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Hong Kong Open 2022
Men's Draw
Nov 28 – Dec 04,
Hong Kong, Hong Kong, $170k |
ROUND Three
01-02
Dec |
QUARTERS
Dec 03 |
SEMIS
Dec 03 |
FINAL
Dec 04 |
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[2] Diego Elias (PER)
11-5, 11-7, 11-6 (42m)
[9/16] Patrick Rooney (ENG) |
Diego Elias
11-9, 12-10, 11-5 (52m)
Youssef Soliman |
Diego Elias
7-11, 11-3, 6-11, 11-5, 11-7 (67m)
Mohamed ElShorbagy |
Diego Elias
6-11, 6-11, 12-10,
11-9, 11-4 (95m)
Mostafa Asal |
[8] Youssef Soliman (EGY)
15-13, 11-3, 11-8 (53m)
Auguste Dussourd (FRA) |
[6] Mazen Hesham (EGY)
4-11, 11-8, 11-2, 11-5 (42m)
[9/16] Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) |
Mazen Hesham
11-8, 11-4, 11-5 (29m)
Mohamed ElShorbagy |
[3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (ENG)
11-6, 11-6, 11-8 (23m)
Ivan Yuen (MAS) |
[4] Mostafa Asal (EGY)
12-10, 11-3, 11-9 (34m)
Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) |
Mostafa Asal
11-3, 11-3, 11-3 (33m)
Victor Crouin |
Mostafa Asal
7-11, 11-5, 11-7, 5-11, 11-4 (72m)
Paul Coll |
[7] Victor Crouin (FRA)
6-11, 11-9, 11-3, 13-15, 11-2 (76m)
Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) |
[5] Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY)
11-6, 11-8, 5-11, 11-1 (43m)
Sébastien Bonmalais (FRA) |
Marwan Elshorbagy
11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9 (64m)
Paul Coll |
Tsz Kwan Lau (HKG)
12-14, 11-6, 11-5, 11-6 (49m)
[1] Paul Coll (NZL) |
[2] Diego Elias (PER) bt Mohamed Elsherbini (EGY) 11-1,
11-3, 11-3 (27m)
[9/16] Patrick Rooney (ENG) bt [9/16] Moustafa El Sirty (EGY) 11-6,
11-6, 11-9 (33m)
Auguste Dussourd (FRA) bt Bernat Jaume (ESP) 11-7, 4-11, 6-11, 11-5,
11-6 (74m)
[8] Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt Rui Soares (POR) 11-5, 12-14, 11-7, 11-8
(64m)
[6] Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt Karim El Hammamy (EGY) 8-11, 11-7, 11-2, 11-8
(52m)
[9/16] Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) bt Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) 11-6,
11-5, 11-5 (39m)
Ivan Yuen (MAS) bt [9/16] Omar Mosaad (EGY) 11-3, 10-12, 11-5, 11-5
(49m)
[3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (ENG) bt [9/16] Eain Yow Ng (MAS) 11-9, 11-9,
11-5 (32m)
[4] Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt Leonel Cardenas (MEX) 11-5, 11-5, 11-9 (35m)
Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) bt [9/16] Nicolas Müller (SUI) 11-8, 11-8, 4-11,
11-4 (37m)
Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) bt Faraz Khan (USA) 12-10, 9-11, 11-4, 11-7 (50m)
[7] Victor Crouin (FRA) bt Nick Wall (ENG) 11-1, 5-11, 11-8, 11-4 (40m)
[5] Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY) bt Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) 11-9, 11-7, 11-9
(49m)
Sébastien Bonmalais (FRA) bt [9/16] Shahjahan Khan (USA) 11-8, 11-4,
7-11, 6-11, 11-6 (74m)
Tsz Kwan Lau (HKG) bt Greg Lobban (SCO) 7-11, 11-8, 13-11, 8-11, 11-4
(61m)
[1] Paul Coll (NZL) bt [9/16] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) 11-7, 11-9, 11-7
(52m) |
Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY) bt [WC] Tang Ming Hong (HKG)
3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 (33m)
Auguste Dussourd (FRA) bt Khaled Labib (EGY) 3-0: 12-10, 11-8, 12-10
(48m)
Bernat Jaume (ESP) bt Rory Stewart (SCO) 3-2: 11-8, 13-15, 9-11, 11-5,
11-9 (86m)
Rui Soares (POR) bt David Baillargeon (CAN) 3-2: 2-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-8,
13-11 (73m)
Karim El Hammamy (EGY) bt [WC] Wong Chi Him (HKG) 3-1: 11-6, 9-11, 11-8,
12-10 (73m)
Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) bt Henry Leung (HKG) 3-2: 8-11, 11-9, 8-11,
11-8, 12-10 (75m)
Ivan Yuen (MAS) bt Balazs Farkas (HUN) 3-2: 14-12, 6-11, 8-11, 11-6,
11-0 (55m)
Leonel Cardenas (MEX) bt Curtis Malik (ENG) 3-1: 11-6, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6
(54m)
Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) bt Mohammad Syafiq Kamal (MAS) 3-1: 12-10, 11-9,
6-11, 11-5 (40m)
Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) bt Yannik Omlor (GER) 3-0: 11-5, 11-6, 11-4 (23m)
Faraz Khan (USA) bt Christopher Gordon (USA) 3-0: 11-7, 11-2, 11-3 (32m)
Nick Wall (ENG) bt Leandro Romiglio (ARG) 3-1: 10-12, 11-9, 11-9, 11-4
(56m)
Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) bt Martin Svec (CZE) 3-1: 9-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-8
(44m)
Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) bt Timothy Brownell (USA) 3-1: 11-6, 11-5,
9-11, 11-3 (46m)
Tsz Kwan Lau (HKG) bt Mazen Gamal (EGY) 3-1: 8-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-3
(49m)
Greg Lobban (SCO) bt Charlie Lee (ENG) 3-1: 11-5, 11-5, 7-11, 12-10
(51m) |
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Hong Kong Open 2022
Women's Draw
Nov 28 – Dec 04,
Hong Kong, Hong Kong, $170k |
ROUND Three
01-02 Dec |
QUARTERS
02 Dec |
SEMIS
03 Dec |
FINAL
04 Dec |
|
[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY)
11-5, 11-6, 9-11, 11-3 (48m)
[9/16] Jasmine Hutton (ENG) |
Nouran Gohar
14-12, 12-10, 11-6 (37m)
Satomi Watanabe |
Nouran Gohar
11-9, 8-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-2 (84m)
Hania El Hammamy |
Hania El Hammamy
15-13, 9-11, 11-3,
8-11, 11-9 (89m)
Nour El Sherbini |
Satomi Watanabe (JPN)
11-9, 11-13, 11-8, 11-9 (44m)
[6] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) |
[5] Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
9-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-3 (33m)
Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) |
Nour El Tayeb
6-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-8 (45m)
Hania El Hammamy |
[3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY)
11-6, 11-4, 11-8 (27m)
[9/16] Aifa Azman (MAS) |
[4] Joelle King (NZL)
12-10, 11-4, 11-5 (32m)
Katie Malliff (ENG) |
Joelle King
11-4, 11-7, 11-8 (31m)
Sarah-Jane Perry |
Joelle King
8-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-7 (48m)
Nour El Sherbini |
[7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
11-8, 11-5, 3-11, 11-9 (37m)
[9/16] Lisa Aitken (SCO) |
Yathreb Adel (EGY)
11-8, 11-3, 11-8 (30m)
[9/16] Nele Gilis (BEL) |
Nele Gilis
11-4, 11-8, 13-11 (42m)
Nour El Sherbini |
Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG)
11-1, 11-7, 11-5 (23m)
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) |
|
[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt Tomato Ho (HKG) 11-8, 11-5,
11-4 (32m)
[9/16] Jasmine Hutton (ENG) bt [9/16] Hana Ramadan (EGY) 8-11, 5-11,
11-8, 15-13, 11-6 (55m)
Satomi Watanabe (JPN) bt Aira Azman (MAS) 11-9, 11-6, 14-12 (28m)
[6] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt Sana Ibrahim (EGY) 11-8, 20-18, 9-11, 11-7
(60m)
[5] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt Millie Tomlinson (ENG) 11-2, 11-6, 11-3 (22m)
Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) bt Zeina Mickawy (EGY) 9-11, 7-11, 11-7, 16-14,
11-5 (53m)
[9/16] Aifa Azman (MAS) bt [9/16] Mariam Metwally (EGY) 6-11, 13-11,
11-5, 11-5 (41m)
[3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt Ka Yi Lee (HKG) 11-5, 11-4, 11-5 (27m)
[4] Joelle King (NZL) bt Lucy Beecroft (ENG) 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 (28m)
Katie Malliff (ENG) bt Hana Moataz (EGY) 11-4, 6-11, 10-12, 16-14, 11-7
(65m)
[9/16] Lisa Aitken (SCO) bt Nour Aboulmakarim (EGY) 11-8, 12-10, 11-5
(34m)
[7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt Jana Shiha (EGY) 5-11, 11-3, 10-12, 11-8,
11-1 (49m)
Yathreb Adel (EGY) bt [8] Salma Hany (EGY) 4-11, 14-12, 11-6, 11-5 (45m)
[9/16] Nele Gilis (BEL) bt Georgia Adderley (SCO) 11-8, 11-6, 11-8 (43m)
Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG) bt [9/16] Low Wee Wern (MAS) 11-9, 11-9, 11-7 (34m)
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [9/16] Nadine Shahin (EGY) 11-6, 6-11,
11-2, 8-11, 11-5 (39m) |
[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bye
Tomato Ho (HKG) bt [WC] Ching Hei Fung (HKG) 11-3, 11-7, 11-5 (25m)
[9/16] Jasmine Hutton (ENG) bye
[9/16] Hana Ramadan (EGY) bye
Aira Azman (MAS) bt Cristina Gomez (ESP) 11-3, 11-7, 8-3 ret. (16m)
Satomi Watanabe (JPN) bt Marta Dominguez Fernandez (ESP) 11-2, 11-9,
12-14, 11-3 (45m)
Sana Ibrahim (EGY) bt Chan Yiwen (MAS) 11-5, 6-11, 12-10, 11-6 (48m)
[6] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bye
[5] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bye
Millie Tomlinson (ENG) bt Nadia Pfister (SUI) 11-8, 8-11, 11-3, 11-2
(34m)
Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) bt Grace Gear (ENG) 11-8, 11-9, 11-7 (29m)
Zeina Mickawy (EGY) bt Yee Xin Ying (MAS) 11-4, 12-10, 11-8 (21m)
[9/16] Aifa Azman (MAS) bye
[9/16] Mariam Metwally (EGY) bye
Ka Yi Lee (HKG) bt Zeina Zein (EGY) 11-9, 10-12, 11-5, 11-2 (36m)
[3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bye
[4] Joelle King (NZL) bye
Lucy Beecroft (ENG) bt Nardine Garas (EGY) 7-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-2 (30m)
Hana Moataz (EGY) bt Ineta Mackevica (LAT) 11-8, 11-5, 11-6 (22m)
Katie Malliff (ENG) bt Julianne Courtice (ENG) 11-7, 8-11, 11-6, 9-11,
11-6 (64m)
[9/16] Lisa Aitken (SCO) bye
Nour Aboulmakarim (EGY) bt Saskia Beinhard (GER) 11-3, 11-7, 11-6 (23m)
Jana Shiha (EGY) bt [WC] Cheng Nga Ching (HKG) 11-9, 11-5, 11-4 (20m)
[7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bye
[8] Salma Hany (EGY) bye
Yathreb Adel (EGY) bt Sarah Cardwell (AUS) 11-8, 11-8, 11-1 (20m)
Georgia Adderley (SCO) bt Tessa ter Sluis (NED) 11-5, 11-6, 11-7 (23m)
[9/16] Nele Gilis (BEL) bye
Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG) bt Salma Eltayeb (EGY) 11-9, 6-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9
(53m)
[9/16] Low Wee Wern (MAS) bye
[9/16] Nadine Shahin (EGY) bye
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bye |
Finals
Asal and El Hammamy Capture Hong Kong Open Titles
Egyptian duo Mostafa Asal and Hania El Hammamy are the 2022 Everbright
Securities International Hong Kong Squash Open champions after they
overcame men’s World No.5 Diego Elias and women’s World Champion Nour El
Sherbini on a dramatic finals day.
Asal, the World No.4, overturned a championship ball and came back from
two games down to complete a remarkable comeback against Peru’s Elias,
winning 6-11, 6-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-4 after 95 nail-biting minutes.
There was a controversial moment in the fourth game when, with Asal 10-9
up, Elias returned an attempted crosscourt nick from his opponent, but
his shot was deemed not to have reached the front wall. An indignant
Elias was adamant that the ball had made it and, once the game had been
awarded to Asal and both players had gone off court, later TV replays
showed that he was correct.
With the scores poised at 2-2 and Elias reeling from that flashpoint,
Asal ran away with things in the fifth game to capture his 10th PSA
title and maintain his 100 per cent win record in Platinum finals having
triumphed in three out of three.
“I’m so proud of myself,” said Asal.
“It’s been a tough week for me… People don’t know what happens outside
of the court, I’m dealing with lots of things to play this awesome
squash.
“I’m so happy to come to Hong Kong. My first time in 2018, I lost in 20
mins against Tom Richards in the first round, so I’m really happy to win
it this time.”
World No.3 El Hammamy ensured that she would walk away with four of the
seven women’s Platinum trophies on offer throughout 2022 following an
epic 15-13, 9-11, 11-3, 8-11, 11-9 victory over World No.2 El Sherbini
in 89 minutes.
El Hammamy - who toppled World No.1 Nouran Gohar in a captivating
semi-final contest - has now captured 11 PSA World Tour titles, while
her Hong Kong Open title is her second of the 2022-23 season.
“I’m over the moon with that win,” said El Hammamy.
“Last night and today was definitely tough on me. This morning I was a
little bit tired from last night’s match, but I tried to prepare myself
mentally as much as I could to dig in and keep pushing hard. It really
paid off with the way I fought.
“It’s an amazing feeling to capture the title before the end of the
year. At the U.S. Open I was a bit disappointed, I wanted to pick up the
title and keep my momentum going, but it didn’t go my way. I’m glad I
bounced back and I was able to get back to the way I wanted to perform
here in Hong Kong.”
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Semi Finals
El Hammamy and Asal Beat Top Seeds to Reach Maiden
Hong Kong Open Finals
Egyptian duo Hania El Hammamy and Mostafa Asal have toppled No.1 seeds
Nouran Gohar and Paul Coll, respectively, to advance to the finals of
the Everbright Securities International Hong Kong Squash Open for the
first time.
It marks the first time in 2022 that someone has prevented World No.1
Gohar from reaching a PSA World Tour title decider, with the 25-year-old
reaching 11 finals from 11 events this calendar year.
It was the latest chapter in the pair’s bitter rivalry, with Gohar
enjoying nine wins from 13 matches against her compatriot. Today’s match
at Hong Kong Park Sports Centre was perhaps the most entertaining of the
lot, with El Hammamy coming from behind to record an 11-9, 8-11, 7-11,
11-8, 11-2 victory following 84 high-octane minutes.
“I’m over the moon to reach the final,” said El Hammamy.
“Last time I was here was four years ago and I lost in the first or
second round. I’m very happy to be back after the long break from Hong
Kong to reach the finals. It was a very tough match and I’m happy to
come out on top.
“What an achievement (on becoming the first player to deny Gohar a final
appearance in 2022). She’s reached every final for a season and a half,
but I’m just focusing on myself and my game and what I want to achieve.
Hopefully I can keep going and get the win tomorrow.”
Her final opponent will be 2017 Hong Kong Open champion Nour El Sherbini,
who overturned a one-game deficit against the in-form Joelle King to
progress to her third successive final.
Her last appearance in a PSA World Tour final saw her defeat El Hammamy
by a 3-2 margin to win the Grasshopper Cup, and the World No.2 and World
No.3 will lock horns tomorrow in what promises to be a captivating
final.
“It would be amazing to win the Hong Kong Open final, hopefully it goes
well and I’ll be ready for it,” El Sherbini said.
“It was very tough [for El Hammamy against Gohar] they had an amazing
match and it was 84 minutes or something unbelievable. It’s going to be
a tough match, Hania is the No.3 player and has been in good form since
last season. I’m looking forward to it and we’ve played a couple of
times this season, so hopefully it’s going to be a good match.”
There will be a new name etched onto the trophy in the men’s final, with
Asal setting up a title showdown with No.2 seed Diego Elias after the
Peruvian ended the 11-match winning run of World No.3 Mohamed ElShorbagy.
Asal fell a game behind following a confident start from Coll, who could
have returned to World No.1 had he won this event. However, the Egyptian
found his accuracy in the second and third games to take the lead and,
while Coll recovered to take the fourth, Asal was able to outmanoeuvre
the Kiwi to advance to his first PSA World Tour Platinum final of the
season.
“It’s an amazing match between me and Paul,” said Asal.
“He’s a superb player and there is always free-flowing squash. He’s the
kind of player who never acts or does stuff on court, so I want to thank
him for a great match. It was a tough match for me, it was a 3-2 and one
of the best days of squash today.”
Meanwhile, Elias required five games to get the better of ElShorbagy,
who was hunting a third successive title after wins at the New Zealand
Open and Singapore Open.
The Peruvian was able to raise his game to another level after falling
2-1 behind, recording a 7-11, 11-3, 6-11, 11-5, 11-7 victory to give him
the chance of lifting his 13th PSA title.
“He [ElShorbagy] is such a great player and he’s so experienced,” Elias
said.
“We have become very good friends lately. When I’m in the match you
don’t think about that though. We both want to win so badly, and I’m
just happy I could win this time.”
The Hong Kong Open finals take place tomorrow (December 4). Play begins
at 16:00 (GMT+8) and will be streamed live on
SQUASHTV,
while the semi-finals and finals will also be shown on the channels of
PSA’s broadcast partners.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok.
|
Quarter Finals
El Hammamy Ends Losing Run Against El Tayeb to Reach
Hong Kong Semis
World No.3 Hania El Hammamy will appear in the semi-finals of the
Everbright Securities International Hong Kong Squash Open for the first
time after she ended a three-match losing run against fellow Egyptian
Nour El Tayeb earlier today.
El Hammamy hadn’t beaten El Tayeb since October 2020 prior to today and
had only beaten the World No.6 in two of their previous 10 matches. In
the early stages, it looked like El Tayeb was on course to extend her
winning run after an aggressive start to the match from the 29-year-old
saw her take the opening game.
El Hammamy came out firing though and played some measured squash over
the course of the next three games to run out a 6-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-8
winner at the Hong Kong Park Sports Centre, which is hosting matches
from today onwards.
“Playing against Nour is very tough, both mentally and physically,” said
El Hammamy.
“The last two meetings went in her favour and I wanted to focus on the
things that I did wrong in the last two matches. She’s an amazing player
coming back from being a mother, she’s had an incredible journey and
it’s very difficult to do what she’s doing, and I don’t want to be in
her position as I know how tough it is.
“I have a lot of respect for her and I’m definitely glad to be through
today.”
El Hammamy will go up against bitter rival and World No.1 Nouran Gohar
for a place in the title decider after Gohar came through a testing
encounter with World No.40 Satomi Watanabe.
Gohar, the 2016 Hong Kong Open champion, required two tie-breaks in the
opening two games, but was in the zone during a one-sided third game to
finally dispatch the surprise quarter-finalist. A win for Gohar over El
Hammamy in tomorrow’s semi-final will see her equal the women’s record
of reaching 12 PSA finals in a single year, which is currently shared by
Sarah Fitz-Gerald and Michelle Martin.
“It was a great match, it’s the first time that I’ve played Satomi,”
said Gohar.
“I know how it feels to cause an upset and then come back in the next
match. She played really well and she had nothing to lose. I had to
adapt to the conditions, especially coming up against a new player as
well, so it was a bit tricky for me, but I’m glad with the way I dealt
with it today.”
2017 champion Nour El Sherbini and 2018 winner Joelle King will face off
in the other semi-final. They beat Belgium’s Nele Gilis and England’s
Sarah-Jane Perry, respectively to ensure that all four of the top seeds
will feature in the last four.
The men’s semi-finals will also see the top four seeds look to book
their final berths, with Paul Coll, Diego Elias, Mohamed ElShorbagy and
Mostafa Asal all advancing.
Coll, the World No.2, has reached the Hong Kong Open semis for the first
time after he defeated World No.6 Marwan ElShorbagy to set up a last
four battle with World No.4 Asal. Coll and Asal will meet for the first
time this season, with Coll looking to avenge defeats to the Egyptian in
the finals of the CIB PSA World Tour Finals and El Gouna International
towards the back end of the 2021-22 campaign.
“He [Asal] seems to be playing well,” said Coll.
“I didn’t see any of his match, but he won in 30 minutes, and he’s
always a tricky customer. He’s full of energy and you know exactly what
he’s going to get, it’s going to be a tough battle.”
Meanwhile, World No.3 Mohamed ElShorbagy moved to within one win of a
fifth Hong Kong Open final after he dispatched World No.9 Mazen Hesham
in straight games to make it 11 wins in a row on the PSA World Tour.
The 31-year-old, who is aiming to win three titles on the bounce, was
tested in the opening game by Hesham, but was in cruise control over the
course of the next two games to secure the win after his opponent
dropped off considerably. Elias will be ElShorbagy’s semi-final opponent
after the Peruvian defeated No.8 seed Youssef Soliman in straight games.
“We [ElShorbagy and Elias] are very close off the court,” ElShorbagy
said.
“He’s probably the closest to me off the court out of all the players.
On court we always keep it professional, and results-wise from the
beginning of this season we’ve both been first and second in the World
Tour Finals Rankings, so on current form we’re the best two players
right now.”
The semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open take place tomorrow (December 3).
Play begins at 16:00 (GMT+8) and will be streamed live on
SQUASHTV,
while the semi-finals and finals will also be shown on the channels of
PSA’s broadcast partners.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok.
|
Round 3 Bottom Half
Coll and El Sherbini End Home Hopes at Hong Kong Open
World No.2s Paul Coll and Nour El Sherbini ended local hopes at the
Everbright Securities International Hong Kong Squash Open after they
defeated Tsz Kwan Lau and Tsz-Wing Tong, respectively to advance to the
quarter-finals of the PSA World Tour Platinum event.
New Zealand’s Coll has reached the last eight of this tournament for the
second time after defeating World No.60 Lau by a 12-14, 11-6, 11-5, 11-6
scoreline.
Lau, appearing in the last 16 of a Platinum event for the first time,
tested the former World No.1 in the first game courtesy of some sublime
attacking shots. However, Coll was ultimately able to weather the storm
to seal the win.
“I’m getting sick of playing the local heroes who want to play awesome
against me,” said Coll.
“He came out of the blocks super quick and maybe I was a fraction short
on my lengths. It was a bit annoying that I couldn’t squeeze the first
at the end there, it was a tie-break situation and I normally back
myself there. I knew I had to get it a bit deeper because anything half
court was going in with quality.
“It [playing in front of a home crowd] can either relax you or make you
more tense. It obviously relaxed him today and it looked like he was
enjoying it out there. It’s great to see these young guys coming through
and enjoying their squash in front of their home crowd, it’s great we’ve
got Hong Kong back on.”
Coll will take on No.5 seed Marwan ElShorbagy for a place in the
semi-finals after the Egyptian defeated Frenchman Sebastien Bonmalais
11-6, 11-8, 5-11, 11-1.
“Sebastien is a very good player and we played in Dutch league a few
weeks ago and he was able to get the win, so I knew how dangerous this
match would be,” said ElShorbagy.
“He was really solid throughout. I had to win the points, he didn’t give
me anything, so I’m really happy to contain him. It’s a tricky court as
well, so I’m pleased with my overall performance.”
World No.4 Mostafa Asal and World No.10 Victor Crouin will go up against
each other after they achieved respective wins against Yahya Elnawasany
and Aly Abou Eleinen, with Crouin being taken all the way to five games.
In the women’s event, El Sherbini recovered from a slow start to the
tournament as she defeated Tong 11-1, 11-7, 11-5 in 23 minutes.
The 2017 Hong Kong Open champion uncharacteristically struggled to a 3-2
win over fellow Egyptian Nadine Shahin in the previous round but put in
a much more accomplished display to nullify Tong and run out a
comfortable winner.
“It was definitely better than my first round,” said El Sherbini.
“I think I played better. I wanted to get my confidence back and play
well. I was trying to be relaxed and confident. Sometimes you need a
tough match to get you back on the move and wake you up a little bit.
The first round helped motivate me and make me play better today.”
Belgium’s Nele Gilis will be her quarter-final opponent after she
overcame Egypt’s Yathreb Adel in a comfortable 3-0 win.
Gilis, who became the first Belgian woman to reach the top 10 on Monday
off the back of her Malaysian Open triumph, will aim to get her first
win against El Sherbini after four previous 3-0 defeats against the
six-time World Champion.
“I’m very happy with how the match went,” said Gilis.
“Yathreb and I have played all throughout juniors and she chopped me
every single time. So to get the win today in three is a very good
result. I always had to stay focused because she’s one of the most
talented players on tour, so I’m very happy that I managed to stay
focused and finish that in three.”
Elsewhere, there were wins for New Zealand’s Joelle King and England’s
Sarah-Jane Perry, who secured respective wins over World No.64 Katie
Malliff and World No.31 Lisa Aitken.
The quarter-finals of the Hong Kong Open begin tomorrow (December 2).
Play begins at 12:00 and will be streamed live on
SQUASHTV,
while the semi-finals and finals will also be shown on the channels of
PSA’s broadcast partners.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok.
|
Round 3 Top Half
Watanabe Upsets Elaraby in Hong Kong to Become First
Japanese Platinum Quarter-Finalist
World No.40 Satomi Watanabe has become the first Japanese player in
history to reach the quarter-finals of a PSA World Tour Platinum event
after she upset No.6 seed Rowan Elaraby to advance to the last eight of
the Everbright Securities International Hong Kong Squash Open.
The 23-year-old from Yokohama was sublime throughout and recorded a
landmark 11-9, 11-13, 11-8, 11-9 victory to set up a mouth-watering last
eight battle with World No.1 Nouran Gohar.
“I’m really happy but I still can’t believe that I’ve done that,” said
Watanabe.
“There have been a lot of Japanese players on the PSA Tour. It’s really
hard to get into the top eight of a Platinum event, even though Misaki
[Kobayashi, the highest ranked Japanese player ever] reached No.29. I’m
really happy I have achieved this, but I want to go for more, so I
wouldn’t say I’m too happy about it.
“I’ve been playing some really good squash, so that gives me a lot of
confidence. I hope this goes on. I’ve never shared a court with her [Gohar]
before, but it’s going to be a tough match. I’m really looking forward
it to it, and I’ll just try to enjoy the match.”
Gohar moved into the last eight after she overcame England’s Jasmine
Hutton to record an 11-5, 11-6, 9-11, 11-3 victory in 48 minutes.
The 2016 Hong Kong Open champion is aiming to reach her 12th PSA final
of 2022, which would see her equal the women’s record currently shared
by Australian duo Sarah Fitz-Gerald and Michelle Martin.
She didn’t have it all her own way against a tenacious Hutton, who
played some scintillating squash in the third game to halve the deficit.
A fired up Gohar took no prisoners in the fourth game though, quickly
building up an unassailable lead and hitting her drives to perfection to
seal the win.
“Everyone who plays against me brings their ‘A’ game,” said Gohar.
“It’s always good to have some long rallies and a bit of a fight to get
ready for the next match because it gets harder and harder every single
round. I’m very pumped up for the quarter-finals and I can’t wait to
compete again.”
The other women’s matches saw 2014 runner-up Nour El Tayeb come back
from a game down to vanquish 16-year-old Fayrouz Aboelkheir and she will
go up against No.3 seed Hania El Hammamy in the last eight. El Hammamy
defeated Malaysia’s Aifa Azman and will now look to end a two-match
losing streak against her fellow Egyptian.
There were no upsets to be found in the men’s matches today as four-time
champion Mohamed ElShorbagy made it 10 wins in a row on the PSA Tour
courtesy of an 11-6, 11-6, 11-8 win against World No.71 Ivan Yuen. It’s
the first time since 2019 that ElShorbagy has achieved a 10-match win
streak.
“I think the way I was playing in 2019 is a lot different to how I’m
playing now,” the Englishman said after his match.
“At every point in my career I’ve had to adapt because I’ve played
against many different players, so you have to study the game and keep
up with the game. I think I’m playing well, but with squash you can play
well for so many matches in a row and get it wrong one day and you can
be out of a tournament. Every day you have to find a way to win and it’s
going to be the same for me.”
ElShorbagy will go up against No.6 seed Mazen Hesham next, with Hesham
overcoming a one-game deficit to beat Spain’s Iker Pajares Bernabeu.
Meanwhile, Peruvian No.2 seed Diego Elias was in fine form to dispatch
England’s Patrick Rooney in a commanding 3-0 win. His last eight foe
will be Egypt’s Youssef Soliman, who got the better of Frenchman Auguste
Dussourd.
“I think I played a good match today,” said Elias.
“Patrick is a very good player, very talented, and I knew it was going
to be very tough with a lot of pace from the beginning, so I think it
worked. We played at the World Championships in May and we went to five
games. He played a very good match and I think I didn’t play the right
tactics in that match, I think I played too slow and he played very
well. Today, I didn’t want to give him any time on the ball and I tried
to keep the pace high.”
The third round of the Hong Kong Open continues tomorrow (December 1).
Play begins at 12:00 and will be streamed live on
SQUASHTV,
while the semi-finals and finals will also be shown on the channels of
PSA’s broadcast partners.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok.
|
Round 2
El Sherbini Survives Shahin Scare on Day Two of Hong
Kong Open
World No.2 Nour El Sherbini almost saw her title challenge at the
Everbright Securities International Hong Kong Squash Open come to an end
at the second round stage after she was taken all the way to five games
by compatriot Nadine Shahin earlier today.
El Sherbini won the PSA World Tour Platinum event back in 2017 but was
almost stunned by a superb performance from World No.22 Shahin. The
pair’s average match time was just 20 minutes after five straight El
Sherbini wins, but Shahin was brave and full of attacking vigour as she
twice came back from a game down to take the game to her compatriot.
No.2 seed El Sherbini was able to move up a gear in the deciding game as
she eventually kept her opponent at bay to seal an 11-6, 6-11, 11-2,
8-11, 11-5 victory.
“I’m happy to be through but I didn’t expect that,” said El Sherbini.
“She was playing really well. I don’t think that I was playing the best
squash, and I think the court was a bit tricky for me. I had an
up-and-down match. I’m just happy I won in the end, it was very
challenging mentally and physically for me.
“She was fighting until the end and I’ve never seen her play like that
against me. Maybe I wasn’t playing the right game plan. It was more her
game plan and she was maybe more confident and more relaxed. I have to
play the right squash from the start, the third game and the first game
were quick, but your opponent is always coming to win. You have to keep
playing for every point and focus on your game.”
El Sherbini will go up against local player Tsz-Wing Tong - who is the
the only player from Hong Kong left in the women’s draw - in the next
round of the women’s event. The Hong Kong No.4 got the better of
Malaysia’s former World No.5 Low Wee Wern to reach the last 16 of a
Platinum event for the first time.
The only seeded player to miss out on a place in the third round was
No.8 seed Salma Hany, who fell to a 3-1 defeat against fellow Egyptian
Yathreb Adel.
“I’m very happy to get one of these wins against her,” said Adel, who
will play Belgium’s Nele Gilis next.
“She’s a very dangerous player and we’ve been good friends and played
against each other many times since juniors and now on the professional
circuit. It’s been a while since I’ve got a good result, so it’s given
me confidence and I’m enjoying it as much as I can. If I keep putting in
the work then I’m sure the results will come.”
World No.1 and 2016 champion Nouran Gohar is also through to the last 16
after beating Hong Kong No.2 Tomato Ho and she will take on England’s
Jasmine Hutton for a place in the quarter-finals. She will be joined by
compatriot Hania El Hammamy, with the Egyptian eliminating Hong Kong
No.3 Ka Yi Lee from the tournament.
All eight seeds have advanced to the last 16 of the men’s event, with
defending champion Mohamed ElShorbagy kicking his tournament off with a
3-0 win against Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng.
ElShorbagy, a four-time Hong Kong open champion, was competing in his
650th PSA match and continued the red-hot form which has seen him win
four titles already this season as he completed an 11-9, 11-9, 11-5
victory. The Englishman will take on Eain Yow’s compatriot Ivan Yuen in
the next round.
“I’ve had a lot of success here over the years, I’ve played in four
finals and have a 100 per cent record,” said ElShorbagy.
“I don’t know why Hong Kong has always brought the best out in me, but
it’s great to come back here. I’m sure Hong Kong Squash has done a lot
of work behind the scenes to make this tournament happen. Once I knew
there was a possibility that this tournament could come back on the
calendar, I told the PSA Board that I was 100 per cent in. A tournament
like Hong Kong is very important tournament for our sport.”
Hong Kong’s Tsz Kwan Lau has reached his first Platinum third round
after a big upset win against Scotland’s Greg Lobban and he will play
top seed Paul Coll, who defeated Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez in an
entertaining three-game battle, eventually winning 11-7,11-9, 11-7.
“I was pretty happy, there are plenty of things I can build on for the
next round, which is always nice,” said Coll.
“The court played differently to how it did in practice the other day,
which took me by surprise, but I actually quite liked it. I just had to
trust what I was doing on there and I know what I have to do to get
better, which is half the battle.”
No.2 seed Diego Elias was also victorious, beating Mohamed ElSherbini to
set up a last 16 battle with England’s Patrick Rooney. No.4 seed Mostafa
Asal was also amongst the winners, beating Mexico’s Leonel Cardenas in
straight games.
The third round of the Hong Kong Open begins tomorrow (November 30).
Play begins at 12:00 and will be streamed live on
SQUASHTV,
while the semi-finals and finals will also be shown on the channels of
PSA’s broadcast partners.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok.
|
Round 1
Local Quartet Advance to Hong Kong Open Second Round
Tsz Kwan Lau
The Everbright Securities International Hong Kong Squash Open has
returned to the PSA World Tour calendar for the first time in four
years, with a quartet of local players – Tsz Kwan Lau, Tomato Ho, Ka Yi
Lee and Tsz-Wing Tong – claiming wins on day one of the Platinum event
earlier today.
Men’s World No.64 Lau has claimed the biggest win of his career after he
came back from a game down to record an 8-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-3 victory
over Egyptian veteran Mazen Gamal at the Hong Kong Squash Centre.
Cheered on by his home fans, 26-year-old Lau didn’t let an opening-game
defeat deter him as he played at a fast pace to book his spot in the
last 32 of the Hong Kong Open for the first time. Lau’s reward is a
fixture with Scotland’s Greg Lobban.
“It feels amazing to win at home and get the support of the home crowd,”
said Lau.
“It feels so good. It’s been four years [since the Hong Kong Open was
last held] and it is my first time in the main draw. I’m really looking
to performing well and I hope I can get another win in front of my
family and my friends. I couldn’t sleep well last night!
“I won’t be thinking about it [reaching the latter stages], I will just
be trying to put my opponent under huge pressure.”
There were three other local players in action in the men’s draw today –
Henry Leung, Tang Ming Hong and Chi Him Wong – with all three seeing
their tournaments come to an end.
Leung came closest to a win as he took World No.67 Juan Camilo Vargas to
five games, but the Colombian narrowly claimed an 8-11, 11-9, 8-11,
11-8, 12-10 victory to score his first Platinum triumph.
“I was three match balls down and mentally it was tough to stay in it,”
said Vargas, who will play Spain’s Iker Pajares Bernabeu next.
Juan Camilo Vargas celebrates
“It was very physical, the last game especially, as we both really
wanted to win, but I’m glad I managed to stay composed to play better to
win. Henry’s a very tough player physically and he’s very strong, so I
knew it was going to be tough. Mentally, I was prepared for a long
battle, and I’m glad it went my way.”
Portugal’s Rui Soares is through to the last 32 after fighting to a 3-2
win over Canada’s David Baillargeon, while Spain’s Bernat Jaume and
Malaysia’s Ivan Yuen have achieved their maiden Platinum wins after
beating Scotland’s Rory Stewart and Hungary’s Balazs Farkas,
respectively.
In the women’s event, World No.36 Ho – the highest ranked player from
Hong Kong competing in the draw – has claimed her first Hong Kong Open
victory since 2016 as she completed a comfortable 11-3, 11-7, 11-5
victory over compatriot Ching Hei Fung. The win means she will take on
World No.1 and 2016 champion Nouran Gohar in the next round.
“Even though I’m the No.1 seed in Hong Kong [at this event], my draw is
not good,” said Ho.
Tomato Ho (right) takes on Ching Hei Fung (left)
“In the second round I will play with the World No.1. I think there is
no pressure on me. I expect she [Gohar] will play at a high speed. She
is very powerful, so hopefully I can stay longer on court and maybe hit
some good rallies for the audience.”
World No.45 Lee has achieved her maiden win at her home event,
overcoming Egypt’s Zeina Zein in four games to set up a last 32 fixture
against World No.3 Hania El Hammamy.
“It’s really encouraging because it’s my first time to enter the second
round of the Hong Kong Open,” said Lee following her 11-9, 10-12, 11-5,
11-2 victory.
Ka Yi Lee (right) takes on Zein Zein (left)
“I tried to have a better performance here on my home court
for the Hong Kong people supporting me and the other Hong Kong players.
I hope to have another good performance tomorrow and hopefully the crowd
will support me.”
Ho and Lee will be joined in the second round by fellow Hong Kong player
Tsz-Wing Tong after she ousted Egyptian Salma Eltayeb. Elsewhere, World
No.64 Katie Maliff has claimed her first ever win at a Platinum event
after she took out fellow English player Julianne Courtice in a gripping
five-game battle.
The second round of the Hong Kong Open takes place tomorrow (November
29) as defending champions Mohamed ElShorbagy and Joelle King begin
their tournaments. Play begins at 12:00 and will be streamed live on
SQUASHTV,
while the semi-finals and finals will also be shown on the channels of
PSA’s broadcast partners.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok
and
SQUASHTV.
|
Preview
No.1 Seed Ali Farag Amongst List Of Withdrawals From
Hong Kong Open
Men’s World No.1 and top seed Ali Farag has unfortunately been forced to
withdraw from the upcoming Everbright Securities International Hong Kong
Squash Open 2022 taking place in just five days time.
Farag, a two-time runner-up in Hong Kong, has not recovered from the
knee injury that he sustained at the U.S. Open in October which forced
him to retire early in the final against Peru’s Diego Elias.
New Zealand’s Paul Coll is now the No.1 seed for the event but stays at
the bottom of the draw. Peru’s Diego Elias is now the No.2 seed and
takes Farag’s spot, where he will play the winner of Egypt’s Mohamed
ElSherbini or wildcard Tang Ming Hong in round two.
Grasshopper Cup Champion Mostafa Asal will move to No.3 seed and will
play the winner of Mexico’s Leonel Cardenas or England’s Curtis Malik in
the second round after receiving a bye in the first round.
9/16 seed Baptiste Masotti has withdrawn from the event meaning that
Egypt’s Moustafa El Sirty now moves into his position to play England’s
Patrick Rooney in round two.
English 17/32 seeds George Parker and Declan James have both been forced
to withdraw therefore compatriot Nick Wall replaces Parker and faces
Argentina’s Leandro Romiglio in round one. Whereas Malaysia’s Ivan Yuen
replaces James in the top 32 and will play Farkas Balazs in the opening
round.
Egypt’s Khaled Labib, Germany’s Yannick Omlor, Malaysia’s Mohd Syafiq
Kamal and Martin Svec have all been awarded late entries into he
Platinum event and play 17/32 seeds Auguste Dussourd, Aly Abou Eleinen,
Yahya Elnawasany and Dimitri Steinmann respectively.
Action from the Hong Kong will be streamed live on
SQUASHTV,
while the semi-finals and finals will also be shown on the channels of
PSA’s broadcast partners.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok
and
SQUASHTV.
|
World No.1s Farag & Gohar Top Draws As Hong Kong Open
Nouran Gohar
World No.1s Ali Farag and Nouran Gohar lead the way as the draws for the
Everbright Securities International Hong Kong Squash Open 2022 are
released today.
It’s the first time the PSA World Tour Platinum event has been held
since 2018 – with Mohamed ElShorbagy and Joelle King picking up the
titles on that occasion. The event will take place from November 28 –
December 4, with play beginning at the Hong Kong Squash Centre, before
moving to the Hong Kong Park Sports Centre from the quarter-finals
onwards.
Men’s top seed Farag was the runner-up the last two times the event was
held, losing out to ElShorbagy on both occasions. Farag captured the
second men’s Platinum title of the 2022-23 season at the CIB Egyptian
Open but suffered a knee injury ahead of the U.S. Open final. He’ll be
looking to bounce back and recover to capture the Hong Kong Open title
for the first time.
New Zealand’s Paul Coll is the No.2 seed for the event and only features
in the draw for the second time in his career, his best finish coming in
2018 where he reached the quarter-final stage as the No.6 seed, losing
out to ElShorbagy. Coll recieves a bye in round one but will then face
tough opposition in the following round as he faces Colombian Miguel
Rodriguez, who also receives a round one bye.
Recent U.S. Open Champion Diego Elias will be the No.3 seed for the
event and faces either England’s Curtis Malik or Mexico’s Leonel
Cardenas in round two. The Peruvian has converted three times out of
five finals in 2022 and will be looking to add another title to his name
as he enters the Hong Kong Open main draw for only the second time.
Egypt’s Grasshopper Cup champion Mostafa Asal finds himself seeded
outside the top four for the first time since November 2021 as he plays
in Hong Kong for the second time. Asal will face the winner of Abdulla
Mohd Al Tamimi or Henry Leung in round two after his first-round bye. A
mouth-watering quarter final match-up could happen if the seedings go to
plan as Asal is in the same quarter as World Champion Farag.
In the women’s draw, Gohar will look to capture a second Hong Kong Open
title after winning in 2016. The U.S. Open champion has captured two
titles and reached three finals so far this season and will look to
continue her strong momentum into the third women’s Platinum event.
Gohar will start her campaign in round two against the winner of the
all-Hong Kong battle between wildcard Ching Hei Fung and Tomato Ho.
World Champion Nour El Sherbini is the No.2 seed and comes into the
tournament in good form after picking up the Grasshopper Cup title. El
Sherbini will be looking to avenge her loss to Gohar in the U.S. Open if
the pair meet in the final. El Sherbini will aim to capture this title
for the first time in her career after her 2017 triumph. She will face
compatriot Nadine Shahin in round two after the pair both receive byes
in round one.
Defending champion King – who beat Raneem El Welily in the final to
capture the only Platinum event win of her career – is seeded at No.4
for this year’s event and faces either England’s Lucy Beecroft or
Egypt’s Nardine Garas in round two. King is seeded to set up a rematch
of the Manchester Open final against Sarah-Jane Perry in the
quarter-finals, if all seedings go to plan.
CIB Egyptian Open champion Hania El Hammamy is the No.3 seed and will be
looking to secure a second Platinum title of the season after her
victory in Cairo earlier in the season. El Hammamy is seeded to play
dangerous compatriot and No.5 seed Nour El Tayeb in the quarter-finals
if both players progress. The World No.3 will be up against either Ka Yi
Lee or Zeina Zein in her opening match in round two after receiving a
bye.
Action from the Hong Kong will be streamed live on
SQUASHTV,
while the semi-finals and finals will also be shown on the channels of
PSA’s broadcast partners.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok
and
SQUASHTV.
|
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