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Cannon Kirk Gillen Markets Irish Squash Open 2023 |
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Cannon Kirk Gillen Markets
Irish Squash Open 2023
Men's Draw
19-22 April
Dublin, Ireland, $20k |
ROUND TWO
19 APR |
QUARTERS
20 APR |
SEMIS
21 APR |
FINAL
22 APR |
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[1] Eain Yow Ng (MAS)
11-9, 11-1, 11-9 (52m)
[9/16] Rory Stewart (SCO) |
Eain Yow Ng
11-5, 11-5, 11-5 (33m)
Curtis Malik |
Eain Yow Ng
11-9, 11-7, 2-11, 4-11, 11-7 (84m)
Shahjahan Khan
|
Eain Yow Ng
12-10, 11-3, 11-2 (29m)
Aly Abou Eleinen
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[9/16] Curtis Malik (ENG)
11-7, 11-9, 11-9 (36m)
[8] Henry Leung (HKG) |
[7] Lucas Serme (FRA)
11-3, 9-11, 11-1, 9-11, 11-4 (61m)
[9/16] Faraz Khan (USA) |
Lucas Serme
8-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-5 (60m)
Shahjahan Khan |
[3] Shahjahan Khan (USA)
11-7, 11-6, 11-9 (34m)
Mohd Syafiq Kamal (MAS) |
[4] Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY)
11-9, 11-1, 11-9 (52m)
[9/16] Bernat Jaume (ESP) |
Aly Abou Eleinen
17-15, 11-9, 11-5 (42m)
Adrian Waller |
Aly Abou Eleinen
11-2, 11-4, 11-5 (36m)
Mohamed Abouelghar
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[5] Adrian Waller (ENG)
13-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-7 (63m)
[9/16] Charlie Lee (ENG) |
[9/16] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY)
11-9, 7-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-3 (62m)
[6] George Parker (ENG) |
Mohamed Abouelghar
11-8, 11-4, 11-6 (32m)
Leonel Cardenas |
Tom Walsh (ENG)
11-8, 11-8, 11-6 (39m)
[2] Leonel Cardenas (MEX) |
[1] Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bye
[9/16] Rory Stewart (SCO) bt Sean Conroy (IRL) 11-5, 12-10, 11-9 (33m)
[9/16] Curtis Malik (ENG) bt Ben Coleman (ENG) 11-6, 8-11, 11-2, 7-3
ret. (58m)
[8] Henry Leung (HKG) bye
[7] Lucas Serme (FRA) bye
[9/16] Faraz Khan (USA) bt Ondrej Vorlícek (CZE) 8-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-4
(43m)
Mohd Syafiq Kamal (MAS) bt [9/16] Rui Soares (POR) 11-5, 3-11, 5-11,
12-10, 11-7 (54m)
[3] Shahjahan Khan (USA) bye
[4] Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) bye
[9/16] Bernat Jaume (ESP) bt Sam Buckley (IRL) 6-11, 13-11, 11-2, 11-1
(48m)
[9/16] Charlie Lee (ENG) bt Stuart MacGregor (ENG) 11-1, 11-7, 11-6
(29m)
[5] Adrian Waller (ENG) bye
[6] George Parker (ENG) bye
[9/16] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) bt Nilo Vidal (ESP) 11-5, 11-6, 11-7
(25m)
Tom Walsh (ENG) bt [9/16] Ben Smith (ENG) 11-4, 6-11, 11-7, 11-8 (44m)
[2] Leonel Cardenas (MEX) bye |
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Cannon Kirk Gillen Markets
Irish Squash Open 2023
Women's Draw
19-22 April
Dublin, Ireland, $20k |
ROUND TWO
19 APR |
QUARTERS
20 APR |
SEMIS
21 APR |
FINAL
22 APR |
|
[1] Jasmine Hutton (ENG)
11-5, 11-2, 11-9 (34m)
[9/16] Saskia Beinhard (GER) |
Jasmine Hutton
12-10, 11-7, 11-7 (34m)
Grace Gear
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Jasmine Hutton
11-2, 11-4, 11-5 (36m)
Fayrouz Aboelkheir
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Jasmine Hutton
8-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-9 (39m)
Aira Azman
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[9/16] Grace Gear (ENG)
5-11, 11-8, 11-7, 6-11, 11-8 (45m)
[7] Cindy Merlo (SUI) |
[5] Lucy Beecroft (ENG)
11-9, 11-4, 11-8 (35m)
[9/16] Katie Malliff (ENG) |
Lucy Beecroft
12-10, 11-3, 11-6 (26m)
Fayrouz Aboelkheir |
[4] Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY)
11-2, 11-5, 11-7 (20m)
Nadia Pfister (SUI) |
[3] Alexandra Fuller (RSA)
11-6, 11-7, 11-6 (25m)
Xin Ying Yee (MAS) |
Alexandra Fuller
11-7, 11-5, 11-2 (23m)
Alicia Mead |
Alexandra Fuller
11-9, 11-7, 2-11, 4-11, 11-7 (84m)
Aira Azman |
Alicia Mead (ENG)
8-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-5 (57m)
[6] Énora Villard (FRA) |
[9/16] Aira Azman (MAS)
11-3, 11-6, 11-2 (14m)
[8] Emilia Soini (FIN) |
Aira Azman
10-12, 7-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-9 (45m)
Zeina Zein
|
[9/16] Zeina Zein (EGY)
8-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-7 (52m)
[2] Aifa Azman (MAS) |
[1] Jasmine Hutton (ENG) bye
[9/16] Saskia Beinhard (GER) bt [WC] Breanne Flynn (IRL) 11-6, 13-11,
11-7 (35m)
[9/16] Grace Gear (ENG) bt [WC] Hannah McGugan (IRL) 11-3, 11-5, 11-7
(18m)
[7] Cindy Merlo (SUI) bye
[5] Lucy Beecroft (ENG) bye
[9/16] Katie Malliff (ENG) bt Marta Dominguez Fernandez (ESP) 11-5,
11-3, 11-9 (29m)
Nadia Pfister (SUI) bt [9/16] Georgia Adderley (SCO) 8-11, 11-7, 11-5,
12-10 (38m)
[4] Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) bye
[3] Alexandra Fuller (RSA) bye
Xin Ying Yee (MAS) bt [9/16] Marie Stéphan (FRA) 12-10, 11-9, 11-3 (22m)
Alicia Mead (ENG) bt [9/16] Cristina Gomez (ESP) 11-7, 11-6, 11-6 (27m)
[6] Énora Villard (FRA) bye
[8] Emilia Soini (FIN) bye
[9/16] Aira Azman (MAS) bt Kaitlyn Watts (NZL) 11-8, 6-11, 9-11, 11-4,
11-1 (38m)
[9/16] Zeina Zein (EGY) bt Chan Yiwen (MAS) 12-10, 9-11, 6-11, 11-9,
11-7 (47m)
[2] Aifa Azman (MAS) bye |
Final
Ng and Hutton Victorious in Dublin
Jasmine Hutton took the women's title at the Cannon
Kirk GillenMarkets Irish Squash Open
Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng and England’s Jasmine Hutton, the two top seeds,
were victorious at the Cannon Kirk GillenMarkets Irish Squash Open.
The Challenger 20 level competition took place at the Fitzwilliam Lawn
Tennis Club in Dublin, and the Malaysian came in to the men’s event as
the top seed.
After a first round bye, the World No.21 started his week with a
straight games victory over Scotland’s Rory Stewart, before then
overcoming England’s Curtis Malik in the quarter finals, beating the
Englishman with three 11-5 scorelines.
The good form continued, as US No.1 Shahjahan Khan was beaten in three
in the semis. In the final, Ng took on Egypt’s Aly Abou Eleinen, the
No.4 seed, and once again, was victorious in straight games. He took a
tight first 12-10 before cruising to victory to come through the entire
event without dropping a game.
England’s Hutton was also the top seed in the women’s event, and she
started her campaign in the second round. The Englishwoman defeated
German No.1 Saskia Beinhard in straight games to kick things off, before
following that up with a three-game win over compatriot Grace Gear.
No.4 seed Fayrouz Aboelkheir was also seen off in straight games, before
Hutton came up against the unseeded Aira Azman in the final. The
Malaysian had beaten the adopted home favourite, Alexandra Fuller, in
the semis, and she won the opening game of the final. However, Hutton
was able to regroup from there, and she came through the final to win in
four games, and to claim the title.
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Semi Finals
Azman Downs Adopted Home Hope Fuller
Aira Azman downed Alexandra Fuller to reach the
biggest final of her career to date
Malaysia’s Aira Azman is into the biggest final of her young career as
she beat World No.30 Alexandra Fuller to reach the final of the Cannon
Kirk GillenMarkets Irish Squash Open.
The Malaysian came into the Challenger 20 level competition unseeded,
but has been in great form recently. She already has two titles to her
name this season, and was one of the twelve players to secure a spot at
the PSA World Championships via the Qualifying Event in Birmingham last
week.
Azman had gone to five the previous day against Zeina Zein. That did not
stop her from causing a big upset on Friday evening, as she got the
better of Alexandra Fuller, who now resides in Dublin and calls the
Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club her home.
After winning the first game, the young Malaysian found herself 2-1
down. She fought through a fourth game tie-break, where she saved two
match balls. Azman won that game 14-12, before then going on to take the
deciding fifth game 11-6 to move through to the final.
She will now take on England’s Jasmine Hutton, the tournament’s top
seed, on Saturday afternoon in Dublin. The Englishwoman had no issues in
getting the better of Egypt’s Fayrouz Aboelkheir, winning 11-8, 11-7,
11-6 in under half an hour.
The men’s top seed also won in straight games in the semis. Malaysia’s
Eain Yow Ng downed US No.1 Shahjahan Khan comfortably. The Malaysian
dropped just 11 points in his victory, winning 11-2, 11-4, 11-5 in 36
minutes.
He will now take on Egypt’s Aly Abou Eleinen in the final. The
tournament’s No.4 seed came through a lengthy battle with compatriot
Mohamed Abouelghar. The former World No.7 had to go through the World
Championships qualifying process last week in Birmingham, and he then
found himself two games down to Eleinen in the semis in Dublin.
However, he fought back brilliantly, dropping just six points across the
next two games to level the last match of the day’s play. Eleinen
regrouped and went on to win the fifth 11-7, to move through to the
final of the Irish Open.
The finals of the Cannon Kirk GillenMarkets Irish Squash Open will take
place on Saturday, April 22.
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Quarter Finals
Abouelghar and Azman Into Semis
Mohamed Abouelghar, pictured at the 2023 Black Ball
Squash Open, is into the last four in Dublin
Egypt’s Mohamed Abouelghar and Malaysia’s Aira Azman have gatecrashed
the semi-finals at the Cannon Kirk GillenMarkets Irish Squash Open.
The pair were both part of the twelve winners at the PSA World
Championships Qualifying Event in Birmingham last week, and their good
form has continued into the Challenger 20 level Irish Open in Dublin.
Abouelghar, the former World No.7, is battling back after an extended
period away from he Tour with injury. He is currently just outside the
world’s top 50, but playing at a much higher level, as his straight
games victory on Thursday shows.
The Egyptian took on No.2 seed Leonel Cardenas, and defeated the Mexican
No.1 quite comfortably. He won the opening game 11-8, before then taking
the next to to the loss of just four and six points, respectively.
Abouelghar will now face compatriot Aly Abou Eleinen in the last four
after his fellow Egyptian defeated England’s Adrian Waller in straight
games, with the first being won deep into a tie-break, 17-15.
The other semi-final will see Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng, the top seed, take
on US No.1 Shahjahan Khan. The American fought from a game down to
defeat Frenchman Lucas Serme in four, while Ng got the better of
England’s Curtis Malik in straight games, winning all three by an 11-5
scoreline.
In the women’s event in Dublin, Malaysia’s Aira Azman is the only
unseeded player into the last four. She took on Zeina Zein in the
quarter finals, and got revenge for her sister’s loss to the Egyptian in
the previous round. Zein had beaten older sister Aifa in a five-game
battle on Wednesday, one of the big upsets of the day.
The quarter final between the unseeded pair went the distance as well,
with the younger Azman sister coming from two games down. She lost the
opener on a tie-break before then going two down, but she fought back
brilliantly. The Malaysian went on to win the last three games of their
contest to take the victory, and to move through to the last four in
Dublin.
She will now take on the adopted home favourite, South Africa’s
Alexandra Fuller. The tournament’s No.3 seed downed Alicia Mead in
straight games to make the semis. The other match on Friday evening will
see England’s Jasmine Hutton and Egypt’s Fayrouz Aboelkheir go
head-to-head for a place in the final after they both won their
respective last eight matches in straight games. |
Round 2
English Trio Among Surprise Winners On Day Two
Grace Gear, pictured here at the Squash on Fire Open,
makes it through to quarter finals in Dublin
The second day of the Cannon Kirk GillenMarkets Irish Squash Open saw
six unseeded players take victories, with a trio of those hailing from
England.
The Challenger 20 level competition is being played at the Fitzwilliam
Lawn Tennis Club in Dublin, Ireland, with several members of the world’s
top 25 in action across both draws.
In the women’s event on Wednesday, England’s Grace Gear and Alicia Mead
both downed seeded opposition in the second round. Gear got the better
of Swiss No.1 Cindy Merlo, regrouping after losing the fourth game to
win the fifth and to advance to the last eight, where she will now take
on compatriot and top seed Jasmine Hutton.
The other English woman to advance to the quarters is Alicia Mead, after
she beat No.6 seed Enora Villard. The Frenchwoman won the opening two
games by an 11-8 scoreline, but Mead fought back brilliantly. She won
the third and fourth games 11-6, before taking the deciding fifth game
11-5 to book her place in the last eight.
Elsewhere in the women’s draw, Malaysia’s Aira Azman got the better of
Finnish No.1 Emilia Soini in straight games. There was the possibility
of Azman meeting older sister Aifa in the quarter finals, but the World
No.25 was beaten by Egypt’s Zeina Zein in one of the biggest surprises
of the day. The 18-year-old fought from two games down to win in five,
and to reach the quarter finals.
Curtis Malik was the other English player to reach the last eight, with
the Englishman defeating No.8 seed Henry Leung. Malik, who qualified for
the PSA World Championships last week, continued that form with a win
over the Hongkonger in straight games.
The other seeding upset saw Egypt’s Mohamed Abouelghar, the former World
No.7, down England’s George Parker. The pair went the distance, with
Abouelghar coming through a fifth game decider to book his place in the
quarter finals. He will now take on No.2 seed Leonel Cardenas in the
last eight. |
Round 1
Home Hopes Distinguished In Opening Round
Saskia Beinhard, pictured here
at the Canadian Women's Open in Toronto
The opening day of the Cannon Kirk GillenMarkets Irish Squash Open saw
the four home hopes knocked out of the Challenger 20 level competition.
The tournament, which has been won by the likes of Ali Farag. Tarek
Momen, Borja Golan, Peter Nicol, Nouran Gohar, Laura Massaro, Vanessa
Atkinson and both Nele and Tinne Gilis, is into its 25th edition, and is
being held at the Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club in the Irish capital of
Dublin.
This year’s event saw four Irish players take to the court, but
unfortunately for the home crowd in attendance, they were all beaten.
Irish No.1 Sam Buckley fell to Spain’s Bernat Jaume. Buckley won the
opening game, but lost a tight second on a tie-break, and the Spaniard
was able to take control from there to win in four. Meanwhile,
Scotland’s Rory Stewart downed Sean Conroy in an all-Celtic clash in
straight games.
In the women’s event, Breanne Flynn and Hannah McGugan were the two
wildcards. They took on Germany’s Saskia Beinhard and Englishwoman Grace
Gear, respectively, but both lost out in straight games.
Elsewhere, Egypt’s Mohamed Abouelghar and Zeina Zein, along with
Malaysian Aira Azman, all continued their good form to win their opening
matches. The trio were among those secure a spot in Chicago after
winning their respective matches on the final day of the PSA World
Championships Qualifying Event in Birmingham last week.
Abouelghar, the former World No.7, got the better of Spain’s Nilo Vidal
in straight games. Compatriot Zeina Zein had to go the distance in her
first round match. She came from a game down to defeat Malaysia’s Chan
Yiwen in five. Azman also went to a deciding game, as she fought back
from being 2-1 down to New Zealand’s Kaitlyn Watts.
Only one other match went the distance on the opening day. Malaysia’s
Mohammad Syafiq Kamal took a surprise win as he beat Portugal’s Rui
Soares. The Portuguese No.1 was ahead after three games but the
Malaysian won the fourth on a tie-break 12-10, before then winning the
fifth 11-7 to book his place in the second round.
The English duo of Alicia Mead and Katie Malliff knocked out the two
Spanish women in action. Mead downed Spanish No.1 Cristina Gomez, while
Malliff got the better of Marta Dominguez Fernandez, another who earned
her place in Chicago last week.
The seeds enter the draw in the second round on Wednesday, with the
likes of Jasmine Hutton, Eain Yow Ng, Aifa Azman, Leonel Cardenas and
2019 finalist Alexandra Fuller all joining the action.
The second round of the Cannon Kirk GillenMarkets Irish Squash Open will
take place on Wednesday, April 19. You can keep up to date with daily
updates from the tournament on the
PSA Challenger Tour’s Twitter and
Facebook.
Action from Dublin is being streamed throughout the week on the
Irish Squash TV channel, and you can also keep up to date
with live scores which are available on the PSA World Tour website
here.
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Preview
Fuller Aiming For Meaningful Victory
Alexandra Fuller, pictured here in New York in January
2023
The Cannon Kirk GillenMarkets Irish Squash Open gets underway on
Tuesday, and South Africa’s Alexandra Fuller is aiming for a momentous
win at her adopted home club.
The South African will be making her fourth appearance at the
tournament, and she will have the crowd right behind her. She was a
finalist in 2019, and made the semi-finals last year, but will be
looking to go better in 2023.
“I love playing the Irish Open. It feels like home the way the Irish
people and members of Fitzwilliam support me. I am buzzing to play in
front of them and hopefully I can put on a good performance throughout
the whole tournament,” Fuller explained.
“There is always a great atmosphere in the club during the tournament
and I can’t wait for the other players to also experience the warm,
welcoming, friendly nature of the Irish contingent.
“It would mean so much to me [to win]! I was in the final the year
before and lost out to Nele Gilis. We will take it one match at a time
and focus on the job at hand without looking too far ahead.
“The preparation for each match is always the same for me. I make sure I
am ready, I feel energised, my head is clear and I’m excited to play. I
feel relaxed playing in Dublin as I will be staying at home so I have my
own comforts which is always nice.
“There is a difference between the major tournaments and the Challenger
Tour tournaments, especially with the size of the draws but the calibre
of players here for the men and the women is exceptional so no doubt we
will be well looked after and have great matches throughout the week.”
Fuller will come into this event after featuring at the British Open in
Birmingham. She defeated Canadian Nicole Bunyan in a five-gamer in the
opening round, before losing out to defending champion Hania El Hammamy
in the last 32.
Although she only made the second round of the sport’s oldest
tournament, the South African is taking the positives. Despite the loss,
she was happy with the way she played against the World No.3.
“I’ve had a good few weeks back in Dublin training with my coach Angus
Kirkland, so I am feeling confident in my game at the moment,” she said.
“The focus for us is to have good performances through the tournaments.
This way it takes pressure off the result and we just focus on playing
well and delivering a good performance.
“I feel like I have had a couple good performances in the last
tournament, being the British Open, so I feel excited to play the Irish
Open this week. This gives me another chance to perform well and play my
best squash.
“I had a great experience playing against Hania last week at the British
Open. I was happy with the way I was playing and I feel even more
excited to be able to play again to back it up at the Irish Open. I have
watched my match back and there are some positive aspects of my game
that came through which I am happy about. I have definitely come away
from that match having learnt something.”
This will be Fuller’s last tournament before travelling to Chicago to
take part in the PSA World Championships presented by the Walter Family.
She is looking for a good week in preparation for the sport’s biggest
tournament, which takes place at the start of May.
“Each match is another one in the bank. At the end of the day they all
add up and this is what counts towards your experience. My focus in this
tournament is to get a few matches under my belt and back up my matches
with good performances,” the South African explained.
Fuller will be the No.3 seed in the women’s event, with Englands Jasmine
Hutton as the top seed for the competition. Malaysia’s Aifa Azman and
young Egyptian Fayrouz Aboelkheir will make up the rest of the top four
seeds.
A European quartet will round out the eight seeds for the event.
England’s Lucy Beecroft, Frenchwoman Enora Villard, Swiss No.1 Cindy
Merlo and Finnish No.1 Emilia Soini will all be seeded for the
competition.
Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng will be the top seed for the men’s draw in Dublin
this week. Mexican No.1 Leonel Cardenas and US No.1 Shahjahan Khan will
be in contention, with the English duo of Adrian Waller and George
Parker taking the short flight over the Irish Sea to participate.
Egypt’s Aly Abou Eleinen, Frenchman Lucas Serme and Hong Kong’s Henry
Leung will make up the rest of the top eight seeds in the men’s draw.
The Irish duo of Sam Buckley and Sean Conroy will both be in action,
with compatriots Breanne Flynn and Hannah McGugan as the two wildcards
in the women’s event.
Five of the
12 players who secured their spots in Chicago
after winning their third round matches at the PSA World Championships
Qualifying Event will feature this week. Malaysia’s Aira
Azman, Egypt’s Zeina Zein and Spanish No.2 Marta Dominguez Fernandez are
the three from the women’s event, with England’s Curtis Malik and former
World No.7 Mohamed Abouelghar taking part in the men’s event.
The event takes place from Tuesday, April 18 to Saturday, April 22 at
the Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club in Dublin, where Alexandra Fuller will
be the No.3 seed for the women’s competition. Follow the PSA Challenger
Tour on Twitter and Facebook for daily updates from the event. Live
scores from the tournament will be available on the PSA World Tour
website here.
For more information on the event, Where available see the
PSA Live Scores page, or follow
on
PSAChallengerTourLivestreams,
Facebook,
Twitter,
Instagram
&
TikTok. Selected
events will also be streamed live on
SQUASHTV.
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