Day Two Round Two

PHOTOS

Rowan Elaraby 3-1 Alexandra Fuller (Rsa) 8-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-7 (36m)
[4] Hania El Hammamy 3-0 Hollie Naughton (Can)  11-8, 11-3, 11-8 (36m)
Nadine Shahin 3-1 [8] Salma Hany   11-7, 12-10, 3-11, 11-8 (34m)
[2] Nouran Gohar 3-0 Zeina Mickawy 11-2, 11-4, 11-9 (26m)
[1] Nour El Sherbini 3-0 Olivia Fiechter (Usa)    11-8, 11-2, 11-6 (26m)
Donna Lobban (Aus) 3-2 Mariam Metwally  11-9, 9-11, 2-11, 11-6, 11-8 (61m)

[4] Marwan ElShorbagy  3-1 [wc] Nick Wall (Eng) 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-8 (49m)
Eain Yow Ng (Mas) 3-2 [5] Karim Abdel Gawad 11-7, 7-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-2 (71m)
[3] Paul Coll (Nzl) 3-0 Youssef Ibrahim   11-8, 11-7, 12-10 (54m)
Mohamed Abouelghar 3-1 Adrian Waller (Eng)  10-12, 11-9, 12-10, 11-7 (59m)
[1] Ali Farag 3-0 Greg Lobban (Sco)  11-13, 11-3, 11-7, 11-2 (49m)
Mazen Hesham 3-0 Nicolas Mueller (Sui)  11-7, 11-4, 11-7 (34m)
Omar Mosaad  3-0 Abdullah Al Tamimi (Qat)  11-2, 12-10, 11-5 (34m)
[8] Mostafa Asal 3-0 George Parker (Eng)   11-3, 11-4, 11-8 (43m)
[2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (Egy) 3-2 Joel Makin (Wal)  12-10, 6-11, 11-7, 3-11, 11-6 (76m)
Youssef Soliman 3-2 [6] Fares Dessouky 7-11, 5-11, 11-7, 11-2, 11-8 (74m)

Gohar Too Strong for Mickawy

[2] Nouran Gohar 3-0 Zeina Mickawy   11-2, 11-4, 11-9 (26m)

Nouran Gohar in actionDefending women’s champion Nouran Gohar has sealed her place in round three after she dispatched fellow Egyptian Zeina Mickawy with a comfortable 3-0 win in just 26 minutes.

Gohar – who beat France’s Camille Serme to win the sport’s longest-running tournament two years ago at the Allam Sport Centre – only recently arrived in the UK from the United States but the toll of travelling looked to have little effect on the World No.2 as she refused to give Mickawy even a sniff.

The first two games were one-sided as Gohar utilised her famous hard-hitting style of play to overpower her opponent and, while Mickawy managed a mini-resurgence in the third game, it was too little, too late as Gohar closed out the win to set up a last 16 clash with the winner of the all-Welsh battle between Tesni Evans and Emily Whitlock.

“Yesterday, when I came here and hit I was happy,” said Gohar after the match.

“I have great memories here, and it’s always good to come back to a place where you have great memories. I think I played well today even though I came from the US. I’ve just been sleeping since I came here, I’ve not been doing anything else.

“But I can’t really complain about the jet lag because I was playing well, so it’s fine.”

Gohar also discussed returning as defending champion, saying: “I’m just trying to forget about the pressure side and stick with the enjoyment part. I’ve had a good season and everything is a bonus right now. 

“When you’re playing well you try to enjoy it and build on it, so I’m just trying to keep this form going. I’m trying to be more attacking, and I think that’s the main thing.”

Excellent Shahin upsets predictions to knock out No.8 seed Hany

Nadine Shahin 3-1 [8] Salma Hany   11-7, 12-10, 3-11, 11-8 (34m)

World No.16 Nadine Shahin played one of her finest matches to knock out fellow Egyptian, No.8 seed and World No.9 Salma Hany in 34 minutes.

Hany went into the match with a 3-1 record over Shahin in PSA matches, but it was Shahin who started with real purpose and drive, taking the first two games 11-7 and 12-10.

Hany found her natural game again in the third and looked to be setting up a comeback when she took the game comfortably, 11-3.

For Shahin, however, this proved merely to be a speed bump and the 24-year-old reproduced her energy and accuracy from the first two games to take the fourth 11-8.

Speaking after the match, Shahin said: “It’s been a while since I beat a top-ten player and it feels good. I hope that helps me push into the top ten myself. I feel confident and very good. After my [Manchester Open second-round defeat to Emily Whitlock] I was down a bit, but I decided I have nothing to lose anyway and I [would have to] come back stronger and better and that’s what I did.”

Elaraby recovers from slow start to progress

Rowan Elaraby 3-1 Alexandra Fuller (RSA)  8-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-7 (36m)

Egypt’s World No.12 Rowan Elaraby impressed as she came from a game down to beat South Africa’s World No.40 Alexandra Fuller and progress to the third round.

Elaraby went into the match having beaten Fuller 3-1 two years ago in the pair’s only previous PSA encounter.

It was Fuller, however, who took the evenly-contested first game 11-8. 

The Egyptian, though, soon found parity with a dominant 11-3 win in the second, before keeping up the momentum to take the third 11-8.

The 21-year-old continued to impress in the fourth, sealing the match with an 11-7 win.

“I’m relieved I guess. Alex is a very tough player. After playing before I knew this one was going to be tough, so I tried to take as much as I could to take the win, because she was up a lot. I really didn’t want to lose the fourth because a fifth would have been really difficult.”

El Sherbini Makes Short Work of Fiechter

[1] Nour El Sherbini 3-0 Olivia Fiechter (USA)  11-8, 11-2, 11-6 (26m)

World No.1 Nour El Sherbini cruised through to the last 16 following a comfortable 3-0 win over USA’s Olivia Fiechter.

It was only their second meeting on the PSA World Tour following El Sherbini’s win over Fiechter at last month’s PSA World Championships but, like in Chicago, the Egyptian had too much for her opponent as the two-time British Open champion completed an 11-8, 11-2, 11-6 victory.

“I’m really happy with my performance, I thought it was a tough first round,” said El Sherbini.

“You saw our last meeting in Chicago where she pushed me until the end. I’m playing her in back-to-back tournaments, so I just wanted to play well and maybe make it a bit better than last time. She’s really good, she gets everything and her movement on court is unbelievable.

“I felt the court was a bit dead even though it’s a bit hot today. In Chicago it was very hot and bouncy, here it is still hot but the court is a bit dead. I prefer this court, I love playing on dead courts, so it’s good for me and hopefully this week it will work well.

“Joshna is a very experienced player and has been playing on tour for a long time now. We’ve played together many times, so I’ll just try and relax, stick to my game plan and see how it goes.”

El Sherbini also revealed her pet parrot would be watching her in action back home in Alexandria, saying: “Every day in the morning, they have to send me a video of him to make sure he is good. When I call I stay in contact with him and remind him to watch every match!”

El Hammamy Continues Great Form From Manchester

[4] Hania El Hammamy 3-0 Hollie Naughton (CAN)    11-8, 11-3, 11-8 (36m)

Just four days after winning the Manchester Open at the National Squash Centre, World No.7 Hania El Hammamy started her British Open campaign with a victory over Canada’s Hollie Naughton.

The left-hander came out firing, taking El Hammamy by surprise in the opening exchanges, but once she was able to calm down and find her range, the young Egyptian started showing her skills. She won the first game, and that set her up for the entire match, going on to win 3-0 in 36 minutes.

She will now face either Frenchwoman Melissa Alves or Belgian No.1 Nele Gilis in the third round of the tournament, with the pair playing on the side courts later on today.

“I haven’t played against Hollie for a while so I think the toughest part was the first game. I didn’t actually know what to expect from her. I watched her play a couple of times, I know how tough she is and how hungry she is, so it is definitely a challenge to play someone who is that hungry,” El Hammamy explained.

“I tried my best to read her as early as I could, and I am glad I managed to come back in that first! I really tried to play my game, focus on my length and my gameplan against her. Once I tried to calm down and relax a little bit, and not be relaxed and shocked by the winners which she fired in in the first, that’s when I finally found my game.

“Melissa [Alves] is such a dangerous player and although I haven’t played against her on the Tour, I have trained with her a lot. She just likes to keep using her short game and that is something that is worrying. I think she is improving tournament by tournament and that is something to be aware of. I love playing against Nele [Gilis] as well, we played in the Worlds and we have played a couple of times. It is definitely a tough and physical match, and it is something I enjoy.”

No.6 seed Dessouky in shock defeat to World No.30 Soliman

Youssef Soliman 3-2 [6] Fares Dessouky    7-11, 5-11, 11-7, 11-2, 11-8 (74m)

No.6 seed and World No.7 Fares Dessouky suffered a shock defeat at the hands of his fellow Egyptian, World No.30 Youssef Soliman. 

Dessouky went into the match with a 2-0 PSA record against Soliman, and it was little surprise when the 26-year-old took the first two games 11-7 and 11-5.

Soliman, however, then rallied spectacularly, taking the third game 11-7 and the fourth 11-2.

Although Dessouky fought hard and for every point in the fifth, Soliman doggedly stuck to his high-pressure game and secured a memorable win with an 11-8 victory, to leave Dessouky stunned.

Speaking after the match, Soliman said: “Coming back against Fares is definitely difficult. The only thing to do when you go 2-0 down is to believe that you can come back against someone like Fares. I really look up to him, he’s definitely more skilful than me, but my advantage is I’ve watched him a lot and learnt from him. But today was all about belief.”

England’s Parker falls to No.8 seed Asal

[8] Mostafa Asal 3-0 George Parker (ENG)  11-3, 11-4, 11-8 (43m)

No.8 seed Mostafa Asal is safely through to the next round after dispatching England’s George Parker, who broke his racket after the match in frustration.

Parker had gone into the match in good form, with the 25-year-old looking sharp in his 3-0 victory over Sam Todd in the first round. Asal, meanwhile, came into the match fresh, having benefited from a bye in the first round, though his preparation had been disrupted by issues with his bags, leading him to play against Parker using borrowed kit.

In the match, the pair’s first PSA meeting, Asal quickly got after the World No.39 and took the first two games 11-3 and 11-4.

Parker improved in the third and briefly threatened a comeback. However, the World No.9 was able to shut the game down, taking the game 11-8 and the match 3-0.

Speaking after the match, Asal said: “I’m really glad to make it through. I was thinking a lot about the match and what had happened [to his kit] so it was difficult for me. George Parker today was a very tough opponent. It was a clean and fair match between us tonight. It was tough, I’ve tried to watch him a lot recently. He’s a very scary player to play in my first match so I’m just happy to be through to the next one.”

Asal also thanked a number of his fellow professionals and sponsors, who had helped to provide kit and rackets for Asal to use.

Former World No.3 Mosaad through after convincing Al Tamimi win

Omar Mosaad 3-0 Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT)  11-2, 12-10, 11-5 (34m)

Egypt’s Omar Mosaad overpowered Qatar’s Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi to record a 3-0 win and progress to the third round.

Former World No.3 Mosaad started in brutal form, taking the first game 11-2.

In the second, a much-improved Al Tamimi reached game ball, but was unable to convert, with Mosaad taking the game 12-10.

From here the match looked effectively over as a contest, and despite Al Tamimi’s game battling, the superior Mosaad eased to an 11-5 victory in the third.

Speaking afterwards, Mosaad said: “I’m really happy to get my consistency. Abdullah is a very talented player and I knew it was going to be tricky today because he has a very good hand, especially on the forehand volley. I was lucky that he played a long match yesterday and I think that gave me an advantage in the first game. In the second game he started really well so I had to push as hard as I could, I’m really happy to be in the last 16 of this tournament.”

Abouelghar bests familiar foe

Mohamed Abouelghar 3-1 Adrian Waller (ENG)  10-12, 11-9, 12-10, 11-7 (59m)

Egypt’s Mohamed Abouelghar recovered from losing the first game to beat England’s Adrian Waller and progress to the next round.

Abouelghar, a beaten quarter finalist in 2017 and 2019, went into the match having beaten Waller in their last three PSA matches, including at this stage of 2019’s competition, though the overall record stood at 3-3.

In an enthralling first game, it was World No.21 Waller who seized the initiative, beating the World No.12 12-10 to take the lead.

Abouelghar responded well in the second and third, both of which were incredibly tight, with the 27-year-old eking out 11-9 and 12-10 victories.

After a battling three games, the fourth was a more straightforward affair, with Abouelghar finishing the match with an 11-7 victory.

“I’m feeling great after that. Adrian is a very tough opponent, we’ve played many times before on the tour and it has always gone to the wire. Today the court was very bouncy and that doesn’t suit my game too much. I had a chance to close the first game but I didn’t, but in the second game I regrouped and adapted to the court, so I’m happy with that,” Abouelghar said after the match.

Mohamed ElShorbagy Battles Past Makin in Thriller

[2] Mohamed ElShorbagy 3-2 Joel Makin (WAL)  12-10, 6-11, 11-7, 3-11, 11-6 (76m)

Defending champion Mohamed ElShorbagy has held onto the World No.1 spot after coming through a 76-minute thriller with Welshman Joel Makin in an incredibly difficult second round encounter – claiming his 450th PSA win in the process.

A defeat against Makin for the Egyptian would have seen rival Ali Farag overthrow him as the World No.1 in next month’s PSA World Rankings, but ElShorbagy held firm in the first game to prevail courtesy of a tie-break.

World No.10 Makin has played a lot squash over the past two weeks after winning the British Nationals and reaching the final of the Manchester Open last Friday, but he dug in and fought through the fatigue as he came back fighting to draw level in the second.

ElShorbagy – who has beaten Makin in two of their three previous meetings this season – was back on top to win the third, but Makin kept plugging away in the fourth and drew level after his opponent eventually threw the towel in so he could conserve energy for a nail-biting decider.

Makin fought hard but ElShorbagy had the tactical nous to outmanoeuvre his opponent, and he closed out the win to ensure he will face Frenchman Baptiste Masotti for a place in the quarter-finals.

“He’s obviously played a lot of matches recently,” said ElShorbagy.

“I think we were both flat for different reasons, he’s had a lot of matches, I’ve had to deal with a lot of finals recently, and it was a test for both of us. Even though I won, I think we both succeeded in the way we showed our opponents that we will fight even when we’re tired. In my head I just needed to get through, I didn’t care about the result, I just needed to get through because I knew it would be a completely different story from now on.

“We’ve both played at a much higher level against each other before, but I think the way we dealt with the match today mentally, for an athlete, there were a lot of things to show. I’ve just played a World Champs, I’ve reached three finals in a row, and for him he just played the World Champs, the Nationals and the Manchester Open, so we had different reasons to be mentally a bit flat.

“But it’s part of being an athlete at the top of the game, you need to deal with these situations and you need to find a way to win. I’m lucky that I was the one who came out as the winner today.”

ElShorbagy also had praise for Dr. Allam – the tournament’s title sponsor – saying: “I just wanted to say thank you to Dr. Allam for sponsoring the event. You have sponsored it for so many years, and you continue to support our sport.

“This is a tournament that has so much history in our sport. I was speaking to Jonah Barrington a few days ago, and it means a lot to him and a lot of the greats of the game because this tournament has so much history for us. For you to support it means a lot for the past champions, the current champions and for the whole sport.

“I really enjoy playing here and playing in front of you every time I come back, and I’m looking forward to playing in front of you again.”

Dangerous Hesham sees off Mueller

Mazen Hesham 3-0 Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 11-7, 11-4, 11-7 (34m)

World No.14 Mazen Hesham is through to the next round after beating World No.34 Nicolas Mueller 3-0.

Hesham went into the match with a 2-1 PSA record against Mueller, with their last meeting a narrow 3-2 win for Hesham at this year’s El Gouna Open.

Hesham, a quarter finalist in 2019 and 2015, was playing his first match having had a bye in the first round.

Mueller, meanwhile, recovered from one game down to beat Rui Soares in the first round and spoke afterwards about targeting a quicker start in today’s match.

Unfortunately for Mueller, Hesham was in no mood to allow this. The Egyptian flew out of the blocks, taking the first two games 11-7 and 11-4.

Mueller battled back in the third, and initially looked like he would find a route back into the match. However, this was soon nipped in the bud by Hesham, who came back to take the third game 11-7.

“I’m really happy to get through in three today, it’s always tough playing Nicky. When we played our El Gouna match a few weeks ago, that was really tough, so to win like this on a court like this is a really good thing for me,” Hesham said after the match.

[3] Paul Coll (NZL) 3-0 Youssef Ibrahim  11-8, 11-7, 12-10 (54m)

What Paul Coll said

“I didn’t really think it was beyond me. I know what type of player he is, he can hit five winners out of nowhere so you just have to roll with the punches. Tried to keep focusing on myself, lock it down and put it away when the loose one was there,” Coll said.

“It is a tough first match, he makes you twist and turn with flicks and holds. He has good shots so you have to be on it from the word go, there’s no setting in so I am very happy to get off in three. He is a quality player, he did really well last week, so I knew it was going to be a tough first match.

“Even when we practiced this morning, it’s like he has a tap on hie forehead or something! It just was dripping off. But that’s squash, it’s high-intensity. Sweat is part of it, but it’s very hard. He slipped a couple of times, I slipped a couple of times, it’s just that explosive first step you need, to cover the boast or something, it can make things tough so massive thanks to the court cleaners for their job.

Farag Comes From Behind to Beat Lobban

[1] Ali Farag 3-1 Greg Lobban (SCO)  11-13, 11-3, 11-7, 11-2 (49m)

Ali FaragWorld No.2 Ali Farag made his return to action at his first event since lifting a second PSA World Championship title, but he was made to work hard for the win after falling a game behind against Scotland’s Greg Lobban.

Lobban, the World No.28, played some fabulous squash in the opening game as he moved Farag around the court and played the percentage shots to sneak a one-game lead on the tie-break.

The Scot started the second in the ascendancy, but a slight drop in concentration was all Farag needed to get himself back in the match, and the 2019 British Open runner-up soon took control to draw level.

He kept Lobban at arm’s length in the second, before dropping just two points en route to victory in game three to set up a third round clash with good friend Mohamed Abouelghar.

“It’s been a tough situation for most of us Egyptians, we had to stick around somewhere in the world to be able to get into the UK,” Farag said.

“Thanks to the Paderborn squash club, they hosted me for 10 days and I played with the German and Swiss boys, and it was amazing. But changing the routine of your training just before a tournament is tough, I’m not used to it. I wanted to come here, start well, play fast, try to volley and to make myself feel like I’m sharp.

“But he’s too accurate for that and I wasn’t accurate enough, the fundamentals weren’t there. I had to get those fundamentals back in the first few points of the second, then from that point on I found my game a lot better. All credit to Greg, he was firing on all cylinders to start with, so I’m just glad that I pulled through.

“The one word that comes to mind first is that we’re all very grateful to be playing again. Some other businesses and other sports had to stop altogether, so we’re grateful to the PSA and Dr. Allam as always for bringing us back to Hull for the eighth or ninth time. But it is tough being away from your family, some people haven’t even been home since the Worlds.

“You have to be in a bubble, you can’t go outside. Thankfully PSA has eased the restrictions a bit now, but it’s still not the norm. There is a sense of unity, all of us are in this together, and we’re trying to make the most out of it.”

ElShorbagy Overcomes Spirited Wall

[4] Marwan ElShorbagy  3-1 [WC] Nick Wall (ENG) 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-8 (49m)

No.4 seed CIB Marwan ElShorbagy is through to the third round of the Allam British Open after getting the better of English wildcard Nick Wall in the opening match on the glass court on day two.

Wall took a win over Daryl Selby in his first ever appearance in the main draw of the British Open yesterday, and he started strongly against ‘the Jackal’. The pair were level at 7-7 in the first, but ElShorbagy showed his experience to take the last four points to hold the advantage in the contest.

The Egyptian then took the second game as well, only to see Wall fight his way back into the contest by winning the third game. However, the Englishman started to tire going in to the fourth game, and ElShorbagy was able to secure the victory 3-1, booking his place in the last 16 where he will face German No.1 Raphael Kandra.

“I am really happy to be back here and to have this tournament back on the calendar. It means a lot to all the players so all the players are happy to be back here playing in Hull. The British Open is the most prestigious event of the season, so we are all happy to be back here playing,” ‘the Jackal’ said.

“I really enjoyed my match today with Nick, he is a good player. We have practiced a few times in Sheffield and I know he has great potential, a good future ahead, and I really enjoyed it today. I hope the best for him in the future. he is going to cause a lot of problems for the top players in a few years, and he’ll be up there I’m sure.

“We adapt, but I don’t see it as a problem. It is just a practice at the end of the day. To just be back competing again, we are just happy to be playing. It is not the best, of course, to practice with your opponent, especially the day before, but if this is the only solution we have to be back competing, I don’t think we mind it!

“Rafi is another great player, another left-hander who I will play tomorrow. he has beaten me in the British Open a few years back, I remember it well, so if I get to play him here, I will be definitely happy to play him tomorrow to try and get revenge!”