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Manchester Open 2023
Men's Draw
17 - 21 May
Manchester, England, $77.5k |
ROUND TWO
18 may |
QUARTERS
19 may |
SEMIS
20 may |
FINAL
21 may |
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[1] Ali Farag (EGY)
5-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-9 (50m)
Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) |
Ali Farag
7-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-8 (42m)
Patrick Rooney |
Ali Farag
7-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-9 (64m)
Joel Makin |
Ali Farag
10-12, 13-11, 11-2, 11-5 (57m)
Karim Abdel Gawad |
[9/16] Patrick Rooney (ENG)
9-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-2, 11-9 (73m)
[5] Youssef Soliman (EGY) |
[6] Fares Dessouky (EGY)
11-7, 12-10, 11-3 (36m)
[9/16] Omar Mosaad (EGY) |
Fares Dessouky
11-8, 7-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-4 (81m)
Joel Makin |
[4] Joel Makin (WAL)
11-3, 11-2, 11-9 (47m)
[9/16] Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) |
[3] Victor Crouin (FRA)
11-4, 7-11, 11-5, 11-5 (43m)
[9/16] Saurav Ghosal (IND) |
Victor Crouin
11-9, 11-8, 11-4 (34m)
Karim Abdel Gawad
|
Karim Abdel Gawad
13-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9 (78m)
Tarek Momen |
[8] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
11-9, 11-9, 11-9 (35m)
Todd Harrity (USA) |
[7] Nicolas Müller (SUI)
11-6, 11-8, 12-10 (34m)
[9/16] Greg Lobban (SCO) |
Nicolas Müller
11-13, 11-7, 10-12, 11-4, 11-5 (60m)
Tarek Momen |
[9/16] Leonel Cardenas (MEX)
11-7, 11-6, 11-4 (29m)
[2] Tarek Momen (EGY) |
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bye
Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) bt [9/16] Grégoire Marche (FRA) 3-11, 13-11,
11-6, 11-8 (59m)
[9/16] Patrick Rooney (ENG) bt George Parker (ENG) 11-6, 9-11, 11-6,
11-3 (46m)
[5] Youssef Soliman (EGY) bye
[6] Fares Dessouky (EGY) bye
[9/16] Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt [WC] Finnlay Withington (ENG) 11-4, 11-6,
8-11, 11-7 (44m)
[9/16] Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) bt Cesar Salazar (MEX) 11-1, 11-5, 5-11,
11-3 (44m)
[4] Joel Makin (WAL) bye
[3] Victor Crouin (FRA) bye
[9/16] Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt Adrian Waller (ENG) 8-11, 11-4, 11-4, 11-4
(52m)
Todd Harrity (USA) bt [9/16] Ramit Tandon (IND) 11-4, 11-5, 11-4 (28m)
[8] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bye
[7] Nicolas Müller (SUI) bye
[9/16] Greg Lobban (SCO) bt Lucas Serme (FRA) 11-7, 11-5, 11-6 (40m)
[9/16] Leonel Cardenas (MEX) bt Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) 9-11, 9-11, 11-9,
13-11, 11-7 (69m)
[2] Tarek Momen (EGY) bye |
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Manchester Open 2023
Women's Draw
17 - 21 May
Manchester, England, $77.5k |
ROUND TWO
18 may |
QUARTERS
19 may |
SEMIS
20 may |
FINAL
21 may |
|
[1] Joelle King (NZL)
11-4, 11-7, 7-11, 8-11, 11-2 (51m)
[9/16] Jasmine Hutton (ENG) |
Joelle King
12-10, 11-4, 11-7 (40m)
Nele Gilis |
Nele Gilis
7-11, 12-10, 11-3, 11-7 (45m)
Satomi Watanabe |
Nele Gilis
11-9, 11-7, 5-11, 11-9 (63m)
Nour El Tayeb
|
[7] Nele Gilis (BEL)
8-11, 11-2, 11-5, 11-8 (44m)
[9/16] Yathreb Adel (EGY) |
[8] Tesni Evans (WAL)
11-9, 11-7, 11-4 (29m)
[9/16] Nada Abbas (EGY) |
Tesni Evans
11-4, 11-13, 11-9, 11-6 (50m)
Satomi Watanabe |
[9/16] Satomi Watanabe (JPN)
11-7, 6-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9 (60m)
[4] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) |
[3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
11-9, 12-10, 9-11, 11-9 (42m)
maniam (MAS) bt [5] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) |
Nour El Tayeb
9-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-8 (55m)
Sivasangari Subramaniam |
Nour El Tayeb
7-11, 12-10, 11-3, 11-7 (45m)
Georgina Kennedy |
[9/16]
Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS)
11-9, 12-10, 9-11, 11-9 (42m)
[5] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) |
[6] Georgina Kennedy (ENG)
11-5, 11-3, 11-8 (20m)
[9/16] Nadine Shahin (EGY) |
Georgina Kennedy
11-5, 11-4, 11-3 (26m)
Emily Whitlock |
[9/16] Emily Whitlock (WAL)
11-2, 1-0 ret.
[2] Amanda Sobhy (USA) |
[1] Joelle King (NZL) bye
[9/16] Jasmine Hutton (ENG) bt Emilia Soini (FIN) 11-2, 11-2, 11-2 (17m)
[9/16] Yathreb Adel (EGY) bt [WC] Saran Nghiem (ENG) 11-7, 11-4, 11-6
(25m)
[7] Nele Gilis (BEL) bye
[8] Tesni Evans (WAL) bye
[9/16] Nada Abbas (EGY) bt Katie Malliff (ENG) 11-4, 11-8, 9-11, 12-10
(57m)
[9/16] Satomi Watanabe (JPN) bt Hana Moataz (EGY) 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 (30m)
[4] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bye
[3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bye
[9/16] Farida Mohamed (EGY) bt Lucy Turmel (ENG) 11-8, 12-14, 14-12,
11-9 (58m)
[9/16] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt Alexandra Fuller (RSA) 11-8,
8-11, 11-7, 11-6 (40m)
[5] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bye
[6] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) bye
[9/16] Nadine Shahin (EGY) bt Énora Villard (FRA) 11-7, 14-12, 11-2
(25m)
[9/16] Emily Whitlock (WAL) bt Cindy Merlo (SUI) 11-8, 11-6, 11-7 (29m)
[2] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bye |
Final
Husband And Wife Ali Farag and Nour El Tayeb Claim
Manchester Open 2023 Titles
It was a day to remember in Manchester for married couple Ali Farag and
Nour El Tayeb as they both picked up the Manchester Open 2023 Silver
event titles, beating Karim Abdel Gawad and Nele Gilis respectively in
the finals at the National Squash Centre.
It was the first time in six years that the couple have both been
successful in the same tournament, with the last occasion coming at the
2017 U.S. Open.
The men’s final was a rematch of the recent PSA World Championships
final as Ali Farag took on compatriot Karim Abdel Gawad and looked to
repeat his success in Chicago to claim a 32nd PSA Tour title.
Gawad started the better of the two in the final and caught the World
Champion slightly flat-footed as he raced to 9-4 by attacking the front
of the court with great precision. Farag responded however and worked
his way back into the game to force a tiebreak. Gawad hung tough however
and managed to close the game out 12-10 to take a 1-0 lead.
There was nothing between the two in the second game, with the quality
of squash at the highest level and both trading blows at the front of
the court. It was again Gawad who earned the first game ball to take a
huge 2-0 lead. Farag regrouped strongly and forced Gawad into some tough
movements and eventually stole the game 13-11 to equalise.
The resistance started to fade from the 2016 World Champion as the
sharp, explosive movements that were evident in the opening two games
were no longer driving him forward. The street-wise Farag recognised
this and continued to pile the pressure onto his fellow Egyptian. Farag
took the third and fourth games 11-2, 11-5 to claim his first Manchester
Open title and third successive PSA World Tour event win.
“I hate losing! That is what drives me to keep going.” Said Farag
afterwards.
“In the first, I didn’t start off too badly but Karim [Abdel Gawad] was
really sharp. It was very similar to the first game in the World Champs
- he was 9-4 up and I came back to 10-9 and then he came back to 10-all.
This time he ended up winning it and I thought I’d put a bit of work
into his legs, but at the beginning of the second, it was so loose from
my end and with Karim you just can’t afford to do it. He gave me some
very lucky tins, he could have run away with the game, but I hung in
there and once I got there, I think I had the upper edge and I feel
better physically.
“I’m lucky that I was only away for four months as he’s been away for 10
months. It’s all on your body and all in your head and I’m so glad I
have Nour [El Tayeb] by my side and having Farida [his daughter] here as
well helps to get your mind off things and you don’t think about the
matches as much or how tired you are - you just keep pushing. I’m
extremely proud and very grateful.”
Farag’s wife Nour El Tayeb was a winner in 2020 at the Manchester Open
and came up against first-time finalist Nele Gilis to try and capture a
second. The Egyptian displayed her excellent skill and deception in the
opening games and despite Gilis trying her best to restrict El Tayeb,
the No.3 seed took the games 11-9, 11-7 to take a 2-0 lead.
The Belgian No.1 has been in great form this week and wasn’t going to go
down without a fight. She battled back and made things difficult for El
Tayeb and ran away with game three to breathe more life in the contest,
taking it 11-5.
The World No.6 returned to the court in the fourth game ready to push
hard physically to ensure the match didn’t reach a fifth and she could
secure the win in four games. She set herself up with two championship
balls and converted at the second time of asking after a stroke decision
went her way to claim a second Manchester Open title and second title of
the season.
“This was a tough match, Nele [Gilis] played so well. I’ve played her
three or four times over the last year and a half and I can see her
improvements every time,” El Tayeb said afterwards on court.
“Even though I can see her getting tired, I couldn’t close it out
because even though she’s tired she keeps trying every point and keeps
changing her game every few points.
“I’m glad I hung in there and trusted my ability and trusted myself, and
luckily I managed to win this one as it was getting very close! I think
it was the longest match of the week for me, but I’m glad.
“I was trying to focus on what I wanted to do. The game plan was tough
against her – I can see her getting tired and I was tired, but I had to
trust myself and I know what I’m doing as I’ve been doing it for a
while.
“I’m confident in what I do, I’ve changed my coaching over the last four
or five months and I’ve been taught how to be confident at every point
and to give myself credit even on the points I lose. In a lot of moments
when I felt like I was losing points, I was trusting myself and trusting
that I was doing everything I can and it came today.”
The PSA World Tour heads to Egypt next for the El Gouna International
2023, which takes place from 26 May - 02 June. |
Semi Finals
Farag Sets Up Another Gawad Clash
Ali Farag
Egypt’s Ali Farag will face off against compatriot Karim Abdel Gawad for
the second final in as many weeks, after the four-time World Champion
defeated Wales’ Joel Makin, the defending Manchester Open champion
It was Makin who came out the stronger of the two in the opening game,
extending rallies to try and put some work into the legs of the World
Champion. It worked, and the Welshman, the defending champion of this
competition, took the early lead.
Makin then had his chance to double his advantage in the contest. He led
the second game 10-7, but Farag, as he so often does, was able to claw
his way back. He saved all three game balls, before then winning the
first two points of the tie-break, to take the game 12-10 and to level
the match at 1-1.
A quick burst of points saw the Egyptian take the third game, and he
then had three match balls in the fourth. Makin saved two to add to the
tension in the National Squash Centre, but Farag got over the line,
winning it 11-9 to move through to the final.
Just ten days on from their meeting in the PSA World Championships final
in Chicago, Farag will face off against compatriot and good friend Karim
Abdel Gawad in the final in Manchester.
“I guess the reserves come from here [his head] rather than the body,
you know. I walked on court, almost pre-giving myself an excuse to lose
because of how intense the schedule has been,” Farag admitted.
“I got really frustrated after the first with how low my intensity was.
You can’t afford… To be at 99% is not enough, you have to be at 100%. I
geed myself up between the first and the second games, I couldn’t accept
it. I had to give myself a chance to win, but I didn’t like my low
intensity.
“Then in the second, even though my intensity was up, he was still the
better player. If I had lost then, I still would have been happy with
myself. Obviously, the second was huge; 10-7 down. I dug in a lot and I
snuck it. It went my way and I could see he was feeling it physically.
We let our squash do the talking, and fortunately it went my way.
“Can we take the result from the last one, so we don’t play the match!
Karim [Abdel Gawad] and I have played at least 50 or 100 times,
throughout our junior careers and then we are 10-10 on the PSA. It shows
how close it is, you can never tell who is going to win. I am super
happy to see him back playing well again, not so happy to be playing
against him, but tomorrow.. I will have another game plan ready!”
Karim Abdel Gawad
Egypt’s Karim Abdel Gawad is into a second final in as many events,
after downing compatriot Tarek Momen to make it into the finale of the
Manchester Open.
Gawad came into this tournament off the back of reaching the PSA World
Championships final last week, and he came into the tournament as the
No.8 seed. He beat Frenchman Victor Crouin, the World No.8 on Friday,
and took on World No.7 Tarek Momen in the semi-finals.
The pair were doing battle for the first time since December 2018, and
it was a tough, but scrappy, contest throughout. Both players used
several reviews in the opening two games, and it was Gawad that was able
to keep his cool. He snuck the first on a tie-break 13-11, before then
clinching the second 11-9.
Belgium’s Nele Gilis is into the final of a Silver level competition for
the first time in her career after she defeated Japan’s Satomi Watanabe
in a high-quality four-game contest.
Gilis took down World No.4 Joelle King in the quarter finals in one of
her best ever performances, and she brought that form into her last four
clash at the National Squash Centre.
Watanabe, the first Japanese player to reach the world’s top 20, took
leads in each of the first two games, but in both, the Belgian No.1 was
able to fight back with a strong surge of points, and she held a
two-game advantage.
The Japanese No.1 took advantage of taking another early lead in the
third, but she kept her foot on the gas pedal. A rapid start from the
Belgian in the fourth saw her through to victory, though, with Gilis
into a Silver level final for the first time.
“It feels amazing! I am so happy. Last year, I just missed out on a spot
in the finals, so I am very happy to come back this year and make it
through to the final!” Gilis said.
“She came out firing in every single game. I thought I started a bit
passive, and then I tried to diffuse her, but it is a fine line between
not playing too slow. I found my groove again when I was down 5-0 in
every game or whatever it was. I am happy that I was able to fight back
in each.
“I just feel like I am really enjoying squash at the moment. I am
learning something from every event, improving after every event, so I
just want to keep it going. I tried to tell myself to imagine I was
playing a top 10 player, because she is top 10 standard. If you are the
favourite, there are some nerves because you are supposed to win. I try
not to think about it, but at the end of the day, they always come out
during the match.”
Nour El Tayeb
Nour El Tayeb was the winner in Manchester in 2020, and she took on the
English No.1 for a place in the final once more. The pair have just one
place between them in the World Rankings, and it was the lower-ranked
Kennedy, at her career-high of World No.7, who came out flying.
In front of her home crowd, Kennedy was in control in the early stages,
moving El Tayeb around the court, and she went on to take the opening
game 11-7. The Egyptian, who has been as high as World No.3 previously,
showed her abilities in the second game, and it went to a tie-break. El
Tayeb saw one game ball saved, but the Egyptian fought through to win it
12-10 to level the match.
From there, the World No.6 was in complete control. Kennedy looked to
fire the ball in short more often, but that played into the hands of the
skilful Egyptian, who was able to pick her off at will. She dropped just
three points in the third, and although Kennedy threatened a fight-back
in the mid-part of the fourth, El Tayeb came through to reach a second
Manchester Open final.
“Very, very happy and proud of course! Not trying to repeat myself, but
having my daughter here, I feel drained a bit, waking up early! So it
took me a while to get into the rhythm,” the Egyptian said.
“Ali [Farag, El Tayeb’s husband] kept encouraging me, telling me I was
working hard to be here. It made me a little angry so I pushed myself
hard in the second! I was lucky to win that, and then I relaxed and
started to play better. I think we both got tired, but having won the
second, it gave me more confidence than her, and I am glad that I was
able to push on.
“Winning the second, and obviously her losing a big second game, she was
going to be either 2-0 up or at 1-1 and we know that is a huge
difference. It gave me confidence, I relaxed a bit, I was a bit better.
This made the difference, I guess.
“It is nice to have them both here. I travelled with my daughter a few
times but I haven’t reached this far in a tournament. I am happy to be
in a final with her here and hopefully Ali can win later tonight, and
then hopefully win tomorrow as well!”
The action will be shown live on SQUASHTV
with tickets for the event available here.
For more information on the event, Where available see the PSA
Live Scores page,
or follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & TikTok.
|
Quarter Finals
Gilis Dethrones King while Men’s Defending Champ Makin
Defeats Dessouky
Nele Gilis
Belgium’s Nele Gilis shocked top seed and defending champion Joelle King
of New Zealand to set up a semi final with Satomi Watanabe.
Going into today’s match, Gilis had never beaten King in their previous
six matches, with King recording a straight-games victory in their most
recent meeting, which came just two weeks ago in the PSA World
Championships quarter finals.
The pain of that defeat was little compared to the manner of King’s 3-2
victory in the semi final of last year’s Manchester Open, when Gilis saw
three match balls saved.
Today, though, Gilis was able to turn the record book on its head with a
brilliant display.
The Belgian’s relentlessness proved the difference in a competitive
first game, with the 27-year-old retrieving excellently as she saved two
game balls on the way to a 12-10 win.
Gilis continued to unnerve King in the second game, with the Kiwi making
an uncharacteristic number of errors as the No.7 seed took a huge 2-0
lead with an 11-4 game victory.
King continued to struggle in the third game and at 9-5 down, looked in
real danger. Although the Kiwi then took the next two points to test
Gilis’ nerves, the World No.9 kept her cool to take the two points she
needed to record a historic win.
Afterwards, Gilis said: “I haven’t forgotten about that match [at the
Manchester Open last year]. I think I’ve thought about it every day
since!
“Joelle is someone I’ve looked up to since I was 10 years old. I’ve
always admired her strength and the way she plays. She was one of my
favourites for sure and to be able to compete with her is such an honour
for me.
“I’ve believed for a while that I can compete with the top girls but to
actually beat one of my idols today is unreal and amazing.
“I finished last season with an injury and really wasn’t enjoying squash
in the last few months of the season. I was forced to take time off and
at one point wasn’t sure if I was ever going to play pain-free again, so
when I started training pain-free I found a new enjoyment for the game
and ever since then I’ve really been enjoying stepping on the court.”
Defending Champion Makin Comes Through Dessouky Test
In the final match of the day, 2022 Manchester Open winner Joel Makin of
Wales came through a battling five-game encounter with Egypt’s Fares
Dessouky to earn a semi final against World Champion Ali Farag.
The defending champion made a strong start in an entertaining first
game, with the Welshman’s intense physicality well matched by Dessouky’s
attacking instincts.
After taking the first game 11-8, Makin was pegged back early in the
second, with Dessouky, playing in his first Manchester Open since 2020,
taking a quick 6-1 lead.
Makin started to play more aggressively as he began to reel Dessouky in,
but the Egyptian was able to hold out, clinching the second game with a
typically brilliant backhand drop from the back of the court.
Dessouky looked to have carried this momentum into the third game, with
the Egyptian starting better as he took a 5-2 lead. Makin, however, dug
in well and began forcing errors from the No.6 seed, and reclaimed the
lead with an 11-6 win.
In a fractured fourth game, that saw one lengthy delay due to confusion
over the score and a number of reviews and decisions, Dessouky fought
back level once again as he took Makin to five games after with a fourth
game 11-7 win.
The fifth game began much like the fourth, with play broken up by
decisions and reviews. Eventually, though, Makin was able to power
through the distractions against an increasingly frustrated Dessouky to
close out the match with a hard-fought 11-4 victory.
“I’ve had to rely on the [never-say-die attitude] a few too many times
now. I thought the squash was good there, just a little patchy. The
court was a little dead so when either of us were in the middle we were
both putting each other under a lot of pressure.
“There were a lot of swings, when it was 1-1 and I was down I had to do
something different as I was getting picked off. I had to find a way
back into the match and be a bit more aggressive and it was better.
“99 percent of that was very good quality. There were a couple of bumps
but we’re both powerful guys.
“I like playing here, you’re only a couple of hours from home and I’ve
played the leagues around here, North West Counties, for years. I’ve
played here a lot and enjoy playing here.” |
Round 2
Quarter Finalsists Decided At The Manchester Open 2023
Patrick Rooney
There were four upsets on day two of the Manchester Open 2023 as the
women’s No.2, 4 and 5 seeds exited the tournament and England’s Patrick
Rooney scored an upset as the quarter finalists were decided at the
National Squash Centre.
Japan’s Satomi Watanabe has recently moved inside the top 20 in the PSA
World Rankings and continued her good form as she overcame No.4 seed and
last year’s runner-up Sarah-Jane Perry in a close five-game encounter.
Satomi Watanabe
Egypt’s No.5 seed Rowan Elaraby suffered a four-game loss to Malaysia’s
World No.40 Sivasangari Subramaniam, who is on her way back from injury
but put together a sublime performance to overturn last week’s loss to
Elaraby at the recent PSA World Championships.
No.2 seed and USA No.1 Amanda Sobhy was in great form coming into this
event but was unfortunately forced to withdraw in her clash with Wales’
Emily Whitlock after just one game due to a leg injury. Whitlock now
faces England’s Georgina Kennedy for a place in the semi-finals.
North West local Patrick Rooney looked down and out in his match against
World No.11 Youssef Soliman, but showed great determination to claw his
way back in the match and after being spurred on by the home crowd,
completed the comeback winning 11-9 in the fifth game. He’ll face World
Champion Ali Farag in the last eight as he joined all the other top
eight seeds in claiming day two victories.
The action will be shown live on
SQUASHTV with tickets for the event available
here.
For more information on the event, Where available see the
PSA Live Scores page, or follow
on
Facebook,
Twitter,
Instagram
&
TikTok.
|
Round 1
Harrity & Bernabeu Score Upsets On Day One In
Manchester
USA’s Todd Harrity and Spain’s Iker Pajares Bernabeu scored the only
upsets on day one as the Manchester Open 2023 got underway from the
National Squash Centre as 32 players looked to secure second round spots
in the PSA World Tour Silver event.
Harrity needed just 28 minutes to defeat India’s Ramit Tandon to book a
place in the next round. Harrity moved the ball with great precision
into all four corners and tested the movement of Tandon early in the
match. Tandon looked to be carrying a slight injury which prohibited his
movements to the front corners enabling Harrity to win in straight
games.
Bernabeu faced France’s Gregoire Marche in one of the final clashes of
the day and after losing the first game in no time at all, managed to
recover and find his fighting spirit to dig deep and start to get in
front of his opponent and dictate play. Bernabeu ran through to 10-8 in
the fourth game and converted at the first time of asking to take the
match 3-1 to set up a second-round clash with recently crowned World
Champion Ali Farag.
There were no upsets in the women’s draw with the closest matches being
won by Egyptian duo Farida Mohamed and Nada Abbas who both came through
in four games against English pair Lucy Turmel and Katie Malliff.
Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam also needed four games to defeat
South Africa’s Alexandra Fuller.
|
Preview
Farag & King Top Manchester Open Draws
Recently crowned British Open champion Ali Farag and World No.4 Joelle
King will lead the draws as PSA World Tour action heads back to the
North West of England for the Manchester Open between May 17-21 with two
all-glass courts in use at the National Squash Centre.
Farag, the reigning World Champion, last week lifted a major title on
British soil for the first time as he won the British Open after
finishing as runner-up on the previous three occasions. The Egyptian was
forced to miss a portion of the season due to injury, which resulted in
a slip down the rankings, but the World No.4 is showing signs of
returning to his best form to challenge at the top of the rankings once
again.
Farag will open his Manchester Open campaign against either India’s
Ramit Tandon or France’s Gregoire Marche in round two of the PSA World
Tour Silver event and will receive a bye in round one.
Fellow Egyptian Tarek Momen is the No.2 seed for the event and features
in the Manchester Open for the first time since 2020. The World No.7 is
one of the most consistent players on tour, only failing to reach the
quarter-final stages once in hist last 37 events. Momen will play the
winner of Mexico’s Leonel Cardenas and Egypt’s Yahya Elnawasany in his
opening match in round two.
France’s Victor Crouin and defending champion Joel Makin are the No.3
and No.4 seeds, respectively. Makin beat England No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy
last year to secure his biggest title to date and his fine form has seen
him break back into the world’s top 10.
Crouin recently held a 2-0 advantage over World No.1 Diego Elias in the
British Open quarter-finals but failed to convert, losing 11-9 in the
fifth game. The Frenchman will be looking to build on that performance
as he takes on either Adrian Waller or Saurav Ghosal in his first match
on day two of the event.
Women’s top seed King will be looking to secure a hat-trick of
Manchester Open titles after her success both last year and in the
inaugural event in 2019. The New Zealand No.1 defeated England’s
Sarah-Jane Perry in last year’s final and will be looking to add to the
two PSA titles that she has already secured this season. King will be up
against either Fayrouz Aboelkheir or Jasmine Hutton in her opening
match.
In-form American Amanda Sobhy is the No.2 seed for this year’s event.
Sobhy has reached the quarter-finals and the semi-finals of the
Manchester Open in the past. The World No.5 picked up the Canadian Open
title last month and recently defeated World No.3 Hania El Hammamy in
the British Open quarter-finals. Sobhy will face the winner of the
all-European battle between Emily Whitlock and Cindy Merlo in round two.
2020 champion Nour El Tayeb occupies the No.3 seed position, and after
picking up an injury at the Cleveland Classic in February will be
determined to come back strongly to re-establish herself back inside the
top five of the rankings.
Last year’s runner-up Sarah-Jane Perry is the No.4 seed and will be
hoping to receive a boost from the home crowd as she looks to reach her
first final since the 2022 event. Perry will face tough opposition in
her opening match and will go up against either Japan’s Satomi Watanabe
or Egypt’s Hana Moataz for a place in the quarter-finals.
Manchester-born Finnlay Withington and Saran Nghiem are the wildcards
for this year’s event.
Reigning European Junior champion Withington has been working his way up
the PSA rankings and his attacking style of play might just worry his
first round opponent Omar Mosaad. Withington scored two impressive wins
at the World Championships Qualifying Event, beating two players ranked
20+ places higher, before losing out to Malaysia’s Ivan Yuen in the
finals.
Nghiem is currently a student at Harvard University after receiving a
squash scholarship. The 19-year-old will also be up against Egyptian
opposition as she takes on Yathreb Adel for a spot in round two.
Both wildcards are well accustomed to the National Squash Centre venue,
having both attended the Manchester Squash Academy for many years in
their early development.
The action will be shown live on
SQUASHTV with tickets for the event available
here.
For more information on the event, Where available see the
PSA Live Scores page, or follow
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