessouky managed to push on from 6-6 that led him all the way to game ball, and despite a review each in quick succession, the Egyptian stayed level-headed to take the win the first game.

It was a much more dominant from the No.8 seed in the second game, moving the ball nicely and giving Malik far less to play off.

Besides from a few flashes of skill from the 24-year-old, Dessouky stole the show as he eased to an 11-4 second game and a 2-0 lead in the match.

The two players couldn’t separate as they traded points to 8-8, but Malik looked confident at the end of the third game, with three points going his way to force a fourth game with the 29-year-old.

Dessouky took control in the early stages of the fourth game, building a 7-1 lead to give him a decisive edge in the match. A late push wasn’t enough to trump Dessouky’s points advantage as the Egyptians earns a quarter final match-up with Perus Diego Elias.

“I think I started really well. I’ve watched Curtis [Malik] in the U.S. Open and he also beat a good opponent in the last round. He was a tough match and I’m glad to be through.

“It’s always a tough match between me and Diego [Elias], so I’m looking forward to it,” Dessouky said on his upcoming match with the World No.2.