Tamimi takes out Grayson in men’s final
By SEAN REUTHE
Qatar’s Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi and India’s Dipika Pallikal Karthik are the 2016 Australian Open champions after both players recovered from a game down to triumph in their finals at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre.
Al Tamimi began his tournament with comfortable wins against Daehoon Jeong and Mohd Syafiq Kamal, and followed up by overturning one-game deficits against Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu and Joel Makin en route to the final, with the latter causing the event’s biggest upset when he downed defending champion Paul Coll in the quarter-final.
The 21-year-old’s opponent in the showpiece finale was New Zealand’s Campbell Grayson, who defeated Dmitri Steinmann, Ravi Dixit, Reiko Peter and Joe Lee to reach a first PSA World Tour final since March’s Qualico Manitoba Open.
Grayson came racing out of the blocks as he quickly took a one-game lead, leaving Al Tamimi staring down the barrel of defeat just as he had in both his quarter-final and semi-final fixtures.
But the World No.46 showed nerves of steel to battle back and he took the next three games in succession to claim a hard-fought 6-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-5 victory to lift his third PSA World Tour title.
In the Women’s event, Pallikal Karthik came up against Egyptian teenager Mayar Hany, with the former looking to bounce back from a disappointing defeat in the final of last week’s Victorian Open.
The opening game began at a fast pace with both players trying to assert themselves on the contest. Pallikal Karthik pulled away mid-way through to go 10-7 up, but a tenacious Hany fought back and took the next five points to go a game ahead.
However, Pallikal Karthik soon found her rhythm and the World No.19 used her experience to come out on top in the crucial points as she came from behind to win 10-12, 11-5, 11-6, 11-4 – securing her first PSA World Tour title of 2016.
Australian Open 2016, Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, Melbourne, Australia.
PSA M15 Final:
[3] Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) bt [2] Campbell Grayson (NZL) 6-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-5 (49m)
Semi-finals:
[3] Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) bt [8] Joel Makin (WAL) 6-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-6 (54m)
[2] Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt [4] Joe Lee (ENG) 10-12, 11-8, 11-5, 11-8 (75m)
Quarter-finals:
[8] Joel Makin (WAL) bt [1] Paul Coll (NZL) 11-7, 11-7, 11-2 (48m)
[3] Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) bt [6] Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu (IND) 10-12, 11-8, 12-10, 11-7 (64m)
[4] Joe Lee (ENG) bt Rhys Dowling (AUS) 11-3, 11-9, 11-8 (36m)
[2] Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt [7] Reiko Peter (SUI) 11-9, 11-4, 11-5 (37m)
2nd round:
[1] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Zac Alexander (AUS) 12-10, 16-14, 11-5 (53m)
[8] Joel Makin (WAL) bt Kush Kumar (IND) 11-7, 11-8, 4-1 ret. (32m)
[6] Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu (IND) bt Evan Williams (NZL) 12-10, 11-5, 11-6 (35m)
[3] Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) bt Mohd Syafiq Kamal (MAS) 11-8, 11-4, 11-3 (31m)
[4] Joe Lee (ENG) bt Arthur Gaskin (IRL) 11-5, 12-10, 11-13, 11-3 (62m)
Rhys Dowling (AUS) bt Ben Grindrod (NZL) 6-11, 13-11, 11-7, 11-8 (41m)
[7] Reiko Peter (SUI) bt [Q] Rohan Toole (AUS) 11-7, 11-8, 11-6 (31m)
[2] Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt Ravi Dixit (IND) 11-6, 11-7, 11-5 (38m)
1st round:
[1] Paul Coll (NZL) bt [WC] Thomas Calvert (AUS) 11-1, 11-3, 11-1 (22m)
Zac Alexander (AUS) bt [Q] Sandeep Ramachandran (IND) 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 (32m)
Kush Kumar (IND) bt [Q] Nathan Turnbull (AUS) 11-7, 4-11, 11-5, 11-8 (31m)
[8] Joel Makin (WAL) bt [Q] Vincent Droesbeke (FRA) 11-4, 12-10, 11-5 (40m)
[6] Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu (IND) bt Elvinn Keo (MAS) 11-5, 11-4, 12-10 (34m)
Evan Williams (NZL) bt [Q] Joel Luca (AUS) 11-2, 11-2, 11-6 (21m)
Mohd Syafiq Kamal (MAS) bt [Q] Jong Myoung Park (KOR) 11-7, 5-11, 11-9, 11-7 (40m)
[3] Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) bt [Q] Daehoon Jeong (KOR) 11-6, 11-8, 11-7 (28m)
[4] Joe Lee (ENG) bt Lance Beddoes (NZL) 14-12, 11-6, 11-5 (27m)
Arthur Gaskin (IRL) bt [Q] Connor Sheen (ENG) 11-9, 11-7, 11-4 (32m)
Ben Grindrod (NZL) bt Mithran Selvaratnam (MAS) 9-11, 11-5, 11-7, 10-12, 11-9 (59m)
Rhys Dowling (AUS) bt [5] Rex Hedrick (AUS) w/o
[7] Reiko Peter (SUI) bt Ko Youngjo (KOR) 11-6, 9-11, 11-0, 11-8 (43m)
[Q] Rohan Toole (AUS) bt David Clegg (AUS) 11-9, 11-8, 11-9 (33m)
Ravi Dixit (IND) bt Patrick Miescher (SUI) 8-11, 11-13, 11-8, 13-11, 12-10 (100m)
[2] Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) 11-5, 11-2, 11-8 (31m)
PSA W15 Final:
[1] Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND) bt [8] Mayar Hany (EGY) 10-12, 11-5, 11-6, 11-4 (40m)
Semi-finals:
[1] Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND) bt [Q] Hana Ramadan (EGY) 6-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-4 (35m)
[8] Mayar Hany (EGY) bt [2] Donna Urquhart (AUS) 11-4, 5-11, 13-11, 14-12 (47m)
Quarter-finals:
[1] Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND) bt [7] Misaki Kobayashi (JPN) 6-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-6 (37m)
[Q] Hana Ramadan (EGY) bt [Q] Nouran El Torky (EGY) 8-11, 11-5, 11-7, 13-15, 11-6 (56m)
[8] Mayar Hany (EGY) bt Siyoli Waters (RSA) 7-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-8 (39m)
[2] Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt [Q] Tamika Saxby (AUS) 11-4, 13-11, 11-9 (28m)
1st round:
[1] Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND) bt [WC] Jessica Turnbull (AUS) 11-1, 11-5, 11-8 (24m)
[7] Misaki Kobayashi (JPN) bt Megan Craig (NZL) 11-7, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6 (34m)
[Q] Hana Ramadan (EGY) bt [5] Christine Nunn (AUS) 11-5, 11-4, 11-3 (22m)
[Q] Nouran El Torky (EGY) bt [4] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) 12-10, 7-11, 11-9, 6-11, 12-10 (70m)
Siyoli Waters (RSA) bt [3] Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) 12-10, 11-8, 9-11, 4-11, 11-8 (45m)
[8] Mayar Hany (EGY) bt [Q] Danielle Letourneau (CAN) 11-6, 12-10, 11-8 (28m)
[Q] Tamika Saxby (AUS) bt [6] Nele Gilis (BEL) 5-11, 11-8, 14-12, 11-7 (45m)
[2] Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt Sarah Cardwell (AUS) 11-7, 11-4, 11-7 (29m)
Picture courtesy of Squash Australia