University of Birmingham Open RD2: Home Hope Marshall Makes Quarter Finals

England’s Kiera Marshall secured the only seeding upset of the second day’s play at the University of Birmingham Open, the second qualifying event for the 2021-2022 PSA World Championships in Cairo.

The Englishwoman, who also studies at the University of Birmingham, came up against Pakistan’s Madina Zafar in her second round contest, and started perfectly, winning the first game 11-0. The second was a much different affair, as the Pakistani came back to win it 16-14, with both players missing out on game balls.

It looked like Zafar had gotten back into the match, but Marshall was able to find her length again in the third game, and she consistently kept the Pakistani behind her. The young Englishwoman went on to win the next two games in quick succession to make it into the last eight, the only unseeded player to do so on Wednesday evening.

She will now face the top seed of the women’s event, Lily Taylor, in an all-English battle in the quarter finals, after the World No.65 came from a game down to defeat Japan’s Akari Midorikawa in the opening match of the day. There will be another all-English clash on the third day’s play, with No.4 seed Alicia Mead and No.5 seed Katie Wells set to meet in the quarter finals.

The other four women through to the last eight all won in straight games. No.2 seed Marina Stefanoni will face Japan’s Satomi Watanabe, the event’s No.8 seed, while Egypt’s No.3 seed Nour Aboulmakarim and Finnish No.1, and the draw’s No.7 seed, Emilia Korhonen, will do battle.

There were no surprises in the men’s second round, but No.2 seed Balazs Farkas, who already has a place secured at the 2021-2022 PSA World Championships thanks to his victory at the Odense Open, had to go all the way to five in the last match of the evening’s play. He found himself behind to New Zealand’s Joel Arscott twice, but was able to win 3-2 to set up a meeting with Ireland’s Sean Conroy n the last eight.

Top seed Robert Downer had to fight his way through his second round match with compatriot James Peach, with the English pair doing battle for over an hour. Downer came through to win 3-1, and he will now play Egypt’s Seif Shenawy in the last eight. Three more Englishman, in Miles Jenkins, Joe Lee and Simon Herbert, along with Egypt’s Ibrahim Elkabbani, all made it into the quarter finals.

The quarter finals of the University of Birmingham Open take place at the Sport & Fitness Centre, with eight matches taking place across two courts, as players battle it out for places in the semi-finals of the competition.

Men’s Second Round Results: University Of Birmingham Open
[1] Robert Downer (ENG) bt James Peach (ENG) 3-1: 11-9, 11-13, 11-7, 14-12 (61m)
[6] Seif Shenawy (EGY) bt Arón Astray (ESP) 3-1: 10-12, 11-8, 12-10, 11-7 (48m)
[7] Simon Herbert (ENG) bt Filip Jarota (POL) 3-0: 11-3, 16-14, 11-9 (31m)
[4] Miles Jenkins (ENG) bt Perry Malik (ENG) 3-1: 11-3, 11-6, 11-13, 11-7 (53m)
[3] Joe Lee (ENG) bt Vini Rodrigues (BRA) 3-1: 11-6, 11-6, 5-11, 11-8 (53m)
[5] Ibrahim Elkabbani (EGY) bt Stuart MacGregor (ENG) 3-0: 11-4 retired (8m)
[8] Sean Conroy (IRL) bt Javier Martin (ESP) 3-0: 11-4, 14-12, 11-3 (40m)
[2] Balazs Farkas (HUN) bt Joel Arscott (NZL) 3-2: 11-13, 11-3, 7-11, 11-3, 11-5 (54m)

Men’s Quarter Final Draw: To Be Played Thursday, April 7
[1] Robert Downer (ENG) v [6] Seif Shenawy (EGY)
[7] Simon Herbert (ENG) v [4] Miles Jenkins (ENG)
[3] Joe Lee (ENG) v [5] Ibrahim Elkabbani (EGY)
[8] Sean Conroy (IRL) v [2] Balazs Farkas (HUN)

Women’s Second Round Results: University Of Birmingham Open
[1] Lily Taylor (ENG) bt Akari Midorikawa (JPN) 3-1: 6-11, 11-8, 11-2, 11-7 (33m)
Kiera Marshall (ENG) bt [6] Madina Zafar (PAK) 3-1: 11-0, 14-16, 11-5, 11-3 (31m)
[7] Emilia Korhonen (FIN) bt Jasmin Kalar (ENG) 3-0: 11-2, 11-4, 11-3 (21m)
[3] Nour Aboulmakarim (EGY) bt Ingy Hammouda (EGY) 3-0: 11-5, 11-7, 11-3 (26m)
[4] Alicia Mead (ENG) bt Faiza Zafar (PAK) 3-0: 11-2, 11-2, 11-9 (23m)
[5] Katie Wells (ENG) bt [WC] Katie Cox (ENG) 3-0: 11-5, 11-5, 11-5 (22m)
[8] Satomi Watanabe (JPN) bt Polly Clark (ENG) 3-0: 11-2, 11-3, 11-1 (16m)
[2] Marina Stefanoni (USA) bt Sehveetrraa Kumar (MAS) 3-0: 11-3, 11-3, 11-9 (20m)

*Women’s Quarter Final Draw: To Be Played Thursday, April 7*
[1] Lily Taylor (ENG) v Kiera Marshall (ENG)
[7] Emilia Korhonen (FIN) v [3] Nour Aboulmakarim (EGY)
[4] Alicia Mead (ENG) v [5] Katie Wells (ENG)
[8] Satomi Watanabe (JPN) v [2] Marina Stefanoni (USA)