News

BRITISH OPEN DAY THREE: PLAYER REACTION

30 March 2022

As we move into the last 16 of the Allam British Open 2022, round three is split between Wednesday and Thursday with all matches now on the glass court.

The men's No.1 seed Ali Farag will be in action as he takes on dangerous compatriot Karim Abdel Gawad. Another all-Egyptian battle is likely to excite the Hull crowd as No.7 seed Marwan ElShorbagy takes on World No.9 Mazen Hesham.

Home interest comes from the women's draw as both England's top two players Sarah-Jane Perry and Georgina Kennedy look to book their quarter final places. They will play Egyptian duo Farida Mohamed and Hania El Hammamy respectively.

Play gets underway at 12:00 (GMT+1), and you can watch glass court action at the Allam British Open live on *SQUASHTV*

Sign up *here* and use code: BOPEN30WEB to receive a third off an anual subscription.

For more information on the event, visit the *tournament website*. You can also follow the British Open Twitter page *here*.

Follow the PSA World Tour on *Twitter*,  *Facebook*, *Instagram* and *TikTok*.

You can buy tickets for the Allam British Open *here.*

Order of play

King storms past Abbas to reach last eight

No.5 seed Joelle King and Egyptian Nada Abbas opened up play on day three at the Allam British Open 2022.

King was in superb form throughout the entire match and kept the ball moving away from Abbas all the time. The talented Egyptian was given no opportunity to flex her attacking muscles. King took the opening two games 11-3.

The momentum continued for King and after dealing with a charge from Abbas in the middle of the game, she booked her place in her seventh British Open quarter final.

King had this to say about her match:

“Nada is an up and coming superstar, it’s my first day on the glass court so there's a bit of a transition but I thought from the first serve, that I aced, I calmed down and I thought I played the court really well. As you say, my seventh quarter final so here's hoping this week I can go further.

“As I said last week in Black Ball, I just enjoy these stages and being out here. I live in Bristol so playing in England is like a second home for me so I've got Hadrian [Stiff] here, it's just nice to be playing here in front of some familiar faces.

“I think they put all the tallest players in one quarter, two very tall and powerful players, SJ has great hands and Farida is an absolute fighter so it's going to be an interesting match up so I just have to come back and do my best each day.

“The court is beautiful, I thought I found my length really well and just hit the corners, it's quite basic really and if you do that well and get in front you seem to come out on top.”

Result
[5] Joelle King (NZL) bt Nada Abbas (EGY) 3-0: 11-3, 11-3, 11-7 (28m)

Hesham downs ElShorbagy in five to advance

An all-Egyptian battle was next on the all glass court at the University of Hull as No.7 seed Marwan ElShorbagy took on ‘The Black Falcon’ Mazen Hesham for a place in the quarter finals.

Hesham’s shot-making was on top form in the opening game, whipping his trademark boast around, dragging ElShorbagy so far up the court. Hesham took the opening game 11-9.

In a complete turnaround, El Shorbagy capitalised on some poor errors from Hesham and ran out to a 7-0 lead in the second game. Hesham started to make his way back in the game and managed to get himself back to within one point at 9-10, but it was El Shorbagy who held on to equalise.

Another two topsy turvy games followed with both players having periods of dominance, but due to the style of Hesham’s play, errors are always a danger. Hesham got himself in front at 2-1 in games but ElShorbagy quickly levelled to take the match into a fifth and final game.

Hesham took the early lead at 6-3 after some long and physically testing rallies went the way of the unorthodox Egyptian. Hesham showed no signs of slowing down however and booked his quarter final place in 51 minutes.

“First of all, tough luck to Marwan, it is tough playing him,” said Hesham

“He has had the better of me over the years, so I'm just happy to be able to push him that way and get the win in the end.

“I think what people don’t know at home is that we’re exhausted mentally, they say that we’re not physically fit and all of this but they don't know what happens behind the scenes. I think both of us coming into this match are tired, I can see everyone's faces at this event and we’re all tired.

“Just to be able to push one more match and one more round, people always talk to me about not being mentally fit, but they haven't been what I've been through, they’ve not got what I’ve got so I'm sick of all of this and they don't know anything. But just keep cheering us on so we can keep producing on court for you guys.

“May the best player win between those two, it’ll be a tough match I'm sure but I’m just going to recover and come back and try to play well in that match.”

Result
Mazen Hesham bt [7] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) 3-2: 11-9, 9-11, 12-10, 4-11, 11-5 (51m)

Gilis makes first British Open quarter final

A huge opportunity presented itself for both players next onto court, Belgium's Tinne Gilis and India’s Joshna Chinappa. The Indian No.1 defeated No.6 seed Salma Hany in round two to progress to the last 16.

Gilis has been in terrific form lately, started the better of the two in the first game, capitalising on a slow start from Chinappa and took the first game 12-10.

She continued this form into the second game as Gilis stepped up the court and exposed the movement of Chinappa into the front corners.

After taking the second game 11-8, Gilis earned herself a healthy lead in the third game, but back came Chinappa. The Indian clawed her way back to within two points at 8-10 but Gilis closed the match out recieving a stroke on match ball to book her place in her first British Open quarter final.

“It feels amazing, I'm so happy,” said Gilis,

“I'm just so happy to be here, to be playing, it's been a hard couple of weeks but I'm glad I could focus on my squash and I don't know what to say, I'm just so happy.

“You’re under pressure the whole time, she hits it so hard and so well all of the time and if there's one loose shot she foes for it and her kills go just above the tin so I had to keep it out of the middle because otherwise, I couldn't do anything and I think in the beginning I was just hitting hard with her so I tried to mix it up and slow it down and happy it worked out in the end.

“I’m very excited to watch that match, they're both physically so good, I train a lot with Gina because we live together in Nottingham so she's one of my closest friends. But I have so much respect for Hania, she's been so good for such a long time. I hope they play a really physical match so hopefully, they get a bit tired, but with the rest day that might not happen.

“It's step by step, even though Sherbini is not at this tournament, everyone else is at the top of their games. Hania has taken her place and she’s super strong as well. I’m sad she’s not here and hope that she is okay but it’s going to be hard regardless.

Result
Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt Joshna Chinappa (IND) 3-0: 12-10, 11-8, 11-8 (35m)

*Mueller’s red-hot form continues in Hull*

After scoring a huge upset in round two, by beating No.3 seed Mohamed ElShorbagy, Raphael Kandra was in action once again, this time facing fellow European Nicolas Mueller.

‘The Swiss Rocket’ has been in unstoppable form on the PSA World Tour recently and picked up exactly where he left off in the first game against the German. His weight of shot to both the front and back corners had Kandra away from the middle for the entire first game. Mueller took the lead in the match by winning 11-6.

Mueller was impressive again in the second game and moved into a 9-7 lead. Kandra responded however and played the crucial points very well to win the next four points and equalise.

It wasn’t long before Mueller was back on track, twisting and turning his German opponent and forcing errors from his racket. After an 11-5 victory in the third game for Mueller, a competitive fourth game went into a tiebreak with Mueller being awarded a stroke on match ball to win the game 12-10 in 52 minutes.

Not only has Mueller moved into his first British Open quarter final but it is also the first time any Swiss player has managed to reach the last eight in this historic competition’s history.

Mueller was unhappy about the way the match ended but was very happy to be through:

“Getting to the British Open third round, it doesn’t get much bigger than this, it is one of the most prestigious events on the calendar and very happy to be in the quarter finals. It's a shame it ended this way, I certainly didn't mean to hit him but those are the rules of the game.

“I played Mazen about five times this season already, he's had the upper hand in all of them but they're always very close and exciting matches and I'm looking forward to that and will be ready for that one.

“I changed a few things, my diet changed, I tried to eat less meat and be more fish-based and less milk and my body has been behaving for three quarters of a year now and when you know your body is fit, you can play with a different attitude and when I'm feeling good and confident I can hit winners from anywhere and managed to back it up today.”

Result
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt Raphael Kandra (GER) 3-1: 11-6, 9-11, 11-5, 12-10 (52m)

Perry fires her way into the last eight

England’s Sarah-Perry kicked off the afternoon evening session on day three at the Allam British Open, as she beat Egypt’s Rising Star Farida Mohamed in straight games to secure her quarter final place.

The hard hitting of Mohamed was being absorbed well by Perry as she used good deception and height to halt the rhythm of the Egyptian. Both opening games went the way of Perry 11-6 with Mohamed getting increasingly frustrated with her own game.

More of the same followed in the third game but Mohamed did step her game up slightly. The experience of Perry shone through in the closing stages and she played dug in exceptionally well to win 11-8 in the final game to move into the quarter finals in her tenth British Open.

“Yeah the last two times we played, I'm going to be brutally honest, I felt like it wasn't squash,” admitted Perry.

“I was bad and it got really scrappy and she's all over it when it’s scrappy and especially on traditional courts, I love playing on glass courts and I love playing in England up here in Hull, I just wanted to go on and really enjoy it and make it about squash. My normal arguing was left back down in the midlands, thankfully, I just wanted to stay calm and focused and she can hit some amazing shots, you see that every time the ball is loose. So I'm really pleased with that.

“We’re both attacking players, when I'm playing well I really enjoy it, I can go passive at times and I don't want to play like that, so I know that if I am playing that aggressive style of play there are always going to be errors and I’m sure Farida would say the same and after each one you can ask yourself if it was the right one and if yes, aim higher, if no, choose a different one.

“I think I’ve played on this court a lot now, it's my 10th British Open. I was a little bit scrappy in my match yesterday, I and Lisa both agreed on that but I think I found my targets better today. That lob when I play it well is hard to get back at the best of times.

“Joelle is a good friend of mine and we've had some really tough games over the years. That commonwealth final was one of them and I don’t think either of us will be thinking we’ve got it in the bag. It’ll just be who plays better on the day so I'm looking forward to the rest day, a little trip to the coffee shop, a massage, living the life really.”

Result

[4] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt Farida Mohamed (EGY) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-8 (25m)

No.1 seed Farag marches on to the last eight

In the second all-Egyptian battle of the day, reigning World Champion Ali Farag took on a former World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad.

In what was always going to be a classy match, Farag started the stronger. The intensity of his game was relentless and he got to work early in the match on working the casual movement of Gawad into all four corners.

The World No.2 is playing like he has a point to prove in this event after losing his spot at the top of the PSA rankings this month to Paul Coll. Farag took the opening two games 11-8, 11-4 to place one foot in the last eight.

Gawad seemed to have found his feet in the third game and a confident Gawad is a dangerous Gawad. His lead would evaporate however as Farag started to limit the angles and force errors from Gawad. In the end, Farag was simply too accurate and sharp for Gawad. He took the third 11-9 to move into another quarter final.

“I was getting ready for the fourth, to be honest,” said Farag.

“At the back end of the third, he was going for his shots and they were going in so I thought at least put some work into his legs and I didn't think I would win it but thankfully I did. Karim makes me very very edgy, my food appetite is not the same when I'm nervous and I hardly ate any lunch, Karim is a former world no.1 world champion, I haven't beaten him in 2/3 years, his drop in the rankings doesn't reflect his level. I have been making the quarters for the last 5 years so I didn't want to break that streak here and I'm very relieved to be through.

“I’ve never played Baptiste before, it's very rare with him making some last 16s that we haven’t played yet, so I don't know what to expect from him. But I know what to expect from Tarek and he knows what to expect from me. Another former world champion and it’s always a tough match. We’re not used to playing in the quarters if he does get through but I have the rest day tomorrow.

“I’m luckier than any other player on tour, I was very nervous, Farida (Ali’s daughter) wanted to go to sleep, so I told Nour to let me take her and spend some time with her. I’ll be looking after her tomorrow whilst Nour gets ready for her match and hopefully, she does well in her match and we go again on quarters day.”

Result
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 3-0: 11-8, 11-4, 11-9 (38m)

El Hammamy books quarter final place

In the penultimate match of the day’s play, No.2 seed Hania El Hammamy took on dangerous Englishwoman Georgina Kennedy for a place in the quarter finals at the 2022 British Open.

A competitive first game saw the momentum switch several times between the two. El Hammamy is no stranger to this type of stage at a major event and showed that experience to close out the game 11-9.

Kennedy raced out to a 5-1 lead in the second game, being proactive in her approach and asking some real questions of the Egyptian. Once El Hammamy found her rhythm again, it was all over for Kennedy. El Hammamy won ten out of the last eleven points to take a commanding 2-0 lead.

Kennedy showed her fighting spirit, however, her non-stop energy and intensity started to worry World No.3 El Hammamy and uncharacteristic errors started to creep into the game from the Egyptian, much to Kennedy’s delight.

Despite forcing the match into a fourth game, Kennedy couldn’t stop the winners of El Hammamy. The World No.3 picked up momentum throughout the game and booked her quarter final place, winning the fourth game 11-7, to set up a match with Belgium’s Tinne Gilis.

El Hammamy is a big admirer of Kennedy and was relieved to be through:

“We've never played but I've been watching her a lot, I know she's a tough opponent, she’s so physical, we've trained a couple of times and even in practice, it feels like a best of five. I had to bring my A game today, it was so hard but I'm glad I'm through.

“Yeah, it's such a physical match so I need to be prepared for the first point, I can't take anything for granted, I have to do a lot of footwork drills so that I’m sharp so I can be ready.

“She's improved a lot recently, she’s pushed Nour (El Sherbini) the last twice which is very big, I watched both of those matches and she did very well, but I'm looking forward to that match as I haven't played Tinne in a long time.”

Result
[2] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt Georgina Kennedy (ENG) 3-1: 11-9, 11-6, 5-11, 11-7 (48m)

Momen battles past Masotti to progress

The final match of the day saw No.5 seed Tarek Momen get the better of France’s Baptiste Masotti to move into his fourth British Open quarter final.

Momen took an entertaining first game 13-11 after testing the powerful movement of Masotti on several occasions. Despite this being Momen’s first match on the glass court in this tournament, he found his weight of shot in no time and dragged the Frenchman from corner to corner.

Momen continued to use his superb touch to take the second game 11-6. Masotti wouldn’t go away that easy and by showcasing his heavy-metal squash, raced out to a 7-1 lead in the third game. Despite Momen impressively recovering to 8-8, Masotti prevailed to force a fourth.

Momen stuck to his task however and showed his experience to pin the Frenchman in the back corners and eventually take the match in 50 minutes.

Momen praised the fighting qualities of Masotti after the match:

“He put up a huge fight. I was particularly proud of my performance in the second game, I felt like I played the perfect game and despite all that he never gave up and kept pushing, he only gave me one or two errors but wasn't phased when I went 2-0 up. He came into the third firing but then gave me some cheap errors. But in the fourth, surprisingly we changed the ball and it came out more dead than the other one and we kind of struggled to get it to the back and whoever would take the ball in short would win the points.

“I was just thinking I wanted to get into a good rhythm to start the fourth in the best shape so I forgot about the score and just remember the game plan, I just wanted to remember how I was playing and structure my rallies better and all of a sudden I found myself back.

“I can't think about other people's achievements, I just need to focus on my own.

“At this level, we're not looking for weaknesses, we're looking for the right game plan to increase my chance to win. There aren’t any standout weaknesses in his game, it's just the tactics on court that make the difference so I'm looking forward to the rest day tomorrow and then we will see how it goes.”

Result
[5] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Baptiste Masotti (FRA) 3-1: 13-11, 11-6, 8-11 11-9 (50m)

News

British Open Day Three – Player Reaction

18 August 2021

The Allam British Open continues today with third round action from the Allam Sports Centre at the University of Hull.

The top seeds in both the men’s and women’s draws are in action on the glass court, as Egypt’s Nour El Sherbini takes on India’s Joshna Chinappa and Egypt’s Ali Farag faces compatriot Mohamed Abouelghar in the day’s final match.

The day begins with an all-American showdown, with No.6 seed Amanda Sobhy facing Olivia Clyne at 12:00.

Also in action today are Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng, who upset No.5 seed Karim Abdel Gawad in the previous round, and Egypt’s No.4 seed Marwan ElShorbagy.

Schedule
All times local (GMT)

You can catch all the action live from Hull on SquashTV and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (excluding Europe and Japan).

You can also keep up with the live scores from the event here.

For more information on the British Open, please visit the official tournament website or follow the PSA on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Sobhy on Top Form Against Compatriot Clyne

World No.5 Amanda Sobhy was in spellbinding form in the first match of the day at the Allam Sport Centre as she dispatched compatriot Olivia Clyne by an 11-5, 11-4, 11-4 scoreline to advance to the quarter finals in Hull.

Sobhy held the advantage going into the match with eight wins over World No.13 Clyne’s one in the head-to-head record and the No.6 seed continue that run of dominance as she hit clean lines and found all of her targets to ensure she advanced and mark her name as one of the contenders for the women’s title.

The 28-year-old will face the winner of Egypt’s Rowan Elaraby v Canada’s Danielle Letourneau on Friday.

“I think my length and lines were a lot better than yesterday,” said Sobhy in her post-match interview.

“Such a contrast from the regular courts that are super hot and bouncy. This is quite dead and a lot slower of a pace and I know how skilful she is, so if I could keep it tight in the back corners, I felt like she would give me an opening and I could capitalise on it. I’m pleased with that and I think it’s going to give me confidence going into the next round and I get the rest of the day to recover.

“The court is definitely going to take an attacking ball in, which is nice, but it rewards good length too. I think the level is so strong for the women, especially at the top that it’s basically whoever shows up on the day can pull the win, whether that’s for the seed or against – it makes things exciting and keeps me on my toes. I’m just going to try and keep enjoying being out here.”

Result:
[6] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt Olivia Clyne (USA) 3-0: 11-5, 11-4, 11-4 (30m)

Rodriguez Battles Past Eain Yow in Five

Colombia’s World No.11 Miguel Rodriguez was forced to do things the hard way to book his place in the quarter finals of the sport’s oldest tournament as he battled past Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng in 101 minutes.

Rodriguez made history back in 2018 when he became the first player from South America to win the prestigious trophy, beating World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy in the final and the Colombian made sure to make more memories at the event as he held off a comeback from Eain Yow in a bruising battle.

The two players had never faced each other on the PSA Tour before but Eain Yow was in confident form after claiming his biggest ever career win over former World No.1 Karim Abdel Gawad in the previous round.

A topsy turvy start to the match saw all three games go to tie-breaks with lots of stoppages for decisions from both players as Rodriguez took a 2-1 lead. The young Malaysian rallied back well though as he managed to fight through the pain barrier to draw level once again, letting out a huge scream at the end of the fourth.

The fifth proved to be a step too far though as Eain Yow was clearly struggling with cramp and finding it difficult to move into the front corners as Rodriguez took full advantage of the drop off from his opponent to close out with a good show of sportsmanship at the end seeing Rodriguez help the 23-year-old off court.

“I knew I was going to have to fight today, that was our first meeting on the PSA World Tour,” said Rodriguez following his victory.

“I felt this was a serious serious match, like a three-hour match. I had to dig in and did everything I could. In the first game he played really well and I wasn’t sure about my tactics and so I started playing more fluid squash, more patient, maybe more quality shots in the second game but what a match.

“I tried to do Plan A – Plan A is my game but I knew that Ng is very good on the backhand side, very patient and he’s volleying every shot and barely makes any mistakes, I had to be on my toes and focused for every shot. I don’t know which game I won, all the games were tie-breaks and the last one was different. These kind of matches give me a boost, thank god I have a day off tomorrow.

“This is motivation for me to come back to the British Open, where I became a legend. Winning this tournament in 2018 – amazing memories.”

Result:
Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bt Eain Yow Ng (MAS) 3-2: 15-13, 11-13, 14-12, 8-11, 11-4 (101m)

Elaraby Cruises into Quarter Finals

Egypt’s World No.12 Rowan Elaraby cruised into the Allam British Open quarter finals for the first time in her career after a comprehensive 11-4, 11-3, 11-3 victory over Canada’s Danielle Letourneau.

The 21-year-old didn’t put a foot wrong as she axed the Canadian, who struggled to get into the match after receiving a walkover yesterday due to the withdrawal of France’s Camille Serme.

Elaraby will battle it out with USA’s Amanda Sobhy for a place in the semi-finals of the iconic tournament.

“I’m really pleased with my performance,” said Elaraby afterwards.

“I’ve had a tough time travelling abroad over this period of time, being away from my family, home and friends – it’s been really hard. I’ve been working on myself and I’m really glad I fought and with my performance, I’m happy to be through.

“I have to speak to my coach, talk about today and then see how my tactics will change. We will definitely talk about it, I’m looking forward to playing Amanda on the glass court, I can’t wait.”

Result:
Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt Danielle Letourneau (CAN) 3-0: 11-4, 11-3, 11-3 (24m)

ElShorbagy Axes Kandra to Reach Last Eight

Egypt’s World No.5 Marwan ElShorbagy is through to the last eight of the PSA World Tour Platinum event after defeating Germany’s World No.25 Raphael Kandra in straight-games.

The German memorably made a name for himself at the 2018 instalment of this tournament when he reached the semi-finals and along the way knocked out ElShorbagy to claim one of the biggest wins of his career.

However, the script was not to be written the same this time around as ElShorbagy executed his game plan well to show his form as he took the first game on the tie-break before doubling his lead.

Kandra built up a healthy 9-5 lead in the third but it was ElShorbagy who stuck with him and was able to grind out the points to take the match in three.

The Egyptian will face Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez for a place in the semi-finals.

“I lost to Rapha three years ago here in Hull so every time I play against him I remind myself of that lesson,” said ElShorbagy.

“I need to be sharp, I’m always fired up when I play him. I’m happy with the way I played today, in the third game I was a little lucky, Rapha had a good lead and I thought I would just stay with him and luckily he made a few errors and a few good shots from me and I won the game.

“I wish we played tomorrow, not the day after [because] he will have a day to recover, hopefully he doesn’t recover well! Miguel has great experience, he’s done so much for the sport and when I play him I’m just going to think about tactics, I’m not going to put in mind that he might be tired or anything because, as I said, he’s got experience on how to recover well. He won this event three years ago. It’s a dream of every player to have his name on the trophy. As a junior I looked up to Miguel, I’m just really happy to reach the quarter finals and look forward to coming back here in two days.

“know I’ve never reached the semis here but I don’t really put that in my mind. I’ve got a lot in my mind already – the opponent on the day is enough on the mind! I’m just focusing on the match, I haven’t played Miguel in a very long time so I’m just looking forward to having a good match with him!”

Result:
[4] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) bt Raphael Kandra (GER) 3-0: 12-10, 11-8, 12-10 (38m)

Shahin comes from game down to topple Arnold

Egypt’s Nadine Shahin came back from a game down to beat Malaysia’s Rachel Arnold in a tight encounter.

World No.16 Shahin went into the match having won the pair’s only previous PSA meeting, a 3-1 victory over the World No.43 in this summer’s PSA World Championships.

Both players had looked sharp in this tournament. Shahin – who received a first-round bye, dispatched No.8 seed Salma Hany 3-1 in the second round, while Arnold – playing in her first British Open – beat Hana Ramadan 3-1 in the first round and England’s Lucy Turmel 3-0 in the second.

The first game was even and quick-scoring, with the 25-year-old Rachel Arnold having the better of the early play, unsettling the 24-year-old Shahin’s rhythm and punishing anything loose. Shahin soon came back into the game, with both players targeting winners rather than rallies.

As both players edged towards 11, it was Arnold who eventually broke out, coming from 8-7 down to take the first 11-8.

Although Shahin increased the pace in the second, initially to good effect, Arnold matched her opponent well, with this game another even one. Unlike the last, however, this time it was Shahin who had the greater staying power, taking the game 11-9.

This win proved to be a decisive one. Shahin kept up her momentum in the third, which she took 11-9 after Arnold made too many errors, before finishing the match in the fourth, 11-9 again.

Speaking after the match, Shahin said: “It’s still sinking in. It’s my first quarter final ever. I was too nervous, too excited, because I think anyone can win, it’s 50-50 either way but I’m happy it went in my favour!

“It really could have gone either way, the scores were so close. Maybe just a bit of luck [was the difference between the two]. We both worked really hard this match. It was tough, mentally and physically. We left everything on court.”

On a potential matchup with World No.1 Nour El Sherbini, who plays Joshna Chinappa later today, Shahin said: “To me, Nour has no fault, God bless her. I don’t think she has anything. Everyone, when you go against Nour El Sherbini, you don’t expect to win.”

Result:
Nadine Shahin (EGY) bt Rachel Arnold (MAS) 3-1: 8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9 (45m)

Asal beats childhood role model Mosaad to make quarter finals

No.8 seed Mostafa Asal progressed to the quarter finals after beating fellow Egyptian Omar Mosaad 3-0 in the pair’s first PSA encounter, to set up a quarter-final match with either Ali Farag or Mohamed Abouelghar.

Both players came into the match having entered the tournament in the second round, with Asal beating England’s George Parker 3-0 and Mosaad overcoming Qatar’s Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi by the same scoreline.

Asal took the first game in relative comfort, with World No.17 Mosaad unable to match the World No.9’s constant movement and harrying.

The 20-year-old continued to impress in the second, blowing the 33-year-old away 11-3.

Mosaad improved in the third, with his scoring run spurred by a point awarded after a part of Asal’s racket broke off. Asal’s confidence, however, remained intact and the Raging Bull finished the match off with an 11-6 victory.

Speaking after the match, Asal said: “Im grateful that I’m here and that I made it here in front of the home of Squash in England. I used to play a lot of British Junior Opens and it’s my favourite tournament as well. I want to thank Mr. Allam for having us here in front of this amazing crowd, they are really making the atmosphere feel good. Thank you guys for coming today and enjoying the matches. I love England and I love to watch the Premier League. After every tournament, me and my dad usually go to London to have a vacation there, so I’m happy to be here as well.”

On missing the World Championships in Chicago due to visa issues, he said: “For sure after the World Tour finals I had lots of problems, mentally as well. All my team was disappointed. I had the visa in my hand and my driver beside me and all the team was positive, but suddenly I said to my team I will not make it because I will go through to the match directly after the flight. I want to compete I want to win the tournament. After the World Tour finals I’m not playing for the first or second round, I’m playing for the tournament. Actually I cried for maybe the first time in my life because of this tournament, I’ve had problems here, my bags were not here, I just got my clothing and everything 30 minutes before the match. Yesterday I borrowed from Mohamed ElShorbagy all of his clothes, I want to thank him a lot, for the T-shirt, shorts and socks. I want to thank him and my sponsors, Technifibre and Eye for supporting me to make it through. I’m happy to be here, happy to be back and I’m sure there’s more to come this tournament.”

On tonight’s match between Ali Farag and Mohamed Abouelghar, he said: “It’s a tough match for sure, lots of rallies are going to come, lots of short game as well. I’m glad that I made it through, Mosaad is a really good character and one of my favourite players that I used to watch when I was young. My father would always say in my solo practice to play like Mosaad, so all the credit to him. I’m looking forward to the match tonight, I’ll be watching with my friends.”

Result:
Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt Omar Mosaad (EGY) 3-0: 11-8, 11-3, 11-6 (40m)

El Sherbini storms into quarter finals

No.1 seed Nour El Sherbini cruised into the quarter finals after beating World No.10 Joshna Chinappa 3-0.

Egypt’s El Sherbini, a two-time winner of the British Open, went into the match with a 3-1 PSA record against Chinappa, with their last meeting a 3-0 El Sherbini victory in the 2020 Egyptian Open quarter final.

In truth, this was a relatively simple match for El Sherbini. The World No.1 controlled proceedings from the beginning, taking the first game 11-4.

Although Chinappa offered more resistance in the second, and at one stage was 8-6 up, El Sherbini still had enough to take the game 11-9.

The third was little more than a formality for El Sherbini, with the 25-year-old crushing Chinappa 11-1 to storm into a quarter-final meeting with fellow Egyptian Nadine Shahin.

Speaking after the match, El Sherbini said: “Joshna’s a very skilful and tricky player and she has a lot of experience and has been playing for a long time. I was tested in this match in the second game but in the third I started really good and kept the momentum until the last point.”

“There’s a huge difference between 1-1 and 2-0 up, so I didn’t want to lose the second game and make the match longer, I just tried to refocus and get my gameplan back and try to win every point. It was a huge advantage to me to win the second game.

“On her quarter-final match with Nadine Shahin, she said: “She’s really good, in beating Salma and Rachel in two tough matches. Being in the quarter final of the British Open is something really big for her and I’m sure she’s going to be excited and looking forward to this match and I’m also going to be excited and looking forward to it. It’s always hard playing an Egyptian, I didn’t play her a lot actually but Im looking forward to it.”

Result:
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt Joshna Chinappa (IND) 3-0: 11-4, 11-9, 11-1 (23m)

Farag flips two-game deficit to keep hopes alive

Ali Farag’s hunt for a maiden British Open is still alive, after the former World No.1 fought back from two games down to defeat his Egyptian compatriot Mohamed Abouelghar in 76 minutes.

Despite Farag’s well-known discomfort when playing Abouelghar, the 29-year-old went into today’s match with a 5-2 PSA record against his old friend and had won the last four encounters.

Today’s match, however, was far from straightforward for the World No.2, who will return to the top of the World Rankings if he wins the tournament.

In a combative and fragmented match, Abouelghar took the first game 12-10, impressively saving two game balls to down the 2019 runner up.

A frustrated Farag fought back in the second, which was defined as much by the frequency of reviews and challenged decisions as by the quality of play. However, once again it was the 27-year-old World No.12 who came out on top, taking the second 11-9, to Farag’s fury.

With a two-game advantage, Abouelghar became more adventurous in his shot selection in the third. Farag, however, finally found the consistency and assured touch that had previously deserted him and, in a more flowing game, clawed his way back into the match with an 11-5 win.

With the bit between his teeth, Farag continued to dominate in the fourth and it was Abouelghar who now cut the frustrated figure, with the World No.12 unravelling to an 11-6 defeat.

Abouelghar regained his composure in the final game, competing with Farag all around the court. The Raptor, however, was by now looking near his best, with his pinpoint accuracy and devastating drives delivering a steady stream of points from Abouelghar.

The Bullet, though kept pace with Farag, reaching parity at 7-7 with a delightful volleyed drop.

With the game breaking down numerous times as both players contested decisions, the ball showed little life, and both players targeted drops with increasing frequency. It was Farag who was able to have the most joy with this tactic, and he eventually beat his long-time friend 11-9, though not before a nervy wait for an Abouelghar review to be completed on match ball.

After the match, Farag said: “I don’t remember what I said [to Abouelghar when walking off court]. It’s a shame whenever Abouelghar and I share a court because we’re such very very good friends and you don’t want either of us to lose really when you’re on court but obviously you’ve got to think about yourself and do your best to try and win but whenever it ends it’s a sad moment for whoever wins as well because of the friendship.

But obviously I’m very relieved and very proud of how I fought back. Mohamed was so clinical today. I didn’t start off badly, or maybe I did, but he was hitting winners out of nowhere with the bouncy ball as well. So I had to step it up a little, which I did, but then it was edgy in the first two games so I decided to slow it down in the next three.

I didn’t want to go out without a fight, trying every plan A,B,C all the way to Z and if it doesn’t work then it doesn’t work and he’s a better player on the day, I just wanted to try everything. It’s one of the proudest matches of my life, definitely.”

On what the difference was that allowed him to win the battle: “Did I win the battle? I’m not sure. Mohamed is so clinical in the front two corners but I was counter-dropping rather than me initiating because when I do and it’s not good enough, he goes and counter-drops very well. So I was trying to contain him in the back corners and whenever he goes I pounce on it and go for it.

“I’m super happy, super relieved. Coming into this after the World Championships is not easy. Also the fact that I wasn’t home and had to change my routine. I love my routine so much, it gives me confidence! So to change it was not easy. So happy with the way I fought back.”

On his quarter-final opponent opponent Mostafa Asal, he said: “He’s a top top player at the age of 20, which shows how good he is, already winning the World Tour finals. We’ve played a few times so I know what to expect and he knows what to expect. He’s getting better every day, so I have to be on my metal. But for now I’m not really thinking of that to be honest, for now I have to think of my recovery. It’s a good thing I have an off day tomorrow, and a photoshoot with the PSA, and then I’ll get ready for the match on Friday.

“In those down times, you need some support from outside and obviously in the bubble I can’t travel with any coaches, Nour [El Tayeb, Farag’s wife and fellow professional] is not here so the Dunlop team has been amazing today. I could hear the entire team after every point and between games, it gave me a huge boost. It’s way more than a partnership, it’s more of a family thing, so I’m super grateful. Thank you very much.”

Result:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) 3-2: 10-12, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-9 (76m)

More Like This

VIEW ALL

Paris Squash QF: Clinical Coll Holds Off Momen In Four

19 September 2024

Paris Squash QF: No.2 Seed Gohar Battles From Behind To Defeat Sobhy

19 September 2024

NASH Cup 2024 Day Three: How To Watch Live

19 September 2024

Paris Squash 2024 Day Five: Preview & How To Watch Live

19 September 2024

Former World No.35 Shawn Delierre Announces Retirement From PSA Tour

19 September 2024

NASH Cup 2024 – NASH Family Wealth Management: Malik Wins Thriller After Fouts & Nghiem Upset Seeds

19 September 2024

Elaraby & Elias Score Impressive Wins As Paris Squash Quarter-Finals Get Underway 

18 September 2024

Paris Squash QF: Elias Conquers Gawad In Entertaining Four-Game Duel 

18 September 2024