Hauts de France: Garas and Clain Take Maiden Victories

A week of firsts came to its conclusion on Sunday in Lille, France, as the PSA des Hauts de France titles were won by Frenchman Edwin Clain and Egypt’s Nardine Garas, who both secured their maiden Tour titles.

Clain came into the tournament as one of the unseeded players, and was looking to perform well as one of the Frenchmen in the draw on home soil. His week started in the opening round, where he got the better of compatriot and wildcard Guillaume Duqeunnoy in straight games.

He then defeated No.6 seed Mohamed Nasser, also in three, before coming up against the tournament’s top seed, Japan’s Ryosei Kobayashi, in the quarter finals. The Frenchman was in control throughout the contest, allowing the top seed to score just 14 points, as he won in straight games.

Clain took on England’s Perry Malik, who was also unseeded, in the last four, and he lost the first game on a tie-break 11-13. However, he fought back to win the next three games to advance to a first final on Tour. That stat got even better on Sunday afternoon in Lille, as he took victory over Colombia’s Andres Herrera, the No.5 seed for the competition. He won in four games in a 70-minute battle, to secure his maiden Tour title.

Joining him in achieving that goal was women’s top seed Nardine Garas, who did so in a much more comfortable manner, as she dropped just a single game across her four matches in Lille. 

After a bye through the opening day’s action, Garas then defeated Germany’s Katerina Tycova and Frenchwoman Taba Taghavi across her first two matches to move through to the semi-finals, where she came up against Englishwoman Torrie Malik. The pair were level after two games before the Egyptian won both the third and fourth by 11-9 scorelines to move into the final.

In the final, her first on Tour, Garas took on England’s Alicia Mead, the tournament’s No.2 seed. The Egyptian took the victory in straight games, restricting Mead’s attacking opportunities, and securing her maiden Tour title.

Results: PSA des Hauts de France
Men’s Final
Edwin Clain (FRA) bt [5] Andres Herrera (COL) 3-1: 11-9, 13-11, 9-11, 11-6 (70m)

Women’s Final
[1] Nardine Garas (EGY) bt [2] Alicia Mead (ENG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-9, 11-6 (26m)

Men’s Semi-Finals
Edwin Clain (FRA) bt Perry Malik (ENG) 3-1: 11-13, 11-7, 11-1, 11-7 (62m)
[5] Andres Herrera (COL) bt Toufik Mekhalfi (FRA) 3-1: 11-8, 11-6, 13-15, 11-7 (81m)

Women’s Semi-Finals
[1] Nardine Garas (EGY) bt [3] Torrie Malik (ENG) 3-1: 12-10, 3-11, 11-9, 11-9 (35m)
[2] Alicia Mead (ENG) bt [4] Ambre Allinckx (SUI) 3-0: 11-8, 11-5, 11-5 (25m)

Men’s Quarter Finals
Edwin Clain (FRA) bt [1] Ryosei Kobayashi (JPN) 3-0: 11-4, 11-8, 11-2
Perry Malik (ENG) bt Elliott Morris Devred (WAL) 3-1: 10-12, 11-7, 11-8, 11-9
Toufik Mekhalfi (FRA) bt [3] Jakub Solnicky (CZE) 3-2: 2-11, 8-11, 11-4, 11-7, 12-10 (84m)
[5] Andres Herrera (COL) bt [2] Aqeel Rehman (AUT) 3-2: 11-5, 9-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-4 (72m)

Women’s Quarter Finals
[1] Nardine Garas (EGY) bt Taba Taghavi (FRA) 3-0: 11-5, 11-6, 11-7
[3] Torrie Malik (ENG) bt [8] Alina Bushma (UKR) 3-1: 11-9, 9-11, 11-4, 11-9
[4] Ambre Allinckx (SUI) bt Yasshmita Jadishkumar (MAS) 3-2: 11-7, 12-10, 6-11, 11-7
[2] Alicia Mead (ENG) bt [6] Lea Barbeau (FRA) 3-0: 11-5, 12-10, 11-4

Men’s Round Two
[1] Ryosei Kobayashi (JPN) bt David Zeman (CZE) 3-1: 11-6, 4-11, 11-4, 11-8
Edwin Clain (FRA) bt [6] Mohamed Nasser (EGY) 3-0: 14-12, 11-6, 11-9
[8] Sam Buckley (IRL) bt Perry Malik (ENG) 3-2: 11-4, 10-12, 11-6, 4-11, 11-5
Elliott Morris Devred (WAL) bt [4] Sergio Garcia Pollan (ESP) 3-1: 7-11, 11-2, 11-9, 11-2
[3] Jakub Solnicky (CZE) bt Noah Meredith (ENG) 3-1: 10-12, 11-8, 11-2, 11-8
Toufik Mekhalfi (FRA) bt [7] Viktor Byrtus (CZE) 3-2: 7-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-9
[5] Andres Herrera (COL) bt Baptiste Bouin (FRA) 3-0: 11-0, 11-3, 11-4
[2] Aqeel Rehman (AUT) bt Vinicius Leao Rodrigues (BRA) 3-2: 11-4, 9-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5 (54m)

Women’s Round Two
[1] Nardine Garas (EGY) bt Katerina Tycova (GER) 3-0: 11-6, 11-1, 11-5
Taba Taghavi (FRA) bt [7] Bruna Marchesi Petrillo (BRA) 3-0: 11-7, 11-8, 11-4
[8] Alina Bushma (UKR) bt Elise Romba (FRA) 3-1: 11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9
[3] Torrie Malik (ENG) bt [WC] Pilar Etchechoury (ARG) 3-1: 10-12, 11-5, 11-3, 15-13
[4] Ambre Allinckx (SUI) bt Ninon Lemarchand (FRA) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-7
Yasshmita Jadishkumar (MAS) bt [5] Katriona Allen (SCO) 3-2: 11-6, 7-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7
[6] Lea Barbeau (FRA) bt Sofie Hausknotzova (CZE) 3-0: 11-4, 11-1, 11-4
[2] Alicia Mead (ENG) bt Kara Lincou (FRA) 3-0: 11-2, 11-7, 11-8 

Men’s Round One
David Zeman (CZE) bt [WC] Maceo Levy (FRA) 3-1: 12-10, 11-7, 5-11, 11-8
Edwin Clain (FRA) bt [WC] Guillaume Duquennoy (FRA) 3-0: 11-8, 11-2, 12-10
Perry Malik (ENG) bt Hasnaat Farooqi (ENG) 3-1: 8-11, 11-0, 11-3, 11-7
Elliott Morris Devred (WAL) bt [WC] Lowie Delbeke (BEL) 3-0: 11-4, 11-3, 11-7
Noah Meredith (ENG) bt Blessing Muhwati (ZIM) 3-2: 11-13, 11-4, 7-11, 11-3, 11-7 (44m)
Toufik Mekhalfi (FRA) bt Laouenan Loaec (FRA) 3-0: 12-10, 11-5, 11-9 (34m)
Baptiste Bouin (FRA) bt Lewis Doughty (ENG) 3-2: 9-11, 7-11, 13-11, 11-9, 11-7 (86m)
Vinicius Leao Rodrigues (BRA) bt [WC] Antoine Allard (BEL) 3-0: 11-9, 11-9, 11-3

Women’s Round One
Katerina Tycova (GER) bt Tereza Siroka (CZE) 3-0: 11-3, 11-3, 11-3
Taba Taghavi (FRA) bt Ana Munos (FRA) 3-0: 11-8, 11-1, 11-5
Elise Romba (FRA) bt [WC] Chloe Crabbe (BEL) 3-1: 11-4, 11-7, 7-11, 11-4
[WC] Pilar Etchechoury (ARG) bt Anastasiia Kostiukova (UKR) 3-1: 11-8, 10-12, 11-6, 11-6
Ninon Lemarchand (FRA) bt Lilou Brevard-Belliot (FRA) 3-1: 11-3, 10-12, 11-6, 11-6 (23m)
Yasshmita Jadishkumar (MAS) bt Katie Cox (ENG) 3-1: 9-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-3 (31m)
Sofie Hausknotzova (CZE) bt Kincso Szász (ROM) 3-0: 11-3, 11-4, 11-7 (15m)
Kara Lincou (FRA) bt Olivia Besant (ENG) 3-0: 11-4, 11-5, 11-3 (11m)