Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open 2012
Sun 25th Nov, Day One:
Ho lifts home hopes on opening day in HK
From STEVE CUBBINS
With local players appearing all eleven matches in the Women’s Qualifying Round One, the home crowd at the Hong Kong Squash Centre received an early boost as Ho Ka Po opened proceedings with a hard-fought four-game upset over Australia’s Sarah Cardwell.
That turned out to be the only upset – and the longest women’s match -of the day though, as all the other matches went with seeding. Tong Tsz-Wing and Carmen Leemade it a trio of HK players through to tomorrow’s qualifying finals, both beating compatriots to progress.
Salma Hany Ibrahim made sure the day didn’t end with a second home upset as the Egyptian junior came from a game down to deny Lee Ka Yi – on her 19th birthday – in another tough match that took just short of an hour to complete.
There were eleven home players in action on the opening day of the men’s qualifying draw, but, with all fifteen matches going with seeding, Max Lee was the only Hong Kong victor on the day.
The day started with the withdrawal of injured Dutchman Laurens Jan Anjema which elevated South African Steve Coppinger to the main draw and qualifying second seed Marwan El Shorbagy receiving a bye in the resulting draw shuffle.
Two matches approached the hour mark as Egypt’s Ali Anwar Reda beat Malaysian Muhd Asyraf Azan 3/1 in 56 minutes while Nafiizwan Adnan provided a Malaysian winner as he beat Egyptian Omar Abdel Meguid in a 57-minute three game tussle.
It wasn’t until the final match of the day that the 60-minute barrier was broken, Adrian Waller recovering from a game down to beat Ivan Yuen to set up a showdown with Shorbagy in tomorrow’s qualifying finals.
Men’s Qualifying Round One:
Mathieu Castagnet (Fra) 3-0 Tan Cheung Yan (Hkg) 11/5, 11/4, 11/8 (25m)
Martin Knight (Nzl) 3-1 Yip Tsz Fung (Hkg) 11/4, 12/10, 8/11, 11/5 (40m)
Henrik Mustonen (Fin) 3-0 Mark Krajcsak (Hun) 11/5, 11/8, 11/9 (34m)
Max Lee (Hkg) 3-0 Henry Leung (Hkg) 11/6, 11/5, 11/6 (23m)
Ali Anwar Reda (Egy) 3-1 Muhd Asyraf Azan (Mas) 11/13, 11/5, 11/8, 11/9 (56m)
Grégoire Marche (Fra) 3-0 Mohamed Abouelghar (Egy) 11/4, 12/10, 12/10 (32m)
Joe Lee (Eng) 3-0 Wong Hon Fung (Hkg) 11/3, 11/3, 11/2 (20m)
Alan Clyne (Sco) 3-0 Yeung Ho Wai (Hkg) 11/5, 11/5, 11/7 (26m)
Karim Abdel Gawad (Egy) 3-0 Chris Lo (Hkg) 11/7, 11/4, 11/6 (20m)
Shawn Delierre (Can) 3-0 Yuen Tsun Hei (Hkg) 11/7, 11/8, 11/6 (34m)
Chris Simpson (Eng) 3-0 Wong Chi Him (Hkg) 11/3, 11/9, 11/8 (25m)
Nafiizwan Adnan (Mas) 3-0 Omar Abdel Meguid (Egy) 11/6, 11/7, 12/10 (57m)
Ryan Cuskelly (Aus) 3-0 Ma Tsz Hei (Hkg) 11/3, 11/6, 11/5 (27m)
Siddarth Suchde (Ind) 3-0 Alex Lau (Hkg) 11/6, 11/2, 11/5 (30m)
Adrian Waller (Eng) 3-1 Ivan Yuen (Mas) 9/11, 11/9, 11/6, 11/6 (64m)
Marwan El Shorbagy (Egy) bye
Women’s Qualifying Round One:
Lauren Briggs (Eng) bye
Salma Hany (Egy) 3-1 Pansy Chan (Hkg) 11/3, 8/11, 11/7, 11/0 (34m)
Kylie Lindsay (Nzl) bye
Ho Ka Po (Hkg) 3-1 Sarah Cardwell (Aus) 5/11, 11/1, 11/9, 11/9 (56m)
Siti Munirah Jusoh (Mas) bye
Joshana Chinappa (Ind) 3-0 Sin Kei Tsang (Hkg) 11/2, 11/8, 11/5 (20m)
Lucie Fialova (Cze) 3-0 Ho Tze Lok (Hkg) 11/8, 11/6, 11/8 (32m)
Nicolette Fernandes (Guy) 3-0 Uen Shan Choi (Hkg) 11/3, 11/4, 11/2 (21m)
Tong Tsz-Wing (Hkg) 3-0 Karman Siu (Hkg) 11/4, 11/5, 11/3 (20m)
Coline Aumard (Fra) 3-0 Ho Ka Wing (Hkg) 11/3, 11/5, 11/5 (19m)
Melody Francis (Aus) 3-0 Chu Ka Hei (Hkg) 11/6, 11/7, 11/7 (25m)
Lauren Selby (Eng) bye
Carmen Lee (Hkg) 3-0 Jannis Lam (Hkg) 11/2, 11/3, 11/1 (11m)
Amanda Landers-Murphy (Nzl) 3-0 Ho Ching Chan (Hkg) 11/3, 11/7, 11/5 (20m)
Salma Hany Ibrahim (Egy) 3-1 Lee Ka Yi (Hkg) 7/11, 11/9, 13/11, 12/10 (54m)
Heba El Torky (Egy) bye
Full Coverage: www.squashsite.co.uk/hk