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CIB Zed Open 2022
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CIB Zed Open
Men's Draw
24-28 Aug
Cairo, Egypt, $55k |
ROUND TWO
25 AUG |
QUARTERS
26 AUG |
SEMIS
27 AUG |
FINAL
28 AUG |
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[2] Victor Crouin (FRA)
11-5, 11-6, 9-11, 8-11, 11-7 (77m)
[9/16] Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) |
Victor Crouin
8-11, 13-15, 12-10,
11-6, 11-2 (56m)
Balázs Farkas |
Victor Crouin
11-2, 7-11, 11-3, 11-6 (47m)
Omar Mosaad |
Victor Crouin
11-8, 11-5, 11-6 (48m)
Youssef Soliman |
[7] Karim El Hammamy (EGY)
11-4, 11-1, 10-12, 11-8 (63m)
Balázs Farkas (HUN) |
[8] Yahya Elnawasany (EGY)
11-5, 11-8, 11-8 (38m)
[9/16] Henry Leung (HKG) |
Yahya Elnawasany
11-9, 11-9, 13-11 (39m)
Omar Mosaad |
[4] Omar Mosaad (EGY)
11-8, 11-8, 11-5 (36m)
Leandro Romiglio (ARG) |
[3] Raphael Kandra (GER)
7-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-4, 11-8 (53m)
Ronald Palomino (COL) |
Raphael Kandra
11-8, 12-10, 11-3 (34m)
Mohamed Elsherbin |
Raphael Kandra
11-3, 12-10, 11-2 (48m)
Youssef Soliman |
[6] Mohamed Elsherbini (EGY)
v
[9/16] Zahed Salem (EGY) |
[5] Moustafa El Sirty (EGY)
8-11, 5-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6 (77m)
[9/16] Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) |
Moustafa El Sirty
11-6, 11-4, 11-7 (47m)
Youssef Soliman |
[9/16] Rui Soares (POR)
11-4, 11-7, 11-9 (37m)
[1] Youssef Soliman (EGY) |
[2] Victor Crouin (FRA) bye
[9/16] Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) bt Christopher Gordon (USA) 11-4, 11-2,
11-4 (29m)
Balázs Farkas (HUN) bt [9/16] Mazen Gamal (EGY) 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-5
(49m)
[7] Karim El Hammamy (EGY) bye
[8] Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) bye
[9/16] Henry Leung (HKG) bt Syed Azlan Amjad (QAT) 11-7, 11-7, 11-9
(27m)
Leandro Romiglio (ARG) bt [9/16] Tsz Kwan Lau (HKG) 5-11, 12-10, 11-6,
11-7 (47m)
[4] Omar Mosaad (EGY) bye
[3] Raphael Kandra (GER) bye
Ronald Palomino (COL) bt [9/16] Bernat Jaume (ESP) 11-3, 11-7, 11-5
(30m)
[9/16] Zahed Salem (EGY) bt [WC] Sohail El Shenawy (EGY) 11-6, 11-6,
11-5 (24m)
[6] Mohamed Elsherbini (EGY) bye
[5] Moustafa El Sirty (EGY) bye
[9/16] Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) bt [WC] Yassin Shohdy (EGY) 11-1, 11-4,
11-6 (24m)
[9/16] Rui Soares (POR) bt Joe Lee (ENG) 11-6, 11-7, 4-11, 11-5 (42m)
[1] Youssef Soliman (EGY) bye |
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CIB Zed Open
Women's Draw
24 - 28 Aug
Cairo, Egypt, $55k |
ROUND TWO
25 AUG |
QUARTERS
26 AUG |
SEMIS
27 AUG |
FINAL
28 AUG |
|
[1] Salma Hany (EGY)
11-7, 11-7, 11-5 (28m)
[9/16] Jana Shiha (EGY) |
Salma Hany
11-5, 11-7, 7-11, 11-6 (45m)
Nadine Shahin |
Salma Hany
11-3, 11-8, 11-6 (35m)
Farida Mohamed
|
Salma Hany
11-7, 12-14, 11-6,
11-4 (74m)
Nour El Tayeb
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[6] Nadine Shahin (EGY)
7-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-8 (36m)
[9/16] Julianne Courtice (ENG) |
[7] Mélissa Alves (FRA)
11-8, 11-3, 11-6 (33m)
[9/16] Sana Ibrahim (EGY) |
Mélissa Alves
11-6, 11-8, 14-12 (26m)
Farida Mohamed |
[4] Farida Mohamed (EGY)
5-11, 11-9, 11-13, 11-5, 11-3 (54m)
[9/16] Mariam Metwally (EGY) |
[3] Nele Gilis (BEL)
13-15, 11-6, 10-12, 11-4, 11-8 (63m)
Hana Moataz (EGY) |
Nele Gilis
11-2, 11-6, 10-12, 11-7 (46m)
Hana Ramadan |
Nele Gilis
11-1, 11-6, 11-4 (30m)
Nour El Tayeb |
[8] Hana Ramadan (EGY)
9-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-4 (44m)
[WC] Menna Hamed (EGY) |
[5] Emily Whitlock (WAL)
10-12, 11-3, 13-11, 9-11, 11-8 (64m)
Marina Stefanoni (USA) |
Marina Stefanoni
11-5, 11-2, 11-4 (25m)
Nour El Tayeb |
Satomi Watanabe (JPN)
13-11, 11-3, 11-4 (29m)
[2] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) |
[1] Salma Hany (EGY) bye
[9/16] Jana Shiha (EGY) bt [WC] Salma El Alfy (EGY) 11-6, 11-3, 11-2
(13m)
[9/16] Julianne Courtice (ENG) bt Kenzy Ayman (EGY) 8-11, 11-13, 11-7,
11-9, 11-9 (51m)
[6] Nadine Shahin (EGY) bye
[7] Mélissa Alves (FRA) bye
[9/16] Sana Ibrahim (EGY) bt Lucy Beecroft (ENG) 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 (33m)
[9/16] Mariam Metwally (EGY) bt Nour Aboulmakarim (EGY) 11-7, 11-7, 11-6
(21m)
[4] Farida Mohamed (EGY) bye
[3] Nele Gilis (BEL) bye
Hana Moataz (EGY) bt [9/16] Zeina Mickawy (EGY) 8-11, 10-12, 12-10,
11-3, 11-6 (55m)
[WC] Menna Hamed (EGY) bt [9/16] Alexandra Fuller (RSA) 11-3, 11-3, 11-7
(28m)
[8] Hana Ramadan (EGY) bye
[5] Emily Whitlock (WAL) bye
Marina Stefanoni (USA) bt [9/16] Cindy Merlo (SUI) 11-3, 11-6, 11-6
(19m)
Satomi Watanabe (JPN) bt [9/16] Yathreb Adel (EGY) 11-9, 11-4, 11-8
(28m)
[2] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bye |
El Tayeb and Soliman Lift CIB Zed Open Titles
Egypt’s Nour El Tayeb has won her first PSA title since becoming a
mother after the World No.11 overcame top seed and compatriot Salma Hany
to win the inaugural CIB Zed Squash Open, PSA World Tour Bronze event.
It’s El Tayeb’s first PSA title since October 2020 and the 12th of her
career. The 29-year-old – who is married to World No.1 Ali Farag and
gave birth in July of last year – got the better of World No.9 Hany by
an 11-7, 12-14, 11-6, 11-4 scoreline in 74 minutes,
El Tayeb was just two points from victory when a loss of power at Zed
Park resulted in a length delay. That only served to be a minor
impediment to El Tayeb’s title charge as she quickly dispatched Hany
upon her return to court to complete a win which will see her move back
into the world’s top 10 when the PSA Women’s World Rankings are
published tomorrow.
“I feel great. It’s one of the happiest titles I’ve won,” said El Tayeb
afterwards.
“I took a year break, so I wanted to do well coming back after having a
baby. This week, with how my preparation was in pre-season and how I was
mentally and physically, to play such a tough match, physically,
emotionally and psychologically, I’m very happy with how I played.
“When it happened [the power cut], I’m glad it didn’t happen when we
were closer in the match. It’s the first time this has happened to me,
and I was just trying to take everything in as it’s a big final. I’ve
only played one big final in Egypt before, but it was a new experience
for me and I was trying accept it, and I’m glad I managed to control
it.”
The men’s final followed the women’s and top seed Youssef Soliman has
captured the biggest PSA title of his career after a sublime display
from the World No.17 saw him dismantle No.2 seed Victor Crouin.
Soliman has won the title without dropping a game after powering past
Rui Soares, Moustafa El Sirty and Raphael Kandra, in contrast to Crouin,
who battled past two five-game battles against Juan Camilo Vargas and
Balazs Farkas in the second round and quarter-finals, respectively.
Soliman hit his targets with aplomb and completely nullified Crouin as
he completed an 11-8, 11-5, 11-6 victory to secure the ninth PSA title
of his career.
“To win my biggest title in Egypt, in front of a home crowd, my friends
and family, it means a lot,” Soliman said.“I need to thank some people
behind this tournament for having us this week. Like I’ve said before,
this is the best Bronze event to happen to the PSA and I’m looking
forward for this tournament to keep going.”
El Tayeb and Soliman also take early leads on the CIB Road to Egypt
Standings. Points are on offer at all PSA World Tour events during the
2022-23 season, with the top eight players qualifying for the
season-ending CIB PSA World Tour Finals.
The next stop on the PSA World Tour will be the Qatar Classic – which
takes place in Doha between September 4-10 – and the South Western
Women’s Open, which will be held in Houston, United States between
September 6-11.
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El Tayeb Reaches CIB Zed Open Title Decider to Mark First Final Since
Becoming a Mother
Egypt’s former World No.3 Nour El Tayeb has reached her first PSA World
Tour final since becoming a mother after the 29-year-old put in a
sensational performance to overcome Belgium’s Nele Gilis to reach the
title decider of the inaugural CIB Zed Squash Open.
El Tayeb – who is married to men’s World No.1 Ali Farag – welcomed her
daughter into the world in July 2021, but was back on the PSA World Tour
just six months later as she marked her return to action with a
quarter-final finish at the CIB Squash Open Black Ball, her first
appearance on the tour since October 2020.
Since then, El Tayeb has steadily progressed up the PSA World Rankings,
from as low as No.81 to her current ranking of World No.11. And she
reached another milestone tonight as a commanding 11-1, 11-6, 11-4
victory over Gilis saw her reach her first PSA final since the CIB PSA
World Tour Finals, which was also in October 2020.
“It’s amazing to be back near the top 10, and I feel like I am playing
well,” said El Tayeb following the match.
“I feel like I deserve to be there so it is nice. Today was a tough
match, I knew coming up against Nele was going to be a tough one because
she beat me a few months ago. I am glad that I played well and I was
able to stay focused throughout the whole match.
“It is still the first tournament, we can’t look too far ahead because I
have the final tomorrow, and I am playing a very good player… I am
definitely excited to be in the final, I haven’t been in a final for a
couple of years.”
El Tayeb will lock horns with No.1 seed Salma Hany in the PSA World Tour
Bronze final after the World No.9 defeated fellow Egyptian Farida
Mohamed 11-3, 11-8, 11-6 in 35 minutes.
It’s Hany’s third final in the past 12 months and the 26-year-old will
now aim to capture her first PSA title since 2013. To do so, she will
need to arrest a run of form which has seen her win just one of seven
matches against El Tayeb, with her only win over her compatriot coming
at the 2020 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions.
“I feel like I play Nour in every single tournament in Egypt,” Hany
said.
Salma Hany
“Obviously, I am very excited to be in a final with her, we go way back
and I have always looked up to her. I am just really excited to come
here again tomorrow and put on a great match.”
The men’s final will be contested by French No.2 seed Victor Crouin and
Egyptian top seed Youssef Soliman after they beat No.4 seed Omar Mosaad
and No.3 seed Raphael Kandra, respectively.
Crouin, the World No.18, will appear in his biggest ever PSA final
following his 11-2, 7-11, 11-3, 11-6 victory over Mosaad, a former World
No.3.
Victor Crouin
“I have been climbing the rankings slowly, I had a steady rise, I’ve won
Challenger 5s, 10s and 20s, and then I won a Challenger 30 level event
in June,” said Crouin.
“So if I can win a Bronze then it means I have improved to the next
level. That was my goal coming here, to win the title. It has been a
hard week, coming through two five-gamers in the first two matches, but
it was a little more comfortable today.”
Meanwhile, Soliman put in an assured performance to beat Kandra in
straight games and he too will attempt to win his biggest PSA
tournament.
“For sure, I want to thank my new coach, he is here, so thank you for
coming,” said Soliman.
Youssef Soliman
“My brother as well, he has been with me forever, he has always been
there for me. Thank you guys for coming, and we have one more push,
let’s do it.”
The CIB Zed Squash Open finals take place tomorrow (August 28) at 18:45
(GMT+2) and all of the action will be shown live on
SQUASHTV.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok.
|
Crouin Overturns Four Match Balls to Reach CIB Zed Open
Semi-Finals
French No.2 seed Victor Crouin overturned four match balls and came back
from 2-0 down to complete a thrilling comeback against unseeded
Hungarian Balazs Farkas in the quarter-finals of the CIB Zed Squash
Open, PSA World Tour Bronze event.
Farkas was appearing in his biggest ever PSA quarter-final, but the
World No.70 showed no signs of any nerves tonight at Zed Park as he
outplayed Crouin in the opening two games and continued his fine form
into the third to lead 10-6 and put his opponent on the brink of a shock
defeat.
But Crouin, the World No.18, kept focused and fought his way back into
the match, winning six straight points against a tiring opponent. That
third-game victory sapped all of the energy and confidence from Farkas,
who looked increasingly forlorn as Crouin powered to the win over the
course of the next two games.
“I just hate losing, so I kept fighting and I found a way in that third
game,” said Crouin, who will appear in his second Bronze level
semi-final.
“After winning that, I felt it was possible to come back, so I’m just
very happy to win. It’s only a Bronze event, but it feels almost like a
Platinum event. It’s an amazing venue here, it’s nice to play outside
even though it’s hot.
“I love playing in Cairo, I have my friends here that I spent years with
in the US and I still see them here in Cairo, so it’s great to be back.”
Crouin will take on No.4 seed and former World No.3 Omar Mosaad for a
place in the title decider after ‘The Hammer of Thor’ got the better of
No.8 seed Yahya Elnawasany.
Meanwhile, top seed Youssef Soliman will take on Germany’s Raphael
Kandra in the other men’s semi-final following respective wins over
Moustafa El Sirty and Mohamed ElSherbini.
“To beat Moustafa in three I had to be consistent with my hitting and
movement, he’s so good with his stop/start game and I’m just glad to be
through in three,” said Soliman.
Youssef Soliman
“You can see this event could be a Platinum event, it has to be the best
50k in the history of the PSA and hopefully I can keep going.”
In the women’s quarter-finals, both of the top seeds also made it
through to the last four, with Salma Hany and Nour El Tayeb beating
Nadine Shahin and Marina Stefanoni, respectively.
Hany dropped the third game against Shahin, but otherwise put in a
strong display in which she showcased her delicate touch with the
racket. An 11-5, 11-7, 7-11, 11-6 victory has sent Hany through to her
second PSA semi-final of the year after her last four finish in May’s
J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions.
Salma Hany
“Nadine is a very tricky opponent,” Hany said.
“We play a lot on tour and it’s always back and forth between us. All
respect to her, and I needed to be very sharp from the beginning. I had
a good start in the first two games and then she was strong in the
third, but I’m just glad I managed to get through in four games.”
El Tayeb, a former World No.3, required just 25 minutes to see off
19-year-old American Marina Stefanoni, who was appearing in her maiden
Bronze quarter-final.
Nour El Tayeb
“First of all, I knew I was playing a dangerous opponent,” said El Tayeb.
“I’ve heard about Marina for the past four or five years, so I was very
aware and nervous and I watched a few of her matches to see how she
plays because she’s new to the tour. I think because I was aggressive
and focused from the beginning it helped me play well throughout the
whole match.”
El Tayeb will lock horns with No.3 seed Nele Gilis in the next round
after the Belgian beat Hana Ramadan, while Hany will play Farida
Mohamed, who beat France’s Melissa Alves.
The semi-finals of the CIB Zed Squash Open begin tomorrow (August 27) at
18:45 (GMT+2) and all of the action will be shown live on
SQUASHTV.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok.
|
Crouin Avoids Vargas Upset on Day Two of CIB Zed Open
French No.2 seed Victor Crouin avoided a shock defeat to Colombia’s
World No.67 Juan Camilo Vargas as he prevailed in a five-game thriller
to reach the quarter-finals of the inaugural CIB Zed Squash Open, PSA
World Tour Bronze event held at Zed Park in Cairo.
Crouin, the World No.18 from Marseille, was sublime in the opening two
games as he settled into a steady pace of hitting and controlled the
rallies, giving his opponent very little chance to attack.
That all changed in the third and fourth games though as Vargas began to
display his qualities to force Crouin into a decider. It was the fifth
game where Crouin’s focus was severely tested, but the 23-year-old
passed that test to reach the last eight.
“I don’t know what to say right now, I need to watch it back and analyse
the match,” Crouin said afterwards.
“I was 2-0 up and he brought it back to 2-2, but I’m happy I’m through.
It’s these kinds of matches where I have to push through even if I can’t
find a solution, I still have to win and that’s all that matters.
“It’s an opportunity [to win the title] but I have to take it one match
at a time because, as you can see, I could have been out today. Yes,
it’s an opportunity, yes, it’s the goal to win a Bronze event, but if it
doesn’t happen then I will keep pushing.”
Crouin will take on Hungary’s Balazs Farkas in the next round after the
World No.70 took out No.7 seed Karim El Hammamy in four games to reach
the quarter-finals of a Bronze level event for the first time.
Meanwhile, top seed Youssef Soliman also booked his place in the
quarter-finals after a comfortable win over Portugal’s Rui Soares in the
final match of the day, winning 11-4, 11-7, 11-9 to set up a last eight
meeting with No.5 seed Moustafa El Sirty.
“It is all about performances, I don’t want to focus on being the top
seed or to win the tournament or anything, it is all about performing,”
said Soliman.
Youssef Soliman
“I will try to implement my game on court, that is my goal and hopefully
it will work out.”
El Sirty came back from two games down to avoid an upset against fellow
Egyptian Aly Abou Eleinen, while No.3 seed Raphael Kandra also required
five games to see off the threat of Colombia’s Ronald Palomino. Omar
Mosaad, Mohamed ElSherbini and Yahya Elnawasany were the other men’s
victors.
In the women’s event, top seeds Salma Hany and Nour El Tayeb made strong
starts to the tournament with respective wins over Jana Shiha and Satomi
Watanabe.
Hany, the No.1 seed and World No.9, completed the win in under half an
hour, prevailing 11-7, 11-7, 11-5 to set up a quarter-final clash with
No.6 seed Nadine Shahin.
Salma Hany
“Obviously, I was very excited to kick off my season today, Jana is a
tricky first opponent, so I am pretty happy with my performance to get
through in three,” Hany said.
“I am not really thinking about that [the title], I am just taking it as
a normal tournament. I just want to win every match, it doesn’t matter
if I am seeded No.1 or even No.30, I show up every day to put up a fight
and ready to win a match.”
El Tayeb will go up against unseeded Marina Stefanoni of the United
States in the last eight following her 13-11, 11-3, 11-4 win against
Watanabe.
“The target for me, as it is for any player in the tournament, is to win
the event,” El Tayeb said.
Nour El Tayeb
“This event is very important for me if I want to get into the top
eight. I’m taking it match by match, obviously, and trying not to look
ahead. Hopefully I can play well tomorrow and take it from there.”
Stefanoni is through to her biggest PSA quarter-final and is the only
unseeded woman to reach the last eight here after she upset No.5 seed
Emily Whitlock in an exciting five-game battle over at the ‘traditional’
plaster courts on the other side of Zed Park. Nele Gilis, Hana Ramadan,
Farida Mohamed and Melissa Alves also claimed wins on day two.
The CIB Zed Squash Open continues tomorrow with the quarter-finals
(August 26). Play begins at 13:00 (GMT+2), while action from the glass
court gets under way at 18:45 (GMT+2). All matches will be shown live on
SQUASHTV.
The action from the CIB Zed Squash Open will be shown live on
SQUASHTV.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok.
|
Wildcard Hamed Takes Out Fuller as Inaugural CIB Zed Open
Begins
Tournament wildcard Menna Hamed claimed the biggest upset on the opening
day of the inaugural CIB Zed Squash Open, PSA World Tour Bronze event as
she defeated an out-of-sorts Alexandra Fuller in straight games at
Cairo’s Zed Park earlier today.
Hamed, the World No.71, is appearing at her first PSA World Tour event
of 2022 but showed no signs of rustiness as she put in a dominant
performance over Fuller, who was celebrating her 29th birthday. Fuller
did hold a 5-1 lead in the third but was unable to capitalise as Hamed
came back to complete an 11-3, 11-3, 11-7 victory to spoil Fuller’s
birthday celebrations.
“She is a very good player, so I had to start well from the beginning,”
said Hamed.
“I had to focus on every point. I’ve played her twice but it was five
years ago, so we are definitely both different players physically,
mentally and technically.
“I also have to mention that it’s the first time my father has come to
watch me, so I’m very happy. It’s my first time playing on a glass court
outside, so thank you to [Tournament Promoter] Omar Abdel Aziz for
giving me the wildcard.
Hamed will take on No.8 seed Hana Ramadan in the last 16, where she will
be joined by Japan’s Satomi Watanabe, who also claimed an upset win,
beating World No.38 Yathreb Adel in straight games.
The pair had never met on the PSA World Tour, but Adel came in to this
contest sitting 18 places above Watanabe in the PSA World Rankings.
Watanabe took a tough first game 11-9 before then winning the second
game comfortably. It looked like a comeback might be on at the start of
the third game, as Adel won the first five points, but Watanabe
regrouped and she will face Egypt’s Nour El Tayeb, the former World
No.3, in round two.
Satomi Watanabe
“I was just really excited to be back on court again after last season,”
said Watanabe who won six titles on the PSA Challenger Tour during
2021-22.
“It made me feel like I can actually have the ability to compete against
higher ranked players. Before that, I was stuck in Japan and I didn’t
know where I was, but now I am on the right track, so I just have to
keep going. I was actually planning to get to the top 30 or top 20,
that’s what I am aiming for for the end of the season.”
Over on the ‘traditional’ plaster courts on the other side of the
complex, there were wins for the likes of Hana Moataz and Julianne
Courtice, who came back from 2-0 down to beat Zeina Mickawy and Kenzy
Ayman, respectively.
In the men’s event, Colombia’s Ronald Palomino marked his PSA World Tour
debut with a fine victory over the higher-ranked Spaniard Bernat Jaume.
Ronald Palomino
The 23-year-old from Cali has had plenty of success on the PSA
Challenger Tour, winning a pair of titles in South America last season,
but was yet to have a taste of life on the World Tour before today.
However, Palomino thrived on the step up in intensity and was in fine
form, causing all sorts of problems for Jaume, who was unable to deal
with the Colombian’s speed and touch.
“I’m so happy with my performance, it is my biggest tournament and I’m
so happy to take the first win, I feel great,” said Palomino afterwards.
“It’s so different [to the Challenger Tour] everyone here is so
professional and the players are so good, you can take a bus from the
hotel to here and from the airport, it’s incredible, I like it so much.
“I just want to play and have fun.”
Palomino will go up against No.3 seed Raphael Kandra in the second
round, while there were also wins for Aly Abou Eleinen and Juan Camilo
Vargas, who were the men’s winners at the glass court.
Aly Abou Eleinen
Eleinen dispatched 17-year-old wildcard Yassin Shohdy in straight games,
while Vargas also required three games to defeat Christopher Gordon of
the United States in the final match of the day.
“This was my very first outdoor glass court experience,” Eleinen said.
“It was new to me, this is the biggest PSA event that I’ve gotten into
on my own ranking. Even though I’m playing a young player, it’s a new
experience to me, it was amazing and I want to keep going.”
Elsewhere, Hungary’s Balazs Farkas also claimed his maiden PSA World
Tour win, beating Egypt’s Mazen Gamal.
The CIB Zed Squash Open continues tomorrow (August 25) as top seeds
Salma Hany and Youssef Soliman get their tournaments under way. Play
begins at 12:00 (GMT+2), with live streaming available via the PSA
SQUASHTV YouTube channel,
while action from the glass court begins at 18:45 (GMT+2) and will be
shown live on
SQUASHTV.
The action from the CIB Zed Squash Open will be shown live on
SQUASHTV.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok.
|
Egypt’s Ibrahim and Hany Top Inaugural CIB Zed Open Draws
Youssef Ibrahim
Egypt’s Youssef Ibrahim and Salma Hany will top the draws for the
inaugural CIB Zed Squash Open, PSA World Tour Bronze event when the
first event of the 2022-23 season takes place between August 24-28 at
Cairo’s Zed Park.
World No.11 Youssef Ibrahim will be looking to claim his first title
since August 2019 as he enters the tournament as the No.1 seed. Ibrahim
produced his best performance in a Platinum event last season at the
Windy City Open as he reached the final and narrowly lost out to World
No.2 Paul Coll after holding a 2-0 lead.
The No.2 seed for the event will be fellow Egyptian Youssef Soliman, who
currently sits two places off his best ranking at World No.17. Soliman
was the runner-up in his last PSA Bronze event as he lost to Karim Abdel
Gawad in the Karachi Open Squash Championships in March. Ibrahim and
Soliman last met at the Houston Open 2022, with the latter claiming a
3-0 victory.
European duo Victor Crouin and Raphael Kandra are the No.3 and No.4
seeds for the event. Crouin comes into the event full of confidence
after claiming victory at the recent World Games. The young Frenchman
defeated higher-ranked players Miguel Rodriguez and Gregoire Marche to
lift the title. Kandra finished last season strongly with a last-16
appearance at the El Gouna International, losing out in four games to
World No.1 Ali Farag.
In the women’s event, Egypt’s World No.9 Salma Hany tops the draw as she
looks to pick up her first title since winning the Malaysian Squash Tour
8th Leg in 2013. The 25-year-old was the runner-up in last season’s
Oracle NetSuite Open, losing out to Amanda Sobhy in the final. Hany will
face either Salma El Alfy or Jana Shiha in her opening match.
2019 World Championship runner-up Nour El Tayeb is the No.2 seed for the
event and has gone from strength to strength since returning to the PSA
World Tour after giving birth to her daughter last year. The World No.11
has reached the last eight in her last four events, including two
semi-final appearances at the CIB PSA World Championships and the El
Gouna International.
El Tayeb will face either Japan’s Satomi Watanabe or compatriot Yathreb
Adel.
No.4 seed Farida Mohamed ended her 2021-22 season with a win at the
RMClub Women’s Open. Claiming the Challenger 30 title helped Mohamed
reach her highest ranking of No.15 heading into the new season.
Meanwhile, No.3 seed Nele Gilis has recovered from a hip injury which
forced her to withdraw from the RMClub Women’s Open and she will be
looking to start the season in strong fashion.
The action from the CIB Zed Squash Open will be shown live on
SQUASHTV.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok. |
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