Dynam Cup SQ-Cube Open Day 1: Busy Opening Day In Yokohama

On a busy opening day in Yokohama, there were some surprises in the men’s event, while the top four women all made it through to the semi-finals of the Challenger 3 level draw.

The first day saw both the first round and quarter finals of the women’s event, with the top four seeds making it through at the end of the day’s play, one that started with three matches in the opening round after some late withdrawals.

There were a couple of surprise results in the first round, as Filipino No.1 Jemyca Aribado and Japan’s Chinatsu Matsui both downed seeded opposition to advance. Aribado got the better of No.7 seed Yukino Sakurai, while the Japanese Matsui defeated compatriot, and No.6 seed, Kurumi Takahashi.

The quarter finals, though, went the way of the top four seeds with ease, with Cheng Nga Ching, Satomi Watanabe, Ching Hei Fung and Akari Midorikawa all won in three. The semis will see Watanabe and Midorikawa face off in an all-Japanese clash, while Fung and Ching meet in a battle of Hongkongers.

The men’s event just saw the first round take place in Yokohama, with a couple of seeding upsets in the bottom half of the draw. India’s Rahul Baitha defeated No.6 seed Reymark Begornia in straight games, while Japan’s Yujin Ikeda got the better of Filipino David Pelino, the No.7 seed, to advance.

The second day’s play at the Dynam Cup PSA SQ-Cube Open will feature the men’s quarter final, along with the semi-finals of both draws. Yokohama Squash Stadium will continue to host all matches, with the finals then taking place on Sunday, May 29.

Men’s First Round Results: Dynam Cup PSA SQ-Cube Open
[1] Yassin Elshafei (EGY) bt Muhammad Haris Iqbal (PAK) 3-0: 11-4, 11-7, 11-2 (17m)
[8] Ziad Ibrahim (EGY) bt Kanta Ito (JPN) 3-0: 11-3, 11-3, 11-0 (17m)
[5] Robert Andrew Garcia (PHI) bt Naoki Sone (JPN) 3-0: 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 (25m)
[4] Ryunosuke Tsukue (JPN) bt [WC] Tomotaka Endo (JPN) 3-0: 11-1, 11-9, 11-6 (25m)
[3] Sandeep Ramachandran (IND) bt Naoki Hayashi (JPN) 3-2: 6-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-9 (66m)
Yujin Ikeda (JPN) bt [7] David Pelino (PHI) 3-1: 4-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-7 (39m)
Rahul Baitha (IND) bt [6] Reymark Begornia (PHI) 3-0: 11-6, 11-8, 11-4 (39m)
[2] Tang Ming Hong (HKG) bt Yuta Ando (JPN) 3-0: 11-6, 11-8, 11-4 (24m)

Men’s Quarter Final Draw: To Be Played Saturday, May 28
[1] Yassin Elshafei (EGY) v [8] Ziad Ibrahim (EGY)
[5] Robert Andrew Garcia (PHI) v [4] Ryunosuke Tsukue (JPN)
[3] Sandeep Ramachandran (IND) v Yujin Ikeda (JPN)
Rahul Baitha (IND) v [2] Tang Ming Hong (HKG)

Women’s First Round Results: Dynam Cup PSA SQ-Cube Open
Jemyca Aribado (PHI) bt [7] Yukino Sakurai (JPN) 3-0: 11-8, 11-3, 11-6 (21m)
[8] Kozue Onizawa (JPN) bt Ryoko Kadota (JPN) 3-0: 11-6, 11-4, 11-4 (18m)
Chinatsu Matsui (JPN) bt [6] Kurumi Takahashi (JPN) 3-1: 11-8, 4-11, 11-9, 11-4 (39m)

Women’s Quarter Final Results: Dynam Cup PSA SQ-Cube Open
[1] Cheng Nga Ching (HKG) bt [5] Ayaka Matsuzawa (JPN) 3-0: 11-7, 11-3, 11-6 (25m)
[3] Ching Hei Fung (HKG) bt Jemyca Aribado (PHI) 3-0: 11-6, 11-8, 11-3 (25m)
[4] Akari Midorikawa (JPN) bt [8] Kozue Onizawa (JPN) 3-0: 11-7, 11-4, 11-3 (21m)
[2] Satomi Watanabe (JPN) bt Chinatsu Matsui (JPN) 3-0: 11-0, 11-7, 11-2 (18m)

Women’s Semi-Final Draw: To Be Played Saturday, May 28
[1] Cheng Nga Ching (HKG) v [3] Ching Hei Fung (HKG)
[4] Akari Midorikawa (JPN) v [2] Satomi Watanabe (JPN)