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RMCLUB Open 2022
Women's Draw
07 - 11 June
Forbach, Mauritius, $30k |
ROUND TWO
08 JUN |
QUARTERS
09 JUN |
SEMIS
10 JUN |
FINAL
11 JUN |
[1] Tinne Gilis (BEL)
11-3, 11-8, 11-6 (24m)
Alicia Mead (ENG) |
Tinne Gilis
11-6, 11-3, 11-7 (27m)Coline Aumard |
Tinne Gilis
11-4, 11-1, 11-8 (27m)
Enora Villard |
Tinne Gilis
11-7, 6-11, 13-11,
6-11, 11-5 (51m)
Farida Mohamed |
[5] Coline Aumard (FRA)
11-2, 12-10, 12-10 (37m)
Millie Tomlinson (ENG) |
[6] Enora Villard (FRA)
11-4, 8-11, 11-8, 11-5 (36m)
Karina Tyma (POL) |
Enora Villard
Walkover
Lisa Aitken |
[4] Lisa Aitken (SCO)
11-5, 11-3, 11-9 (23m)
Nadeen Kotb (EGY) |
[3] Farida Mohamed (EGY)
11-5, 11-8, 11-7 (27m)
Georgia Adderley (SCO) |
Farida Mohamed
11-7, 11-5, 11-7 (18m)
Marie Stephan |
Farida Mohamed
11-9, 7-11, 11-7, 11-6 (34m)
Melissa Alves |
[7] Marie Stephan (FRA)
11-9, 11-4, 10-12, 11-7 (37m)
Au Yeong Wai Yhann (SGP) |
[8] Julianne Courtice (ENG)
11-9, 11-7, 11-7 (25m)
Saskia Beinhard (GER) |
Julianne Courtice
3-11, 4-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-1 (47m)
Melissa Alves |
Lucy Beecroft (ENG)
11-8, 11-8, 12-10 (35m)
[2] Melissa Alves (FRA) |
[1] Tinne Gilis (BEL) bye
[9/16] Alicia Mead (ENG) bt Ninon Lemarchand (FRA) 11-5, 11-1, 11-5
(19m)
[9/16] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) bt Nour Ramy (EGY) 7-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-3
(47m)
[5] Coline Aumard (FRA) bye
[6] Énora Villard (FRA) bye
[9/16] Karina Tyma (POL) bt Ingy Hammouda (EGY) 11-6, 11-6, 11-9 (29m)
[9/16] Nadeen Kotb (EGY) bt Jelena Dutina (SRB) 11-3, 11-4, 11-5 (16m)
[4] Lisa Aitken (SCO) bye
[3] Farida Mohamed (EGY) bye
[9/16] Georgia Adderley (SCO) bt Malak Fathy (EGY) 11-4, 12-10, 11-4
(26m)
Au Yeong Wai Yhann (SGP) bt [9/16] Torrie Malik (ENG) 4-11, 11-9, 14-12,
4-11, 11-8 (47m)
[7] Marie Stéphan (FRA) bye
[8] Julianne Courtice (ENG) bye
[9/16] Saskia Beinhard (GER) bt Vanessa Florens (MRI) 11-6, 11-4, 11-2
(16m)
[9/16] Lucy Beecroft (ENG) bt Kara Lincou (FRA) 11-3, 11-6, 11-3 (19m)
[2] Mélissa Alves (FRA) bye |
Elias And Mohamed Claim Necker Mauritius Open And
Rmclub Women’s Open Crowns
Peru’s Diego Elias overcame the challenge of England’s Mohamed
ElShorbagy to win the inaugural
Necker Mauritius Open – Presented by Beachcomber Resorts &
Hotels, while Egypt’s Farida Mohamed claimed the RMCLUB Women’s Open –
Presented by Expression Networks, her biggest title to date.
The final of the Necker Mauritius Open – Presented by Beachcomber
Resorts & Hotels saw a sublime display from Peru’s World No.5 Diego
Elias, as he defeated World No.3 Mohamed ElShorbagy to win the trophy,
and to finish the tournament without dropping a game.
The Peruvian had knocked out World No.2 Paul Coll in the semi-finals,
and continuing that incredible form into the opening exchanges of the
final, taking the first ten points of the contest. Although ElShorbagy
was able to avoid the infamous ‘bagel’, Elias won it 11-2 to hold the
lead in the contest.
The 25-year-old controlled the tempo of the match and used his deceptive
hold to unsettle ElShorbagy, who was appearing in his first final since
switching allegiance from Egypt to England earlier this week. The second
game was far more competitive, however, as ElShorbagy recovered from his
slow start to take the game to his opponent. The Englishman made the
match more physical and made the rallies longer, with Elias struggling
slightly physically.
However, Elias switched his plan and moved up the court to nullify his
opponent’s attacking prowess, before unleashing his own attacks to sneak
the second game. The Peruvian continued to hold the advantage in the
third game and held off a late fightback from ElShorbagy to seal the PSA
World Tour Gold title after not dropping a match all event, and added to
the Qatar QTerminals Classic and Motor City Open titles that he won
earlier this season.
Diego Elias (left) and Mohamed ElShorbagy (right)
during the final
“I want to thank everyone for coming here today and I want to thank
[Tournament Promoter] Remy [Mabillon] for organising this amazing
tournament,” said Elias.
“I love being in this atmosphere, it feels like home. I want to thank
all the team, the club and Greg [Gaultier] for helping to organise this,
as well as PSA for having a tournament here. I want to thank everyone
for organising this huge event.
“I’m really happy to be the first winner of a tournament like this.
Hopefully, this keeps happening every year and I can come back next year
and try and win it again.
“I want to say thanks to Mohamed. He has been one of the best ever in
squash, and I hope one day I can achieve what he has achieved and be
like him when he loses. It’s like he is a winner too, I appreciate it a
lot, you don’t see it very often.”
The RMCLUB Women’s Open – Presented by Expression Networks came down to
a thrilling conclusion at the RMCLUB in Grand Bay, Mauritius, with
Egypt’s World No.18 Farida Mohamed securing the biggest title of her
fledgling career, as she defeated top seed Tinne Gilis in a five-game
battle.
The match featured a similar pattern of play throughout each game with
both players preferring to go short whenever the opportunity presented
itself. This suited Mohamed as she powered into the lead after just
seven minutes. Gilis looked off the pace early on and made a number of
errors in the opening game, but the Belgian looked more like her usual
self in the second game as she improved to draw level.
Both players were able to find their lengths in the third game, with the
rallies becoming more drawn out, and it was Gilis who held the
advantage. However, the young Egyptian fought back to force a tie-break,
one she took to lead the match once again.
Farida Mohamed
The fourth went the way of Gilis, with the top seed dominating
proceedings to set up a grandstand finish, but Mohamed kept her focus in
the decider to seal a win which sees the Egyptian pick up her fifth PSA
title, and her first Challenger 30 level crown.
“No one would believe that before I came here everyone wanted me to pull
out of this tournament because of my leg,” said Mohamed.
“I’ve been injured for a month and a half now, my hamstring and my hip.
I finally found a way to fix it in the past two days. It was feeling
better, but at the end my deep heat was done and I had to put ice spray
on it, it went cold again and it felt so bad.
“My coach knows very well that I wanted to win this tournament very
badly. Not everyone believed I could do it, so it was such a relief.
It’s over and now I’m going into a break with a win.
“Tinne has been playing amazing squash lately and she’s improved so
much. It feels amazing to win my biggest title at the end of the season
and finish this way. It’s going to give me confidence because I haven’t
been in top form today and this week because of my leg as I wasn’t able
train very well.”
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Semi Finals
Top Seed Tinne Gilis To Face Egypt’s Farida Mohamed For
The Title
In the RMCLUB Women’s Open, top seed Tinne Gilis continued her assault
of the competition to reach a third Challenger 30 level final in as many
months, as she overcame the challenge of France’s Enora Villard, and she
will now face Egypt’s Farida Mohamed for the title.
Tinne Gilis
Gilis came into her semi-final against Villard knowing that the
Frenchwoman had not played for two days, after she received a walkover
through her last eight contest following the withdrawal of Scotland’s
Lisa Aitken through illness. The Belgian, who currently sits at World
No.15, was on top form from the off.
From the opening shot of game two, Gilis was in brutal form, recording a
morale-shattering 11-1 win over the Frenchwoman – who was playing her
first competitive match on this court after her walkover victory
yesterday – in just five minutes.
Despite the crushing nature of the second game, Villard was able to
trouble the World No.15 in the third, competing well around court with
the scores at 7-7. Gilis, however, was able to pull clear once again to
progress to the final having won all her matches in three games with an
11-8 win.
“I feel amazing, actually. I took some rest this morning but as soon as
I arrived at the club I was excited and ready to play and was going to
give it my all on court for sure,” the Belgian said after her win.
“Even the days where you don’t feel 100 percent, you can still find a
way through and that’s what I did today so I’m happy and proud of
myself.”
Egypt’s Mohamed did battle with another Frenchwoman, in the tournament’s
No.2 seed Melissa Alves, and she came through an interesting contest to
make it into the final of a Challenger 30 level final for the first
time, and into the biggest final of her career to date.
Farida Mohamed
The 20-year-old Egyptian started strongly, with her power hitting game
working well, but a slew of errors in the second game allowed Alves to
level the match, to the delight of the crowd. However, Mohamed regrouped
and found the game that had worked so well earlier in the contest,
disrupting the rhythm of the Frenchwoman, to win in four games and
advance to a first final on Tour since 2019.
“Melissa’s a very good player, she has so much experience and when I
played her about four or five years ago, I got killed on court! I
expected her to be very strong today and I’m very happy to be through,”
Mohamed said.
The finals of the Necker Mauritius Open – Presented by Beachcomber
Resorts & Hotels and the RMCLUB Women’s Open – Presented by Expression
Networks will take place at the RMCLUB in Grand Bay, Mauritius on
Saturday, June 11. All the action will get underway at 17:30 (GMT+4),
with both finals streamed live on
SQUASHTV. |
Quarter Finals
In the RMCLUB Women’s Open – Presented by Expression Networks, the
top three seeds all made their way into the semi-finals, with
Frenchwoman Melissa Alves having to fight from two games down to
overcome the challenge of England’s Julianne Courtice in five.
Melissa Alves
Surprisingly, the pair were doing battle for the first time on Tour, and
the 30-year-old Englishwoman, the No.8 seed for the tournament, came
flying out of the blocks, racing into a two-game lead having dropped
just seven points across the pair of games.
However, Alves was able to find her corners in the third game to bring
herself back into the contest, and she carried that momentum all the way
into the deciding fifth game where she won the first eight points. That
lead was more than enough, with the No.2 seed making her way through to
the last four of the competition.
Elsewhere in the women’s event, Coline Aumard’s career came to an
end, as she retired from the sport following defeat to her good friend,
and top seed, Tinne Gilis. The Belgian won in straight games, with the
pair both showing emotion at the end of the match, hugging with tears in
their eyes.
“I knew this was going to be her last tournament and it’s mixed feelings
that I’m her last match on the PSA World Tour. I’m honoured in one way,
but very sad on the other side, because I don’t want her to leave!”
Gilis said.
Tinne Gilis and Coline Aumard embrace
“I think she can be very proud of herself and what she’s achieved in the
last years. I think a lot of people are very proud of you. You’ve been a
big help for everyone and have always been very kind. I think, knowing
that you’re going to live here in Mauritius and everyone’s going to take
such good care of you, the facilities here are amazing, you’ll be fine
here with [husband] Adam. I’m very happy for you and I wish you all the
best in the future.”
Aumard said: “Of course, it’s very hard to find words right now but I
think you can see how happy I am to be here. I mean, it’s happy tears,
you know?
“Something very nice is coming for me and Adam and I feel very proud of
myself and very honoured to be on this court day to play my last match
because it’s where I’m starting my new chapter. Sharing that with my new
home is very special and thank you so much for being here watching me
today.”
Egypt’s Farida Mohamed won the other match of the day in the women’s
event, beating Frenchwoman Marie Stephan in straight games, while Enora
Villard received a walkover through to the last four after Scotland’s
Lisa Aitken had to withdraw from their quarter final contest through
illness.
The semi-finals of the Necker Mauritius Open – Presented by Beachcomber
Resorts & Hotels and the RMCLUB Women’s Open – Presented by Expression
Networks will take place on Friday, June 10th. All the action will be
streamed LIVE on
SQUASHTV.
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Round 2
In the second round of the RMCLUB Women’s Open – Presented by Expression
Networks, the top eight seeds all safely navigated their way through
their respective matches on Court GG at the RMCLUB, with good friends
Tinne Gilis and Coline Aumard scheduled to meet in the last eight on
Thursday.
Gilis, the World No.15 and the tournament’s No.1 seed, overcame the
challenge of England’s Alicia Mead to make her way into the quarter
finals, while Aumard, who will retire from professional squash following
this event, downed another Englishwoman, in Millie Tomlinson, with the
pair set to do battle on the glass court.
The Necker Mauritius Open – Presented by Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels
and the RMCLUB Women’s Open – Presented by Expression Networks will
continue on Thursday, June 9, with the quarter finals starting at 12:00
(GMT+4). All of the action will be shown live on SQUASHTV, with the
women’s match also available to watch on the
Challenger Tour YouTube channel.
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Round 1
In the RMCLUB Women’s Open – Presented by Expression Networks, the
opening match of the tournament sprang a surprise, as Singapore’s World
No.123 Au Yeong Wai Yhann defeated England’s World No.95 Torrie Malik in
a five-game battle.
The pair were meeting for the second time in less than a month, with the
young Englishwoman having won 3-1 in the opening round of the NTA Squash
Classic in Boston, United States in May. She held the lead early in this
contest, but some great squash from the Singaporean saw her take the
second and third, the latter on a tie-break.
Malik fought back to win the fourth game comfortably, but Yhann
recovered, bringing out some of her best squash in the final game,
winning it 11-8 to advance to the second round of the Challenger 30
level competition, where she will now face the tournament’s No.7 seed,
Marie Stephan.
Elsewhere, there were wins for the English trio of Alicia Mead, Lucy
Beecroft and Millie Tomlinson, the latter of which had to come from
behind in her duel with Egypt’s Nour Ramy to win in four games. Beecroft
will now take on French No.2 seed Melissa Alves, while Mead will advance
to face top seed Tinne Gilis in the last 16.
The women’s match will be available to watch on the
Challenger Tour YouTube channel.
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Preview
Belgium’s Tinne Gilis is the RMCLUB Women’s Open No.1
seed
Tinne Gilis in action
This Challenger 30 event taking place alongside the
Necker Mauritius Open. The RMCLUB Women’s Open presented by
Expression Networks will run directly alongside the Men’s event at the
RMCLUB.
Belgium’s Tinne Gilis is the No.1 seed for the event and will be
determined to finish her season in style and claim yet another title to
add to her collection. The World No.15 has had an impressive finish to
her season including picking up both the Annecy Rose Open and Cannon
Kirk Irish Squash Open titles and featuring in two Platinum event
quarter finals.
Egypt’s Farida Mohamed has also had an impressive 2021-22 season as she
has moved from strength to strength and climbed 15 places to reach her
highest World Ranking to date of No.18 in this month’s rankings.
France’s Coline Aumard, who has recently relocated to the Island, will
feature in her last PSA tournament as she will be retiring from the tour
after the event. Aumard is the No.5 seed for the event and faces the
winner of England’s Millie Tomlinson and Egypt’s Nour Ramy in her
opening match in round two.
As well as watching the action live on
SQUASHTV,
you can keep up with the live scores here.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok
and
SQUASHTV.
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