CIB Zed Open: Quarter-Finals – Player Reaction: Court One

It’s quarter-finals day at the CIB Zed Squash Open with the final matches on the ‘traditional’ court taking place today, starting from 13:00 (GMT+2).

First up, it’s No.3 seed Nele Gilis against Egypt’s Hana Ramadan, before 2015 World Championship runner-up Omar Mosaad locks horns against compatriot Yahya Elnawasany. Farida Mohamed and Melissa Alves take to the court in the penultimate match of the afternoon, with Raphael Kandra and Mohamed ElSherbini bringing play to a close here on court one.

We’ll have reports and reaction from the players in action on court one here, while you can also stay up-to-date with our live scoring page.

Meanwhile, you can head to SQUASHTV to watch all the action – matches from the glass court get under way at 18:45 (GMT+2).

Court One

13:00 [3] Nele Gilis (BEL) v [8] Hana Ramadan (EGY)

13:45 [8] Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) v [4] Omar Mosaad (EGY)

14:30 [7] Melissa Alves (FRA) v [4] Farida Mohamed (EGY)

15:15 [3] Raphael Kandra (GER) v [6] Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY)

Gilis Through to Semis

Belgian No.3 seed Nele Gilis is the first women’s semi-finalist at the inaugural CIB Zed Squash Open after a 3-1 victory over World No.27 Hana Ramadan at Zed Park.

Gilis had required five games to get the better of Ramadan’s compatriot Hana Moataz 24 hours previously, but had already overcome Ramadan earlier this year in the second round of the Manchester Open.

That fixture had seen Gilis take the win in straight games, and the World No.12 looked on course to do that after a superb opening two games which saw her pick her targets well and finish with aplomb.

Ramadan had more to offer though as she dug in and began to find her accuracy at the front of the court, eventually reducing the arrears with a tie-break victory in the third.

Gilis was able to steady the ship in the fourth though as she slowed down the pace and rediscovered her length game to complete the win.

“I’m very happy to get a win, she’s a very talented player and she’s very fast,” said Gilis afterwards.

“I lost a bit of focus in the third and she came out firing. But I’m really glad I managed to keep it together again in the fourth.

“I started slowing down the pace again [in the fourth], I think that in the third I started hitting it hard with her and I know she likes that. My length was a bit short too, so I tried to focus on slowing it down a bit, with a good length, and I think that’s the difference.

“I look at every single tournament as a new tournament and every match as a new opportunity. I’m not really thinking about the rankings too much, but I’ll see where it takes me.”

A mouthwatering last four battle against either No.2 seed Nour El Tayeb or the unseeded Marina Stefanoni awaits Gilis in the next round.

Result

[3] Nele Gilis (BEL) bt [8] Hana Ramadan (EGY) 3-1: 11-2, 11-6, 10-12, 11-7 (46m)

Mosaad Downs Elnawasany in Three

The first men’s semi-finalist here in Cairo is World No.23 Omar Mosaad after he put fellow Egyptian Yahya Elnawasany to the sword in a 3-0 victory.

‘The Hammer of Thor’ – as Mosaad is known on tour – beat Elnawasany in straight games in their only previous PSA meeting, which came at the Mauritius Open in June.

And Mosaad was accurate throughout today’s contest to complete an 11-9, 11-9, 13-11 victory, ensuring he will get his first taste of the glass court at this event in the next round.

“Playing in Egypt against an Egyptian guy is always tricky,” said Mosaad.

“Especially if you train with them, so I knew it would be different to last time we played in Mauritius. Both of us were looking to get to the semi-finals and you need to put 100 per cent in, in the matches, so I was ready for this one.

“I’m really happy because I won it 3-0 and I’m happy to reach the semi-finals at the first tournament of the season.

“It’s going to be different [on the glass court], other players have an advantage like Victor [Crouin], for example, he will have played two matches on. Tomorrow, I will have a little bit of a rest, maybe I will hit on the glass court, but you need to adapt your game very quickly.”

Result

[4] Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt [8] Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 11-9, 13-11 (39m)

Mohamed Through in Style

World No.15 Farida Mohamed advanced into the last four courtesy of a dominant 11-6, 11-8, 14-12 victory over France’s Melissa Alves.

The 20-year-old from Egypt battled through a scrappy five-game clash with compatriot Mariam Metwally in the previous round, but it was a free-flowing affair today with minimal interference, and a more comfortable day for the referee as a result.

Mohamed was on top for the duration of the match, but did need to be on her toes to avoid a third-game defeat after Alves had begun to find her range. 

However, a composed Mohamed closed out the win to set up a semi-final meeting with either top seed Salma Hany or No.6 seed Nadine Shahin.

“I just played Melissa in June in Mauritius and it was 3-0 to me, and I watched that match and wanted to have a better result this time,” said Mohamed.

“I’m really pleased with my performance today. It was a very clean match today, Melissa is a very experienced player and I was really happy with the match.

“Coaching is back now, so it feels a lot better to have your team with you. I like playing in Egypt, you have your parents and people here, so it always feels good.”

Result

[4] Farida Mohamed (EGY) bt [7] Melissa Alves (FRA) 3-0: 11-6, 11-8, 14-12 (26m)

Kandra Closes Out Court One Action with a Win

The final match on court one saw Germany’s Raphael Kandra secure a commanding victory over Egypt’s Mohamed ElSherbini to book his spot in the last four.

Kandra, the No.3 seed, had found it difficult to move past the lower-ranked Colombian Ronald Palomino in the previous round but looked far more at ease on court today as he completed a 3-0 victory.

The World No.19’s pace of shot was much improved, and while ElSherbini proved to be a tricky opponent in the first two games, Kandra was able to close out an 11-8, 12-10, 11-3 win in 33 minutes.

Next up for Kandra is a semi-final meeting against either No.1 sed Youssef Soliman or No.5 seed Moustafa El Sirty.

“I’m happy overall, a semi-final in a Bronze event is a big thing for me,” said Kandra, who will appear in his first PSA semi since March 2021.

“I’ve been trying to get into form in the past few weeks and I’m starting to get better the more I stay on court. Mohamed is a very dangerous player, but we never get to face each other on the tour. It was a first-time experience for both of us.

“Until the end of the second game it was very close until I snuck away in the third game, and I think that made a big difference.

“There will be a big difference on the glass court, especially with it being outside, it will be warm. I will jump straight on now to get some hits, but I don’t really mind who I am playing, I want to accelerate my game and enjoy being out there playing my best.”

Result

[3] Raphael Kandra (GER) bt [6] Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY) 3-0: 11-8, 12-10, 11-3 (34m)