Thursday, March 28, 2024

Golan gunning for end of year title

Golan looking to put Hong Kong disappointment behind him in Kuwait

By MICHAEL CATLING – Squash Mad Reporter

THE first-round of the Alwatan & Asnan International Tournament gets underway in Kuwait today, as world number seven Borja Golan looks to bounce back from his final defeat to Nick Matthew at the Hong Kong Open.

Golan, who is seeded to win the last PSA International event of the year, has beaten the higher-ranked duo of James Willstrop and Gregory Gaultier in recent months and will be looking to end the season on a high when he opens his campaign against Egyptian qualifier Fares Dessouky.

A semi-final meeting with third seed Tarek Momen beckons for the Spanish number one, although his Egyptian counterpart may have to negotiate unpredictable Dutchman Laurens Jan Anjema in the quarters.

In the bottom half of the draw, home hopes lie in the form of qualifier Abdullah Al Mezayen, who meets in-form Englishman and number two seed Daryl Selby for a spot in the last eight.

Elsewhere, Simon Rosner faces off against Scotland’s Alan Clyne in the pick of the first-round matches, while Botswana number one Alister Walker will hoping to better his shock first-round exit at the Coronation London Open last week when he plays world number 38 Mazen Hesham.

Keep checking our website regularly for more updates from Kuwait. 

First-Round Draw:

[1] Borja Golan (Esp) v [Q] Fares Dessouky (Egy)
Ryan Cuskelly (Aus) v [Q] Muhd Asyraf Azan (Mas)
Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) v [Q] Omar Abdel Aziz (Egy)
Joe Lee (Eng) v [3] Tarek Momen (Egy)
[4] Simon Rosner (Ger) v Alan Clyne (Sco) 
Mazen Hesham (Egy) v Alister Walker (Bot)
Max Lee (Hkg) v [Q] Ahmad Al-Saraj (Jor)
Abdullah Al Mezayen (Kuw) v [2] Daryl Selby (Eng)

Picture by Steve Cubbins (SquashSite)

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