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Odense Open 2023
Men's Draw
07 - 11 Mar
Odense, Denmark, $12k |
ROUND TWO
08 Mar |
QUARTERS
09 Mar |
SEMIS
10 Mar |
FINAL
11 Mar |
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[1] Balázs Farkas (HUN)
11-5, 13-11, 11-6
[9/16] Emyr Evans (WAL) |
Balázs Farkas
11-6, 11-6, 11-2 (31m)
Addeen Idrakie |
Balázs Farkas
7-11, 12-10, 11-7, 11-3 (55m)
Bernat Jaume |
Bernat Jaume
11-4, 11-8, 10-12, 11-6 (57m)
Rory Stewart |
[7] Addeen Idrakie (MAS)
8-11, 11-3, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7
[9/16] Lwamba Chileshe (NZL) |
[5] Bernat Jaume (ESP)
6-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-9
[9/16] Yannik Omlor (GER) |
Bernat Jaume
11-7, 11-9, 11-8 (39m)
Daniel Poleshchuk |
[9/16] Daniel Poleshchuk (ISR)
12-10, 11-5, 8-11, 11-6 (48m)
[4] Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) |
[3] Rory Stewart (SCO)
11-7, 11-4, 11-6 (29m)
[9/16] Mohd Syafiq Kamal (MAS) |
Rory Stewart
11-6, 11-5, 11-7 (42m)
Yannick Wilhelmi |
Rory Stewart
11-6, 11-8, 11-9 (53m)
Ben Coleman |
[9/16] Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI)
2-11, 14-12, 11-2, 11-9 (45m)
[8] Simon Herbert (ENG) |
[9/16] Ben Coleman (ENG)
11-4, 6-11, 11-6, 11-1
[6] Mazen Gamal (EGY) |
Ben Coleman
10-12, 11-3, 11-2, 11-4 (57m)
Rui Soares |
[9/16] Owain Taylor (WAL)
10-12, 11-5, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9
[2] Rui Soares (POR) |
[1] Balázs Farkas (HUN) bye
[9/16] Emyr Evans (WAL) bt Valentin Rapp (GER) 11-7, 11-6, 11-6 (28m)
[9/16] Lwamba Chileshe (NZL) bt Mohamed Nasser (EGY) 8-11, 11-7, 15-13,
11-8
[7] Addeen Idrakie (MAS) bye
[5] Bernat Jaume (ESP) bye
[9/16] Yannik Omlor (GER) bt Aqeel Rehman (AUT) 11-8, 13-11, 11-4 (37m)
[9/16] Daniel Poleshchuk (ISR) bt Joeri Hapers (BEL) 11-3, 11-8, 11-4
(25m)
[4] Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) bye
[3] Rory Stewart (SCO) bye
[9/16] Mohd Syafiq Kamal (MAS) bt [WC] Joakim Jepsen (DEN) 11-7, 11-4,
11-3 (23m)
[9/16] Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) bt [WC] Marcus Søby Jepsen (DEN) 11-5,
11-3, 11-7 (26m)
[8] Simon Herbert (ENG) bye
[6] Mazen Gamal (EGY) bye
[9/16] Ben Coleman (ENG) bt [WC] Theis Houlberg (DEN) 12-10, 11-7, 11-6
(35m)
[9/16] Owain Taylor (WAL) bt Andrés Herrera (COL) 10-12, 11-9, 11-5,
14-12 (78m)
[2] Rui Soares (POR) bye |
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Odense Open 2023
Women's Draw
07 - 11 Mar
Odense, Denmark, $12k |
ROUND TWO
08 Mar |
QUARTERS
09 Mar |
SEMIS
10 Mar |
FINAL
11 Mar |
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[1] Cindy Merlo (SUI)
11-7, 13-11, 7-11, 11-3
[9/16] Malak Khafagy (EGY) |
Malak Khafagy
11-7, 6-11, 11-9, 11-9 (42m)
Torrie Malik |
Malak Khafagy
11-8, 7-11, 11-8, 11-4 (41m)
Marta Dominguez Fernandez |
Malak Khafagy
12-10, 11-6, 11-2 (30m)
Emilia Soini |
[8] Torrie Malik (ENG)
11-5, 11-6, 11-5
[9/16] Au Yeong Wai Yhann (SGP) |
[7] Alicia Mead (ENG)
8-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-6, 11-8 (45m)
[9/16] Katerina Tycova (GER) |
Alicia Mead
5-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-5 (41m)
Marta Dominguez Fernandez |
[4] Marta Dominguez Fernandez (ESP)
11-3, 11-5, 11-8 (27m)
[9/16] Ambre Allinckx (SUI) |
[3] Nadia Pfister (SUI)
11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8 (31m)
[9/16] Nadeen Kotb (EGY) |
Nadia Pfister
11-6, 11-6, 11-5 (25m)
Kaitlyn Watts |
Kaitlyn Watts
9-11, 11-8, 15-13, 11-9 (48m)
Emilia Soini |
[6] Kaitlyn Watts (NZL)
11-4, 11-13, 11-8, 11-9 (47m)
Klara Møller (DEN) |
[5] Xin Ying Yee (MAS)
11-5, 2-11, 11-5, 11-1
[9/16] Léa Barbeau (FRA) |
Xin Ying Yee
10-12, 5-11, 11-6, 11-6, 13-11 (40m)
Emilia Soini |
Taba Taghavi (FRA)
11-4, 11-2, 8-11, 11-9 (30m)
[2] Emilia Soini (FIN) |
[1] Cindy Merlo (SUI) bye
[9/16] Malak Khafagy (EGY) bt Ella Galova (FRA) 11-6, 7-11, 9-11, 11-9,
11-3 (45m)
[9/16] Au Yeong Wai Yhann (SGP) bt Jelena Dutina (SRB) 11-4, 11-5, 11-4
(21m)
[8] Torrie Malik (ENG) bye
[7] Alicia Mead (ENG) bye
[9/16] Katerina Tycova (GER) bt [WC] Sarah Lauridsen (DEN) 11-4, 11-9,
11-5 (23m)
[9/16] Ambre Allinckx (SUI) bt Sofía Mateos (ESP) 14-12, 11-9, 11-3
(34m)
[4] Marta Dominguez Fernandez (ESP) bye
[3] Nadia Pfister (SUI) bye
[9/16] Nadeen Kotb (EGY) bt Caroline Lyng (DEN) 11-3, 11-2, 7-11, 11-1
(24m)
Klara Møller (DEN) bt [9/16] Ali Loke (WAL) 12-10, 11-8, 11-3
[6] Kaitlyn Watts (NZL) bye
[5] Xin Ying Yee (MAS) bye
[9/16] Léa Barbeau (FRA) bt Chloe Foster (WAL) 12-10, 11-7, 6-11, 11-13,
11-6 (37m)
Taba Taghavi (FRA) bt [9/16] Élise Romba (FRA) 8-11, 11-1, 11-8, 5-11,
11-9
[2] Emilia Soini (FIN) bye |
Finals
Khafagy and Stewart Victorious On Danish Soil
Malak Khafagy and Rory Stewart collect the Odense Open
trophies
Egypt’s Malak Khafagy and Scotland’s Rory Stewart took the titles at the
Challenger 10 level Odense Open this weekend.
The Egyptian came into the tournament as one of the unseeded players,
and caused upset after upset to take the title. Khafagy, who is just
18-years-old, started her week with a tight five-game victory over
Frenchwoman Ella Galova, but from there, she went from strength to
strength.
In the second round, the Egyptian defeated the tournament’s top seed,
Cindy Merlo, before then getting the better of England’s Torrie Malik in
the quarter finals, with both wins coming in four games. Khafagy downed
Spain’s Marta Dominguez Fernandez in the last four to reach her third
final on Tour.
The final saw Khafagy come up against Finnish No.1 Emilia Soini in
Odense. The opening game was the crucial one, with the 18-year-old
Egyptian winning it on a tie-break 12-10. From there, she was in
control, winning the second 11-6 before cruising to the third game 11-2.
The win is her first on Tour, and she joins a growing list of young
Egyptians to taste success prior to turning 19.
In the men’s event, Scotland’s Rory Stewart came in as the No.3 seed,
and he went on to win for the third time in the 2022-2023 campaign.
After receiving a first-round bye, the Scot started with straight games
wins over Malaysia’s Mohammad Syafiq Kamal and Switzerland’s Yannick
Wilhelmi.
That was followed by a semi-final victory over Englishman Ben Coleman to
see Stewart move into the final. Spain’s Bernat Jaume was his opponent
in the final on Saturday, and although the Spaniard won the third game
on a tie-break, the Scot was able to win the fourth to secure the
victory, his third this season.
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Quarter Finals
Unseeded Khafagy and Coleman Into Last Four
Malak Khafagy downed seeded opposition for the second
day in succession in Odense
he unseeded duo of England’s Ben Coleman and Egypt’s Malak Khafagy are
into the last four at the Odense Open in Denmark.
On day two of the Challenger 10 level competition, Khafagy downed the
women’s top seed, Cindy Merlo. That set her up for a clash with
England’s Torrie Malik in the last eight at the Odense Squash Club on
Thursday.
The pair were level after two games, with the Englishwoman having
levelled up the contest. Both the third and fourth games were tight, but
it was Khafagy who won each of them by an 11-9 scoreline to advance to
the semi-finals. She will now take on No.4 seed Marta Dominguez
Fernandez after the Spaniard beat England’s Alicia Mead in the last
eight.
Finnish No.1 Emilia Soini had to fight from the brink in her quarter
final contest. She found herself two games down against Malaysia’s Xin
Ying Yee, but fought back brilliantly to win the third and fourth games
11-6. The fifth game went all the way to a tie-break, with both players
having opportunities. In the end, Soini claimed it 13-11 to book her
semi-final berth. She will now face New Zealand’s Kaitlyn Watts in the
last four after the Kiwi downed No.3 seed Nadia Pfister.
England’s Ben Coleman and Welshman Owain Taylor both took down seeds on
the second day in Odense. The pair came up against each other in the
last eight on Thursday, and it was Taylor who took the opening game
12-10. From there, though, Coleman was in complete control. He dropped
just nine points in total over the next three games to secure a 3-1
victory, and to move through to the semis.
The Englishman will now face Scotland’s Rory Stewart, the No.3 seed, on
Friday evening. Stewart was in great form to defeat Swiss No.3 Yannick
Wilhelmi in straight games. The other semi-final will see top seed
Balazs Farkas and Spain’s Bernat Jaume face off, after both won in three
on quarter finals day.
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Round 2
Khafagy and Taylor Send Top Seeds Out
Malak Khafagy
Egypt’s Malak Khafagy and Welshman Owain Taylor both secured big upsets
on the second day in Odense to reach the quarter finals.
The young Egyptian took on the top seed in the women’s event,
Switzerland’s Cindy Merlo. After clinching the second game on a
tie-break 13-11, she held a commanding two game lead. The Swiss No.1
fought back to win the third, but Khafagy was able to secure a four-game
victory to move into the last eight.
She is joined in the quarter finals of the women’s competition by the
rest of the top eight seeds. England’s Alicia Mead survived a five-game
scare with German No.1 Katerina Tycova to move through, with compatriot
Torrie Malik also taking a second round win. Finland’s Emilia Soini,
Spain’s Marta Dominguez Fernandez and New Zealand’s Kaitlyn Watts were
among those to also move into the quarters.
In the men’s event, Welshman Owain Taylor defeated No.2 seed Rui Soares
in five games. Taylor found himself behind after both the first and
third games, but was able to fight back and level the contest on both
occasions. Second time around he forced the match into a decider, one he
would win 11-9 to book his place in the last eight, knocking out the
World No.53.
Israeli Daniel Poleshchuk, England’s Ben Coleman and Switzerland’s
Yannick Wilhelmi were the other three men to knock out seeded players on
Wednesday. The Swiss No.3 got the better of England’s Simon Herbert,
while Poleshchuk downed No.4 seed Juan Camilo Vargas in four games to
make the last eight. Coleman overcame Egypt’s Mazen Gamal in four games
to reach the quarter finals in Denmark.
Eight different nations will be represented in the quarters in Odense.
Hungary’s Balazs Farkas, the top seed, also safely made it through,
while there were also second round victories for Scotland’s Rory
Stewart, Spain’s Bernat Jaume and Malaysia’s Addeen Idrakie.
For more information on the event, Where available see the
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Round 1
Moller Leads Danish Hopes Into Second Round
Klara Moller will lead home hopes in the second round of the Odense Open
on Wednesday, as the only Dane to win her opening day contest.
The Dane, who also reached the last 16 of the Challenger 10 level
tournament in 2022, overcame Welshwoman Ali Loke in straight games. She
won 12-10, 11-8, 11-3 to book her second round spot, where she will now
take New Zealand’s Kaitlyn Watts.
Elsewhere in the women’s event, Taba Taghavi came through an all-French
clash with compatriot Elise Romba. The pair went to a deciding fifth
game, with Taghavi clinching it 11-9 after 39 minutes of action.
A second Frenchwoman, in Lea Barbeau, also won in five, while there were
also wins for the Egyptian duo of Malak Khafagy and Nadeen Kotb on the
opening day. Singapore’s Au Yeong Wai Yhann, German No.1 Katerina Tycova
and Switzerland’s Ambre Allinckx were the other winners.
The Welsh duo of Emyr Evans and Owain Taylor were among those to take
victories on the opening day in the men’s event. The latter defeated
Colombia’s Andres Herrera in a tough four-games, while Evans beat German
Valentin Rapp in straight games.
Six other nations saw players move into the last 16, with England’s Ben
Coleman and Germany’s Yannik Omlor among them. Israeli Daniel Poleshchuk,
New Zealand’s Lwamba Chileshe, Switzerland’s Yannick Wilhelmi and
Malaysian Mohammad Syafiq Kamal join them in the second round.
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
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Preview
Moller Excited About Home Event
Klara Moller
The Odense Open gets underway on Tuesday, March 7, and Denmark’s Klara
Moller is excited to be playing on home soil at the Odense Squash Club
this week.
The Challenger 10 level tournament will run from Tuesday through to
Saturday, March 11 at the Odense Squash Club. The event will feature
both a men’s and women’s draw, and this will be the fifth running of the
tournament in its current guise.
Moller is the Danish No.1 in the women’s game, and having recently moved
to Odense, the 21-year-old is looking forward to playing in front of a
home crowd.
“I think I’m playing well at the moment. I’m in a good place both
physically and mentally. Training is going well and I can feel that I’m
constantly improving, which really motivates me to keep training hard,”
she explained.
“I’ve been looking forward to this since March last year! I’m
permanently living in Odense now, so it’s going to be even more special
this year.
“I spend some time training the juniors and I also practice with some of
the men at the club and the atmosphere is just phenomenal. People are
just so nice and I feel really welcome. Besides that, I have a lot of
friends who are planning to come and cheer for me. Can’t wait!”
Moller made the second round of last year’s competition, and also
grabbed her maiden Tour victory at the end of 2022 when she defeated
compatriot Caroline Lyng in the final of the Wake Up Squash Angers
International.
She is hoping that a good performance this week on home soil, along with
other good events will help her reach the top 100 of the women’s world
rankings. However, she is not putting any pressure on herself to do that
while she continues her studies.
“It would mean a lot to me. Reaching the second round is definitely a
goal of mine. The Odense Open seems to be a very popular tournament
among the players on Tour, so going even further into the competition is
a tough and difficult task to achieve but I’ll do my absolutely best,”
the Dane said.
“It obviously felt so good claiming my first Tour title and it was
definitely a bit of a confidence boost. I didn’t expect it to happen
that soon and now I’m just hungry for more!
“As I don’t play a lot of tournaments because of my studies, there’s
still a long way to go. I don’t want to put any unnecessary pressure on
myself. As long as I’m enjoying myself and my squash, I believe the
results will come and eventually I’ll break into the world’s top 100.”
Switzerland’s Cindy Merlo will be the top seed for the women’s event,
and will be joined by compatriot Nadia Pfister among the top four seeds.
Finnish No.1 Emilia Soini and Spain’s Marta Dominguez Fernandez will
also be in that bracket.
Malaysia’s Xin Ying Yee, New Zealand’s Kaitlyn Watts and the English duo
of Alicia Mead and Torrie Malik, the latter of which has won three times
this season, will also be in action in Denmark this week.
In the men’s draw, defending champion Balazs Farkas will return as the
top seed. The Hungarian has made the last two finals of this tournament,
and defeated Sam Todd to claim the crown in 2022.
Portugal’s Rui Soares, Scotland’s Rory Stewart and Colombian Juan Camilo
Vargas will join him as members of the top four seeds for the men’s
competition. Spain’s Bernat Jaume, Egypt’s Mazen Gamal, Malaysian’s
Addeen Idrakie and England’s Simon Herbert will all be seeded.
Along with Moller, there will be five other Danes featuring on home
soil. Caroline Lyng and Sarah Lauridsen will join the 21-year-old in the
women’s draw. Meanwhile, Theis Houlberg, Marcus Soby Jepsen and Joakim
Jepsen will be wildcards in the men’s event.
The event takes place from Tuesday, March 7 to Saturday, March 11 at the
Odense Squash Club, where Klara Moller will be the leading Dane in the
women’s competition. Follow the PSA Challenger Tour on Twitter and
Facebook for daily updates from the event.
Men’s First Round Draw: Odense Open
[1] Balazs Farkas (HUN) – [Bye]
Valentin Rapp (GER) v [9/16] Emyr Evans (WAL)
[9/16] Lwamba Chileshe (NZL) v Mohamed Nasser (EGY)
[7] Addeen Idrakie (MAS) – [Bye]
[5] Bernat Jaume (ESP) – [Bye]
Aqeel Rehman (AUT) v [9/16] Yannik Omlor (GER)
[9/16] Daniel Poleshchuk (ISR) v Joeri Hapers (BEL)
[4] Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) – [Bye]
[3] Rory Stewart (SCO) – [Bye]
[WC] Joakim Jepsen (DEN) v [9/16] Mohammad Syafiq Kamal (MAS)
[9/16] Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) v [WC] Marcus Soby Jepsen (DEN)
[8] Simon Herbert (ENG) – [Bye]
[6] Mazen Gamal (EGY) – [Bye]
[WC] Theis Houlberg (DEN) v [9/16] Ben Coleman (ENG)
[9/16] Owain Taylor (WAL) v Andres Herrera (COL)
[2] Rui Soares (POR) – [Bye]
Women’s First Round Draw: Odense Open
[1] Cindy Merlo (SUI) – [Bye]
Ella Galova (FRA) v [9/16] Malak Khafagy (EGY)
[9/16] Au Yeong Wai Hyann (SGP) v Jelena Dutina (SRB)
[8] Torrie Malik (ENG) – [Bye]
[7] Alicia Mead (ENG) – [Bye]
[WC] Sarah Lauridsen (DEN) v [9/16] Katerina Tycova (GER)
[9/16] Ambre Allinckx (SUI) v Sofia Mateos (ESP)
[4] Marta Dominguez Fernandez (ESP) – [Bye]
[3] Nadia Pfister (SUI) – [Bye]
Caroline Lyng (DEN) v [9/16] Nadeen Kotb (EGY)
[9/16] Ali Loke (WAL) v Klara Moller (DEN)
[6] Kaitlyn Watts (NZL) – [Bye]
[5] Xin Ying Yee (MAS) – [Bye]
Chloe Foster (WAL) v [9/16] Lea Barbeau (FRA)
[9/16] Elise Romba (FRA) v Taba Taghavi (FRA)
[2] Emilia Soini (FIN) – [Bye]
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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