By ALAN THATCHER
Chris Simpson meets No.2 seed James Willstrop in the first round of the Squash Squared Wimbledon Club Open after beating Joshua Masters in the qualifying finals.
Simpson lost the first game to the attack-minded Masters but played tighter squash to win the next three games, reaching Masters’ attacking options with his accurate play.
Richie Fallows wore down Finnish veteran Olli Tuominen in a tough five-setter, winning the final game 11-4 to land a first round tie against Lucas Serme of France.
USA No.1 Todd Harrity surprised Nathan Lake to win in four games to clinch a first round battle with Tom Richards.
Egypt’s Youssef Soliman overcame Spain’s Iker Pajares Bernabeu in a match that lasted just five minutes less than two hours. It was a brutal battle and Soliman will need to be at his sharpest in a first-round match-up with No.4 seed Declan James.
Top seed Daryl Selby meets Egypt’s Omar Abdel Meguid, while wild card Ben Coleman will be aiming to repeat his recent win over Mathieu Castagnet in the Canary Wharf qualifying competition at nearby Wimbledon Racquets and Fitness Club.
PSA M35 Squash Squared Wimbledon Club Open 2018, The Wimbledon Club, London, England.
First round:
[1] Daryl Selby (ENG) v Omar Abdel Meguid (EGY)
[6] Greg Lobban (SCO) v Raphael Kandra (GER)
[7] Tom Richards (ENG) v (Q) Todd Harrity (USA)
[3] Zahed Mohamed (EGY) v Joel Makin (WAL)
[4] Declan James (ENG) v (Q) Youssef Soliman (EGY)
[5] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) v [WC] Ben Coleman (ENG)
[8] Lucas Serme (FRA) v (Q) Richie Fallows (ENG)
[2] James Willstrop (ENG) v (Q) Chris Simpson (ENG)
Qualifying finals:
Chris Simpson (ENG) bt Joshua Masters (ENG) 10-12, 11-9, 11-8, 11-8 (64m)
Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) 8-11, 11-7, 13-11, 10-12, 11-9 (115m)
Todd Harrity (USA) bt Nathan Lake (ENG) 11-7, 11-8, 4-11, 11-8 (57m)
Richie Fallows (ENG) bt Olli Tuominen (FIN) 11-4, 8-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-3
Picture by PATRICK LAUSON