By ALAN THATCHER (Squash Mad Editor) and SEAN REUTHE (PSA) in Hong Kong
England’s Mohamed ElShorbagy, Patrick Rooney, Sarah-Jane Perry, Jasmine Hutton and Katie Malliff have all won through to the third round of the Everbright Securities International Hong Kong Open.
They will be joined by Scotland’s Lisa Aitken, who beat Nour Aboulmakarim of Egypt in straight game and will now meet No.7 seed Perry, who finished with an 11-1 win in the ffith game after a tough battle against Egypt’s Jana Shiha.
Hutton will face Egyptian top seed Nouran Gohar, while Malliff has been drawn against New Zealand’s No.4 seed Joelle King. Both Hutton and Malliff won five-game battles against Egyptian opponents Hana Ramadan and Hana Moataz.
Men’s No.3 seed ElShorbagy continued his excellent recent form to nullfy the threat of Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng in straight games and Rooney did the same to beat Egypt’s Moustafa El Sirty.
ElShorbagy, a four-time Hong Kong open champion, was competing in his 650th PSA match and continued the red-hot form which has seen him win four titles already this season as he completed an 11-9, 11-9, 11-5 victory. The Englishman will take on Eain Yow’s compatriot Ivan Yuen in the next round.
ElShorbagy said: “I’ve had a lot of success here over the years, I’ve played in four finals and have a 100 per cent record.
“I don’t know why Hong Kong has always brought the best out in me, but it’s great to come back here. I’m sure Hong Kong Squash has done a lot of work behind the scenes to make this tournament happen.
“Once I knew there was a possibility that this tournament could come back on the calendar, I told the PSA Board that I was 100 per cent in. A tournament like Hong Kong is a very important tournament for our sport.”
Hong Kong’s Tsz Kwan Lau has reached his first Platinum third round after a big upset win against Scotland’s Greg Lobban and he will play top seed Paul Coll, who defeated Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez in an entertaining three-game battle, eventually winning 11-7, 11-9, 11-7.
Coll said: “I was pretty happy, and there are plenty of things I can build on for the next round, which is always nice.
“The court played differently to how it did in practice the other day, which took me by surprise, but I actually quite liked it. I just had to trust what I was doing on there and I know what I have to do to get better, which is half the battle.”
England’s Nick Wall recovered after a shaky start, losing the first game 11-1, to take a game off Victor Crouin before the French No.7 seed won the next two to reach the third round.
No.2 seed Diego Elias was also victorious, beating Mohamed ElSherbini to set up a last 16 battle with England’s Rooney. No.4 seed Mostafa Asal was also among the winners, beating Mexico’s Leonel Cardenas in straight games.
World No.2 Nour El Sherbini almost saw her title challenge at the Everbright Securities International Hong Kong Squash Open come to an end at the second round stage after she was taken all the way to five games by compatriot Nadine Shahin earlier today.
El Sherbini won the PSA World Tour Platinum event back in 2017 but was almost stunned by a superb performance from World No.22 Shahin. The pair’s average match time was just 20 minutes after five straight El Sherbini wins, but Shahin was brave and full of attacking vigour as she twice came back from a game down to take the game to her compatriot.
No.2 seed El Sherbini was able to move up a gear in the deciding game as she eventually kept her opponent at bay to seal an 11-6, 6-11, 11-2, 8-11, 11-5 victory.
“I’m happy to be through but I didn’t expect that,” said El Sherbini.
“She was playing really well. I don’t think that I was playing the best squash, and I think the court was a bit tricky for me. I had an up-and-down match. I’m just happy I won in the end, it was very challenging mentally and physically for me.
“She was fighting until the end and I’ve never seen her play like that against me. Maybe I wasn’t playing the right game plan. It was more her game plan and she was maybe more confident and more relaxed. I have to play the right squash from the start, the third game and the first game were quick, but your opponent is always coming to win. You have to keep playing for every point and focus on your game.”
El Sherbini will go up against local player Tsz-Wing Tong, who is the the only player from Hong Kong left in the women’s draw, in the next round. The Hong Kong No.4 got the better of Malaysia’s former World No.5 Low Wee Wern to reach the last 16 of a Platinum event for the first time.
The only seeded player to miss out on a place in the third round was No.8 seed Salma Hany, who fell to a 3-1 defeat against fellow Egyptian Yathreb Adel.
2022 Everbright Securities International Hong Kong Squash Open.
Men’s Second Round:
[2] Diego Elias (PER) bt Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY) 3-0: 11-1, 11-3, 11-3 (27m)
Patrick Rooney (ENG) bt Moustafa El Sirty (EGY) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-9 (33m)
Auguste Dussourd (FRA) bt Bernat Jaume (ESP) 3-2: 11-7, 4-11, 6-11, 11-5, 11-6 (74m)
[8] Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt Rui Soares (POR) 3-1: 11-5, 12-14, 11-7, 11-8 (64m)
[6] Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt Karim El Hammamy (EGY) 3-1: 8-11, 11-7, 11-2, 11-8 (52m)
Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) bt Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) 3-0: 11-6, 11-5, 11-5 (39m)
Ivan Yuen (MAS) bt Omar Mosaad (EGY) 3-1: 11-3, 10-12, 11-5, 11-5 (49m)
[3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (ENG) bt Eain Yow Ng (MAS) 3-0: 11-9, 11-9, 11-5 (32m)
[4] Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt Leonel Cardenas (MEX) 3-0: 11-5, 11-5, 11-9 (35m)
Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) bt Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 3-1: 11-8, 11-8, 4-11, 11-4 (37m)
Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) bt Faraz Khan (USA) 3-1: 12-10, 9-11, 11-4, 11-7 (50m)
[7] Victor Crouin (FRA) bt Nick Wall (ENG) 3-1: 11-1, 5-11, 11-8, 11-4 (40m)
[5] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) bt Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) 3-0: 11-9, 11-7, 11-9 (49m)
Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) bt Shahjahan Khan (USA) 3-2: 11-8, 11-4, 7-11, 6-11, 11-6 (74m)
Tsz Kwan Lau (HKG) bt Greg Lobban (SCO) 3-2: 7-11, 11-8, 13-11, 8-11, 11-4 (61m)
Men’s Third Round (Top Half, November 30):
[2] Diego Elias (PER) v Patrick Rooney (ENG)
Auguste Dussourd (FRA) v [8] Youssef Soliman (EGY)
[6] Mazen Hesham (EGY) v Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP)
Ivan Yuen (MAS) v [3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (ENG)
Men’s Third Round (Bottom Half, December 1):
[4] Mostafa Asal (EGY) v Yahya Elnawasany (EGY)
Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) v [7] Victor Crouin (FRA)
[5] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) v Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA)
Tsz Kwan Lau (HKG) v [1] Paul Coll (NZL)
Women’s Second Round:
[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt Tomato Ho (HKG) 3-0: 11-8, 11-5, 11-4 (32m)
Jasmine Hutton (ENG) bt Hana Ramadan (EGY) 3-2: 8-11, 5-11, 11-8, 15-13, 11-6 (55m)
Satomi Watanabe (JPN) bt Aira Azman (MAS) 3-0: 11-9, 11-6, 14-12 (28m)
[6] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt Sana Ibrahim (EGY) 3-1: 11-8, 20-18, 9-11, 11-7 (60m)
[5] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt Millie Tomlinson (ENG) 3-0: 11-2, 11-6, 11-3 (22m)
Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) bt Zeina Mickawy (EGY) 3-2: 9-11, 7-11, 11-7, 16-14, 11-5 (53m)
Aifa Azman (MAS) bt Mariam Metwally (EGY) 3-1: 6-11, 13-11, 11-5, 11-5 (41m)
[3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt Ka Yi Lee (HKG) 3-0: 11-5, 11-4, 11-5 (27m)
[4] Joelle King (NZL) bt Lucy Beecroft (ENG) 3-0: 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 (28m)
Katie Malliff (ENG) bt Hana Moataz (EGY) 3-2: 11-4, 6-11, 10-12, 16-14, 11-7 (65m)
Lisa Aitken (SCO) bt Nour Aboulmakarim (EGY) 3-0: 11-8, 12-10, 11-5 (34m)
[7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt Jana Shiha (EGY) 3-2: 5-11, 11-3, 10-12, 11-8, 11-1 (49m)
Yathreb Adel (EGY) bt [8] Salma Hany (EGY) 3-1: 4-11, 14-12, 11-6, 11-5 (45m)
Nele Gilis (BEL) bt Georgia Adderley (SCO) 3-0: 11-8, 11-6, 11-8 (43m)
Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG) bt Low Wee Wern (MAS) 3-0: 11-9, 11-9, 11-7 (34m)
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt Nadine Shahin (EGY) 3-2: 11-6, 6-11, 11-2, 8-11, 11-5 (39m)
Women’s Third Round (Top Half, November 30):
[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v Jasmine Hutton (ENG)
Satomi Watanabe (JPN) v [6] Rowan Elaraby (EGY)
[5] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) v Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY)
Aifa Azman (MAS) v [3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY)
Women’s Third Round (Bottom Half, December 1):
[4] Joelle King (NZL) v Katie Malliff (ENG)
Lisa Aitken (SCO) v [7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
Yathreb Adel (EGY) v Nele Gilis (BEL)
Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG) v [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
Pictures courtesy of PSA World TourÂ