RESULTS: PSA International 25 HKFC Meco Invitational, Happy Valley, Hong Kong China
Semi-finals:
[1] Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt [Q] Leo Au (HKG) 8-11, 11-1, 11-3, 11-4 (38m)
[2] Olli Tuominen (FIN) bt Muhd Asyraf Azan (MAS) 11-5, 13-11, 11-7 (46m)
Top seeds Omar Mosaad and Olli Tuominen will contest the final of the HKFC Meco Invitational after prevailing in today’s semi-finals of the inaugural PSA World Tour International 25 squash event at Hong Kong Football Club inHappy Valley, Hong Kong.
It was the end of the road for local hero Leo Au, the Hong Kong qualifier who despatched third seed Ong Beng Hee en-route to a surprise appearance in the last four.
Indeed, the 22-year-old world No75 took the opening game against top seed Mosaad as the partisan crowd began to contemplate the prospect of local interest in the final.
But Mosaad, the world No13 from Egypt, turned up the pressure early in the second game – dropping just eight further points as he marched into the final following his 8-11, 11-1, 11-3, 11-4 victory in 38 minutes.
It took Tuominen longer to claim his anticipated place in the event’s climax. The second seed from Finland faced unseededMuhd Asyraf Azan – and claimed his second straight games win in the championship after beating the Malaysian 11-5, 13-11, 11-7 in 46 minutes.
Mosaad is celebrating the 16th PSA World Tour final of his career – but his first of the year – while Tuominen, the world No24, is marking his 18th, and looking for his second Tour win of 2012.
Au Now In Hong Kong Semis
15 March 2012
RESULTS: PSA International 25 HKFC Meco Invitational, Happy Valley, Hong Kong China
Quarter-finals:
[1] Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt Gregoire Marche (FRA) 11-9, 11-4, 9-11, 11-5 (58m)
[Q] Leo Au (HKG) bt Amr Khaled Khalifa (EGY) 12-10, 11-7, 11-8 (50m) Muhd Asyraf Azan (MAS) bt [4] Max Lee (HKG) 2-11, 11-9, 15-13, 5-11, 11-9 (76m)
[2] Olli Tuominen (FIN) bt Siddharth Suchde (IND) 11-5, 6-11, 11-3, 11-8 (67m)
Local hero Leo Au continued his giant-killing run in the inaugural HKFC Meco Invitational today when he removed higher-ranked Egyptian Amr Khaled Khalifa to reach the semi-finals of the of the PSA World Tour International 25 squash event at Hong Kong Football Club in Happy Valley, Hong Kong.
The 22-year-old Hong Kong qualifier made his breakthrough in the first round when he ousted third seed Ong Beng Hee.
But Au had no intentions of resting there. Spurred on by the partisan crowd, the world No75 reached 25 places higher to crown Khalifa 12-10, 11-7, 11-8 in 50 minutes.
The Hong Kong number two now has his toughest task – top seed Omar Mosaad. The world No13 from Egypt was taken to four games before getting on top of unseeded Frenchman Gregoire Marche 11-9, 11-4, 9-11, 11-5 in 58 minutes.
An upset in the lower half of the draw means that Au now carries local interest into the semi-finals single-handedly after the shock exit of fourth seed Max Lee, the Hong Kong number one.
Lee, the world No36, took the opening game against Muhd Asyraf Azan for the loss of just two points. But the world No62 from Malaysia began to take charge of the game thereafter and, after 76 minutes, celebrated a 2-11, 11-9, 15-13, 5-11, 11-9 win.
Azan moves on to face Finland’s Olli Tuominen, though the No2 seed had to battle for 67 minutes to overcome India’sSiddharth Suchde 11-5, 6-11, 11-3, 11-8.
Semi-final line-up:
[1] Omar Mosaad (EGY) v [Q] Leo Au (HKG)
[2] Olli Tuominen (FIN) v Muhd Asyraf Azan (MAS)
RESULTS: PSA International 25 HKFC Meco Invitational, Happy Valley, Hong Kong China
1st round:
[1] Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt Andrew Wagih Shoukry (EGY) 11-4, 11-5, 11-13, 13-11 (67m) Gregoire Marche (FRA) bt [Q] Zahed Mohamed (EGY) 11-9, 11-3, 11-9 (50m) Amr Khaled Khalifa (EGY) bt [Q] Harinder Pal Sandhu (IND) 11-5, 11-8, 11-6 (43m)
[Q] Leo Au (HKG) bt [3] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) 11-6, 7-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-9 (70m)
[4] Max Lee (HKG) bt Dick Lau (HKG) 11-4, 11-4, 11-2 (25m) Muhd Asyraf Azan (MAS) bt [Q] Shaun le Roux (RSA) 11-9, 5-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9 (83m) Siddharth Suchde (IND) bt Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) 11-7, 11-3, 11-4 (38m)
[2] Olli Tuominen (FIN) bt Matthew Karwalski (AUS) 11-6, 13-11, 11-7 (35m)
Hong Kong qualifier Leo Au made full use of home advantage in today’s first round of the inaugural HKFC Meco Invitational when he upset third seed Ong Beng Hee to claim a surprise place in the quarter-finals of the PSA World Tour International 25 squash event at Hong Kong Football Club in Happy Valley, Hong Kong.
The 22-year-old Hong Kong number two, ranked 75 in the world, battled for 70 minutes to hold off the experienced Malaysian before finally clinching his shock 11-6, 7-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-9 victory over the 32-year-old former world No7.
Au now progresses to face Amr Khaled Khalifa for a place in the semi-finals. Egyptian Khalifa, ranked 25 places higher than the local hero, despatched Indian qualifier Harinder Pal Sandhu 11-5, 11-8, 11-6.
There is continuing Hong Kong interest in the lower half of the draw too where fourth seed Max Lee saw off fellow countryman Dick Lau 11-4, 11-4, 11-2.
Lee will now also face a Malaysian when he takes on Muhd Asyraf Azan. The unseeded 23-year-old from Kuala Lumpur survived an 83-minute marathon against Shaun le Roux, finally beating the South African qualifier 11-9, 5-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9.
The event’s top two seeds overcame their first round hurdles in contrasting styles: Favourite Omar Mosaad needed 67 minutes to quash fellow Egyptian Andrew Wagih Shoukry 11-4, 11-5, 11-13, 13-11, while flying Finn Olli Tuominen, the No2 seed, brushed aside Australia’s Matthew Karwalski 11-6, 13-11, 11-7 in just 35 minutes.
Quarter-final line-up:
[1] Omar Mosaad (EGY) v Gregoire Marche (FRA)
[Q] Leo Au (HKG) v Amr Khaled Khalifa (EGY)
[4] Max Lee (HKG) v Muhd Asyraf Azan (MAS)
[2] Olli Tuominen (FIN) v Siddharth Suchde (IND)
