Chinappa survives five game epic to take Winnipeg title

El Torky falls at the final hurdle as Chinappa recovers from the brink of defeat to win Winnipeg Winter Club Open

By MICHAEL CATLING – Squash Mad Chief Reporter

World number 20 Joshana Chinappa saved three match balls before prevailing in a dramatic final against unseeded Egyptian Heba El Torky at the Winnipeg Winter Club Open in Canada.

In an encounter which matched the unpredictability and drama of the preceding rounds, the Indian number two came perilously close to squandering a 2-1 lead before reeling off five consecutive points to win the decider 12-10 and end El Torky’s fairytale run at the WSA $15,000 event.

El Torky, the world number 39, stunned third seed Emily Whitlock and first seed Nicolette Fernandes en route to the final and survived a game ball in the first game to threaten another major scalp.

Chinappa, 27, responded emphatically in the following game and raced into an 8-3 lead before tying the scores at one-apiece.

The 12-time Indian Nationals champion completed a remarkable turnaround to take the third game but was soon pegged back in a one-sided fourth game as El Torky showcased her exemplary touch at the front of the court. 

The fifth was predictably tense and El Torky reeled off four straight points at 7-6 down to move within a point of victory.

Yet Chinappa produced a nerveless display to storm back one again and inflicted a heartbreaking 12-14, 11-8, 11-5, 3-11, 12-10 defeat on El Torky to record her eighth WSA title and first since the Penang Open in October 2012. 

Final Result:

[4] Joshana Chinappa (IND) 3-2 Heba El Torky (EGY) 12-14, 11-8, 11-5, 3-11, 12-10

Pictures courtesy of Winnipeg Winter Club Open
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

El Torky and Chinappa set to contest Winnipeg final after more upsets

SEED slayer Heba El Torky claimed another massive scalp last night as she ousted top ranked Nicolette Fernandes to reach the final of the Winnipeg Winter Club Open in Canada.

El Torky, who will face Joshana Chinappa in the final, produced her third successive upset this week to triumph 11-3, 11-6, 12-14, 12-10 and keep alive her hopes of a second title in consecutive months.

The Egyptian took full advantage of a sluggish start by Fernandes to race through the opening game and although she trailed 5-2 deficit in the second, the 27-year-old won nine points of the next ten to double her advantage. 

But Fernandes wasn’t about to go down without a fight as she dug deep and again tried to lengthen the rallies.She managed to match some of the Egyptians amazing offensive boast with some beautiful two wallers of her own.

After facing two match balls down 10-8, Fernandes eventually managed to win the third game with some gutsy squash by a 14-12 margin.

The fourth game once again saw Heba El Torky show some of her magic as she raced out to an early 5-1 lead before the tide would once again turn as Fernandes continued to fight an battle her way back.

Down 6-8 Fernandes cut open the back of her hand in between her fingers as she tripped over El Torky on the way to a tough get and needed some time to make the bleeding stop.

After a 15 minute stoppage, play eventually continued with Fernandes seemingly finding new length as she hit three consecutive length winners.

But once again, as was the story of this match, just as one would gain control the other would rip it way and that is exactly what happened as El Torky quickly reversed fortunes and won the fourth in extra points as she moves on to the final.

Chinappa (pictured right) lead comfortably throughout the first demonstrating a her effortless swing and pin point accuracy, no more so than on game-ball when she ripped a roll out, overhead nick.

Kobayashi continued to struggle with her movement in the second while Chinappa continued to look comfortable and confident as she took the second 11-8.

Despite still feeling it, Kobayashi put up a great fight in the third game as she looked to up the attacking in her game which seemed to work as she hit a number of beautiful winners to take the third game in extra points, which was the first game Joshana had lost all week.

Kobyashi continued to dig deep in the fourth and pushed Joshana to the limit. But after a beautiful offensive boast by the eighth seed, Chinappa made a fantastic get which she finessed in for a winning forehand drop to take the match.

Semi-Finals Results:

Heba El Torky (EGY) 3-1 [1] Nicolette Fernandes (GUY) 11-3, 11-6, 12-14, 12-10
[4] Joshana Chinappa (IND) 3-1 [8] Misaki Kobyashi (JPN) 11-7, 11-8, 10-12, 11-9

Pictures courtesy of Winnipeg Winter Club Open and Steve Cubbins (SquashSite)

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Quarter Final report: El Torky topples Whitlock as top seeds suffer mixed fortunes

World number 39 Heba El Torky continued her giant-killing run at the Winnipeg Winter Club Open to shock third seed Emily Whitlock in five games and advance into the semi-finals of the WSA Tour 15 event in Winnipeg, Canada.

El Torky, 23, knocked out seventh seed Samantha Teran in the opening round and remains on course for her second WSA title of 2014 after prevailing 7-11, 11-9, 11-6, 6-11, 11-6 over the world number 26 from England.

Whitlock failed to progress past the qualifying rounds at the Tournament of Champions and Greenwich Open but despite winning the opening game, she struggled to endorse her seeding at the Winnipeg Winter Club.

And although she forced a decider after capitalising on an early lead in the fourth game, the England number six wilted in the final game as El Torky eased to an 11-6 success. 

The Egyptian will now face top seed Nicolette Fernandes for a place in the final, after the world number 21 overcame a brief scare by Victoria Lust of England before clinching victory in a dramatic fourth game to win 7-11, 11-7, 11-1, 16-14.

Fernandes, 30, had trailed a game and 6-2 in the second before momentum finally began to shift in favour of the Guyana number one.

A one-sided third game completed a remarkable turnaround for Fernandes and despite both players amassing several game balls in a thrilling fourth game tie-break, the Canadian-born player sealed victory to end Lust’s hopes of a fourth WSA final in 10 months.

In the bottom half of the draw, world number 29 Misaki Kobyashi produced a second major scalp of the evening to defeat second seed Joey Chan 6-11, 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 13-11 in another five game epic. 

The Japanese number one suffered a four-game defeat to the world number 23 in the 2013 edition of the $15,000 event but survived a nervy final game to convert her fourth match-ball and gain revenge on the 23-year-old from Hong Kong. 

Kobayashi, 24, will now meet new world number 20 Joshana Chinappa in the last four, after the Indian number two swatted aside the challenge of sixth seed Siyoli Waters to progress through to her first WSA semi-final since the Penang Open in October

The fourth seed completed a hat-trick of 11-7 scorelines to repeat her straight game victory over Waters in the first round of the Macau Open last year and inflict a birthday defeat on the 31-year-old South African.

The semi-final matches get under way at the Winnipeg Winter Club on Saturday evening. You can watch live streaming of the event at: www.ustream.tv/channel/1976

Semi-Finals Draw:

[1] Nicolette Fernandes (GUY) v Heba El Torky (EGY)
[4] Joshana Chinappa (IND) v Misaki Kobayashi (JPN)

Quarter-Finals Results:

[1] Nicolette Fernandes (GUY) v [5] Victoria Lust (ENG) 7-11, 11-7, 11-1, 16-14
Heba El Torky (EGY) 3-2 [3] Emily Whitlock (ENG) 7-11, 11-9, 11-6, 6-11, 11-6
[4] Joshana Chinappa (IND) 3-0 [6] Siyoli Waters (RSA) 11-7, 11-7, 11-7
[8] Misaki Kobayashi (JPN) 3-2 [2] Joey Chan (HKG) 6-11, 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 13-11

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

First round report: El Torky sends Teran packing as the rest of the seeds ease into Winnipeg Winter Club Open quarter-finals

Unseeded Egyptian Heba El Torky produced the only upset of the Winnipeg Winter Club Open first-round to oust seventh seed Samantha Teran in four games at the WSA Tour 15 event. 

El Torky, who won the first WSA title of 2014 at the Liberty Bell Open, squandered numerous game balls in the opening game before finally edging a tense tie-break at the fifth time of asking. 

The 23-year-old doubled her advantage after racing into an 8-1 lead in the second and despite enduring a third game wobble, the Alexandria ace triumphed 15-13, 11-6, 5-11, 11-8 over the Mexican number one (pictured right) at the Winnipeg Winter Club,

The world number 39 will now meet English teenager Emily Whitlock for a place in the last four, after the world number 26 eased past home favourite and wild card Alix Younger in straight games.

Elsewhere, top seed Nicolette Fernandes of Guyana overcame an early 5-1 deficit in the first game before sweeping past German qualifier Sina Wall 11-7, 11-2, 11-4.

Fernandes, 30, will now meet England’s Victoria Lust in the quarter-finals, after the fifth seed eased past Maria Toorpakai Wazir of Pakistan in three games. 

In the bottom half of the draw, second seed Joey Chan had little difficulty in overcoming Mexican Diana Elisa Garcia Fierro to progress into the last eight.

The Hong Kong number two raced through the opening two games, before claiming three successive points in a tight third game to secure an 11-3, 11-4, 11-8 success.

Chan’s reward is a last eight showdown with eighth seed Misaki Kobayashi of Japan, who recorded an 11-7, 11-4, 11-5 victory over Canadian Hollie Naughton.

The other quarter-final matchup pits Indian Joshana Chinappa against Siyoli Waters of South Africa, after the seeded duo defeated local qualifier Jaycee Spagrud and Ivonne Diaz of Mexico respectively. 

First Round Results:

[1] Nicolette Fernandes (GUY) bt [Q] Sina Wall (GER) 11-7, 11-2, 11-4
[5] Victoria Lust (ENG) bt Maria Toorpakai Wazir (PAK) 11-5, 11-7, 11-5
[3] Emily Whitlock (ENG) bt [WC] Alix Younger (CAN) 11-7, 11-4, 11-5
Heba El Torky (EGY) bt [7] Samantha Teran (MEX) 15-13, 11-6, 5-11, 11-8
[6] Siyoli Waters (RSA) bt Ivonne Diaz (MEX) 11-7, 11-4, 11-3
[4] Joshana Chinappa (IND) bt [Q] Jaycee Spagrud (CAN) 11-7, 11-7, 11-8
[8] Misaki Kobayashi (JPN) bt Hollie Naughton (CAN) 11-7, 11-4, 11-5
[2] Joey Chan (HKG) bt Diana Elisa Garcia Fierro (MEX) 11-3, 11-4, 11-8

Qualifying Finals Results:

Jaycee Spagrud (CAN) bt Hannah Blatt (CAN) 11-4, 11-3, 11-5
Sina Wall (GER) bt Anika Alexander (CAN) 11-4, 11-8, 11-3

Picture by Steve Cubbins (SquashSite)