The Windy City Open 2022 presented by the Walter Family continues today from the University Club of Chicago.
Keep up to date with everything that takes place across the three side courts, with 24 matches taking place on the traditional courts over the course of day two.
Schedule
Court 1
12:00 – [8] Salma Hany (EGY) v Tze Lok Ho (HKG)
12:45 – Tsz Fung Yip (HKG) v Cesar Salazar (MEX)
14:00 – Lisa Aitken (SCO) v [7] Rowan Elaraby (EGY)
14:45 – Leonel Cardenas (MEX) v Youssef Ibrahim (EGY)
17:00 – Danielle Letourneau (CAN) v [2] Nouran Gohar (EGY)
17:45 – Youssef Soliman (EGY) v [8] Fares Dessouky (EGY)
19:00 – Olivia Clyne (USA) v [5] Joelle King (NZL)
19:45 – [7] Joel Makin (WAL) v Patrick Rooney (ENG)
Court 2
12:00 – Millie Tomlinson (ENG) v Mariam Metwally (EGY)
12:45 – Gregoire Marche (FRA) v [6] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY)
14:00 – [8] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) v Nele Gilis (BEL)
14:45 – Declan James (ENG) v Todd Harrity (USA)
17:00 – Sabrina Sobhy (USA) v Tinne Gilis (BEL)
17:45 – Borja Golan (ESP) v Mazen Hesham (EGY)
19:00 – Lucy Turmel (ENG) v Jasmine Hutton (ENG)
19:45 – Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v Nicolas Mueller (SUI)
Court 3
12:00 – Nadine Shahin (EGY) v Nada Abbas (EGY)
12:45 – [5] Diego Elias (PER) v Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP)
14:00 – Donna Lobban (AUS) v Alexandra Fuller (RSA)
14:45 – George Parker (ENG) v Saurav Ghosal (IND)
17:00 – Joshna Chinappa (IND) v Sana Ibrahim (EGY)
17:45 – Omar Mosaad (EGY) v Greg Lobban (SCO)
19:00 – Hana Ramadan (EGY) v Tesni Evans (WAL)
19:45 – Adrian Waller (ENG) v Eain Yow Ng (MAS)
Egyptian treble survive five-set battles
Play on court 3 at the University of Chicago Club started with an entertaining all-Egyptian match up between World No.16 Nadine Shahin and Nada Abbas. The pair last met at the 2021 Malaysian Open, where Shahin won in a 55 minute 3-2.
The tempo was relentless from the first point between the two as they held nothing back when attacking the front of the court. There was nothing between the two Egyptians for the majority of the first game, but it was Shahin that played the crucial points better and took the first game 14-12.
Abbas responded in the second game and managed to twist and turn her opponent and ran out to an 8-4 lead. This momentum continued as she took the second game confidently 11-5 to equalise.
The power of Shahin’s hitting increased at the start of the third game and volleying opportunities came thick and fast for the higher ranked Egyptian. She started to create space on the court which she exploited brilliantly, taking the third game 11-9. Abbas was able to regroup and regain the middle of the court in game four and showcased her attacking flair, winning the game 11-5.
Shahin showed her class in the fifth and final game, displaying incredible hitting pace and proved to be too much for Abbas on this occasion as she raced to a 10-5 lead and took the match first time of asking 11-5 to move through to the last 16.
Shahin had this to say after her match:
“It’s always tough against Egyptian players, me and Nada used to play in the same club so we’ve grown up playing each other. The last time we played each other it was a five setter so I’m just happy to get through a match that was always going to be tough.”
“Playing Salma next so I think I beat her last time we played at the British Open, I’m glad she’s had a similar game to me today so it kind of evens itself out for our match tomorrow.”
Nadine Shain in action
No.6 seed Salma Hany kicked off her Windy City Open campaign as she survived a scare from Hong Kong’s Tze Lok Ho to advance to the next round.
A confident start from the Egyptian saw her quickly take the first game 11-4. Lok Ho showed her fighting qualities in the second game however as she played a lot straighter to minimise the attacking opportunities of her talented opponent.
Hany regained control in the third game and used angles to stretch Lok Ho into all four corners of the court taking it 11-7. Hany lead for the majority of the fourth game and earned herself three match balls to take the match. But Lok Ho kept fighting and managed to force a game ball of her own at 11-10 which she took to level the match at 2-2.
Lok Ho remained solid in the fifth game and displayed amazing retrieval skills to counteract Hany’s attacking talent and earned herself two match balls to knock out the No.6 seed. Hany didn’t panic however and fired off four winners to book her place in the last 16.
England’s Millie Tomlinson and Egypt’s Mariam Metwally both had a great chance to reach the last 16 of the tournament as they faced off on court 2.
Metwally started the better of the two as she was slightly sharper out the blocks than her English opponent and took full advantage of Tomlinson’s slow start, winning the first game 11-5.
Tomlinson, renowned for her never-say-die attitude, battled back in the second game and started to extend the rallies which forced some unforced errors from her opponent’s racket. Tomlinson took the second game 11-8.
The Egyptian started to regain control of the middle at the start of game three and always lead on her way to securing a 2-1 lead, 11-8. Tomlinson battled back again however and started to step up the court and use Metwally’s style against her, attacking the front corners with great accuracy to set up a fifth and final game.
The score was close all the way through the fifth game with neither player willing to give an inch to the other. As expected the game went to a tense tiebreak with the Egyptian coming out on top 13-11 to secure her place in the next round.
Results
Nadine Shahin (EGY) bt Nada Abbas (EGY) 3-2: 14-12, 5-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-5 (56m)
[6] Salma Hany (EGY) bt Tze Lok Ho 3-2: 11-4, 6-11, 11-7, 10-12, 12-10 (63m)
Mariam Metwally (EGY) bt Millie Tomlinson (ENG) 3-2: 11-5, 8-11, 11-8, 8-11, 14-12 (67m)
Bernabeu stuns Elias whilst ElShorbagy and Salazar also progress
No.6 seed Marwan ElShorbagy opened up his Windy City Open 2022 campaign against ‘The Acrobat’ Gregoire Marche on court 2 at the University Club of Chicago.
ElShorbagy was untouchable in the opening game and a half of the match and the Frenchman had no answer to the Egyptian’s smart and calculated play. ElShorbagy was moving the Frenchman constantly in the opening 20 minutes of the match and took the first game 11-6 and lead 9-3 in the second game.
This was when Marche started to gather momentum. Using his movement to attack rather than defend, Marche started to counter-attack ElShorbagy and made the Egyptian second guess his tactics. Despite coming back from a 6 point deficit to level at 9-9, Marche was unable to secure the second game and ElShorbagy held a 2-0 lead.
Marche’s momentum was not completely halted, as he returned onto court in the third game determined to push the Egyptian. With a few unforced errors from ElShorbagy and quick attacks, Marche sealed the third game 11-4 to give himself a lifeline in the match.
The World No.7 regrouped and found his length again in the fourth game. Marche’s frustration was clear and didn’t help his concentration in trying to level the match. ElShorbay seemed to use this to his advantage and remained solid to secure the game 11-7 and move through to the last 16.
“Playing Greg in my first match is always tough,” said ElShorbagy.
“I’m just really happy to win today, I got a very good start and I think I was 9-3 up In third when he started to come back and I struggled to stop his momentum. But overall happy with the performance.”
“The way I played up to 9-3 in the second game is some of the best squash I’ve played recently but I’m a little disappointed with my concentration so I’m just really happy to get the result today.”
Marwan ElShorbagy in action
Court 3 was hosting a great battle between No.5 seed Diego Elias and Spanish No.1 Iker Pajares Bernabeu. Elias used his smooth style to outmanoeuvre his Spanish opponent and force Bernabeu into some brutal movements early on in the match. Elias took the opening two games 11-6, 11-8 to place one foot in the next round.
Bernabeu had other ideas, however, displaying true grit and determination to force Elias into several unforced errors and make the Peruvian work hard to stay in the rallies. The Spaniard noticed a slight drop off from Elias and picked up the pace even further to take the third and fourth games 11-7, 11-8 to force a fifth and final game.
There was nothing between the two in the fifth but momentum was with Bernabeu. He earned himself three match balls to complete the comeback but Elias wasn’t finished there. In typical Elias style, he fired off three quick winners to force a tiebreak. A controversial call at match ball for Bernabeu secured the Spaniard’s biggest win of his career as he completed the comeback and moved through to round three.
“I’m over the moon, it’s the best win of my career,” said Bernabeu.
“I wasn’t expecting that, I’ve been in the US for three weeks and I woke up this morning with my body not feeling great and I was just thinking about home. I don’t know what happened, I went 2-0 down then just carried on. I saw he started to get a little tired so I pushed a bit more and at the very end I don’t know what happened.
“After losing in Washington, I came here to Chicago and got some physio and went to the spa to relax my body and recover and it worked. I played well yesterday and felt okay on court again today,
“At the end, it’s just a fight, I was at 10-7 then he came back well and I think I was lucky to sneak another point to get another match ball and I don’t know if the ball was double or not, it’s not my decision to make but overall I’m just very happy.”
Iker Pajares Bernabeu celebrating his victory
Mexico’s Cesar Salazar has moved through to the next round as he defeated Hong Kong’s Tsz Fung Yip in a 32 minute 3-0.
The Mexican held on well to win two tight opening games both 11-9, moving his opponent around the court with a mix of power and accuracy.
Salazar went from strength to strength in the third game and produced a clinical, concentrated performance to book his last 16 place, winning 11-3 in the final game.
Results
[6] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) bt Gregoire Marche (FRA) 3-1: 11-6, 11-9, 4-11, 11-7 (50m)
Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) bt [5] Diego Elias (PER) 3-2: 6-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8, 13-11 (89m)
Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt Tsz Fung Yip (HKG) 3-0: 11-9, 11-9, 11-3 (32m)
Gilis beats Tayeb to join Fuller and Elaraby in the last 16
In a highly antici[ated match, Belgium’s Nele Gilis caused an upset as she defeated Egypt’s Nour El Tayeb 3-2 in 60 minutes to advance to round three of the Windy City Open.
Gilis set her stall out early in the match, extending the rallies and always keeping the ball moving away from her talented opponent. After closing out a tight first game 11-9, Gilis continued to test the movement of El Tayeb and earned herself a 2-0 lead.
The Egyptian came out firing in the third game and rattled off several outrageous winners to win the game 11-2. More of the same followed in the fourth and in the blink of an eye, El Tayeb had levelled the match at 2-2.
Gilis started the stronger of the two in the crucial deciding game and reverted back to solid length hitting that served her so well in the opening two games. El Tayeb kept in touch throughout the whole game but the Belgian No.1 showcased great mental strength to hold off the Egyptian’s attacks to book her round three place.
Gilis was relieved to have won against such a dangerous opponent as she explained after the match.
“It was a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions, you know she’s still coming back from giving birth and I have huge respect for her and how she’s managed to come back so strongly. I came into the match with no pressure because I know she’s still a top 5 in the world player and I just wanted to give it my all.”
“At 2-0 up I then thought that I have a real chance of winning and then she came back like she did last week and came about firing in the third like she had nothing to lose,
In the fifth, I was all about just staying In the rallies and fighting till the end and I’m very proud of my mental toughness and just happy to be through.”
Nele Gilis in action
On court 1, No.7 seed Rowan Elaraby held off a spirited Lisa Aitken to reach the third round of the Windy City Open.
With the match level at 1-1, Elaraby played solid and aggressive squash to win a tiebreak third game 14-12 and lead the match 2-1.
Aitken bounced back from that disappointment in the fourth game and attacked Elaraby with low, accurate kills to set up game balls to level the match. Elaraby had other ideas however and pushed the pace to the Scottish No.1 winning another tiebreak 12-10 to advance.
Elaraby will now face South Africa’s Alexandra Fuller for a place in the quarter finals.
On court 3, South Africa’s Alexandra Fuller overcame Australian No.1, Donna Lobban, in a 50 minute 3-2.
Both players recognised the opportunity to reach the last 16 of a platinum event and the opening exchanges were slightly scrappy and cagey. The opening three games were extremely close with the rallies following a similar pattern. Lobban was attacking Fuller well on the volley and managed to take a 2-1 lead.
Fuller responded well to the task and straightened her play and counterattacked Lobban to great effect. Fuller won the next two games 11-7, 11-4 to reach the platinum event last 16 for the first time in her career.
Results
Nele Gilis (BEL) bt [8] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 3-2: 11-9, 11-6, 2-11, 8-11, 11-9 (60m)
[7] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt Lisa Aitken (SCO) 3-1: 11-5, 2-11, 14-12, 12-10 (43m)
Alexandra Fuller (RSA) bt Donna Lobban (AUS) 3-2: 11-7, 9-11, 10-12, 11-7, 11-4 (50m)
Harrity, Ibrahim and Ghosal advance
Home favourite Todd Harrity produced a great performance to progress through to his first platinum event last 16 as he beat England’s Declan James in a tough four-game battle on court two.
The American got off to the perfect start, pushing the tall Englishman into all corners of the court and took the opening game 11-2 in no time at all. A hard-fought second game followed with James finding his length with more accuracy and started to unsettle Harrity forcing errors from the American.
Harrity managed to rectify his second game mistakes and battled hard in the next two games, extending the rallies and firing off clinical attacks to which James had no response. Harrity took the third and fourth games 11-8, 13-11 to book his maiden platinum event last 16 appearances.
Harrity had this to say after the match:
“It’s my first time winning two matches at a major event like this so my first time in the last 16 so it’s very exciting for me. I’ve worked hard and it’s finally paid off, and also my first time beating Declan, I think we’ve played a few times now and he’s so skilful so I’m very pleased with this win.
“I tried to pin him in the back corners and take his reach away and stop him from hitting those low kills that he’s so good at.
There’s no pressure on me going into the next round, all I want to do is play well and make the most out of the opportunity.”
Todd Harrity in action
Egypt’s Youssef Ibrahim secured a place in the last 16 as he recovered from a game down to beat Mexico’s Leonel Cardenas on court 1 at the University Club of Chicago.
The Mexican carried on his superb form from yesterday when he beat World No.21 Victor Crouin in straight games. Cardenas capitalised on some loose drives from his opponent and took the ball into the front clinically to take the opening game 11-8.
The quality of Ibrahim was on display from then on as the Egyptian moved through the gears to twist and turn his Mexican opponent and severely test the movement of the 22-year-old. Ibrahim took the next 3 games confidently to move through to the next round.
Ibrahim has set up a last 16 match up with compatriot Mohamed ElShorbagy.
On court 3, the crowd were treated to a competitive clash between India’s Saurav Ghosal and England George Parker. The first came couldn’t have been closer as both players’ styles made for an entertaining battle. After some discussions with the referee, it was Ghosal who snuck the opening game 14-12.
Parker, known for his fighting spirit, responded in true aggressive nature to win the second game 11-8, releasing a mighty yell to spur himself on. Ghosal stuck to his task however and by using incredible touch and weight of shot, dragged Parker up to the front of the court several times and followed up on the volley. Ghosal won the third game 11-4 to take the lead.
Despite Parker equalising the match at 2-2 by stepping up the court and taking time away from the Indian. Ghosal would not be denied a place in the last 16 as he won the fifth game 11-6 to progress.
Results
Todd Harrity (USA) bt Declan James (ENG) 3-1: 11-2, 9-11, 11-8, 13-11 (54m)
Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) bt Leonel Cardenas (MEX) 3-1: 8-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-6 (40m)
Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt George Parker (ENG) 3-2: 14-12, 8-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-6 (76m)
No.2 seed Gohar, Gilis and Chinappa progress
Belgium’s Tinne Gilis produced an incredible performance to defeat USA’s Sabrina Sobhy in just 22 minutes to advance to the last 16.
The World No.23 Gilis wasted no time in the first game, chopping the ball in short with ease and constantly stretching Sobhy. She took the game 11-2.
The second game followed the same pattern. Gilis was relentless with her attacks, twisting and turning Sobhy, not giving her a moment to settle into any kind of rhythm and won the game 11-3.
With only one place between the two in the rankings, this was an important match in their pursuits toward the world’s top 20 and Gilis was making it count. Another confident display in the third game secured the match for the Belgian 11-6 as she advances to the next round.
“I feel like I played pretty well there,” said Gilis.
“I was slightly nervous as the last time I played Sabrina I tore my calf so although I felt good on there, it was in the back of my mind.
“I sensed that Sabrina was slightly tired or wasn’t moving as well as she usually does so I just tried to focus on my own game and not think about other things that may or may not be going on.
“There’s no pressure on me tomorrow against Sherbini. I can go on there and just keep my head up and work as hard as I can to play well.”
Tinne Gilis beats Sabrina Sobhy
The event’s No.2 seed Nouran Gohar has sailed through to the third round after confidently dispatching Canada’s Danielle Letourneau in 27 minutes.
‘The Terminator’ showcased her immense hitting power throughout the duration of the match and hit the space on the court at nearly every opportunity. She won the first two games 11-6 to place one foot in the next round.
Letourneau was competitive throughout the whole match but especially in the third game, staying within close range to Gohar determined to take the game. Gohar wasnt surrounding control that easy though, as she stepped up another gear to take the game 11-7 and move to the next round where she will face India’s Joshna Chinappa.
It was on court 3 that Chinappa was cementing her third round place as she beat one of Egypt’s rising stars Sana Ibrahim 3-0 in 25 minutes.
India’s Chinappa was in excellent form and dominated the middle of the court by hitting exquisite length to the back of the court to set up volleying opportunities. Taking the first two games 11-6, 11-5 there looked no doubt that Chinappa would be featuring in round three.
No comeback was allowed for Ibrahim, who possesses so many attacking strengths, the young Egyptian resorted to forcing winners in the third game which played right into the hands of Chinappa. The Indian won 11-6 in the final game to win comfortably 3-0.
Results
Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt Sabrina Sobhy (USA): 3-0 11-2, 11-3, 11-6 (21m)
[2] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt Danielle Letourneau (CAN) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-7 (27m)
Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt Sana Ibrahim (EGY) 3-0: 11-6, 11-5, 11-6 (25m)
Egyptian trio Dessouky, Hesham and Mosaad all progress
Court 3 hosted an exciting all-Egyptian match up between No.8 seed Fares Dessouky and Youssef Soliman. Both players possess great athleticism and used that to their advantage during the match. Soliman’s movement was tested early on by Dessouky as he fired the ball into the front corners frequently. Dessouky was on top for the majority of the first game and took it 11-7.
Soliman changed his tactics slightly in the second game and used his movement to attack instead to defend and by using straight counter drops levelled the match at 1-1, winning 12-10. Dessouky regained composure in the third game and despite several discussions with the referee managed to get back in front by winning the third game 11-9.
More referee discussion featured in game four as the pair struggled to move around each other in moments. The game was tightly contested up until Dessouky showed his class and stepped up the court, taking time away from Soliman and showing why he has been a Platinum event champion. The No.8 seed won 11-7 in the fourth game to progress to round three.
Fares Dessouky in action
Always entertaining Mazen Hesham was in action for the first time in the event as he comfortably defeated experienced Spaniard Borja Golan 3-0 in 35 minutes.
The Egyptian, known for his outrageous shot-making abilities, had the better of Golan from the start of the match. Holding the ball when in front of Golan made the next movement slightly slower opening up more opportunities for Hesham. ‘The Balck Falcon’ took the first two games 11-7, 11-3 and showed no sign of slowing down.
In typical Golan fashion, he rallied in the third game and dug deep to stay in the rallies and find winners against the Egyptian. Despite the efforts of Golan, Hesham powered through to take the third game in a tiebreak 12-10 and secure his third round place.
‘Hammer of Thor’ Omar Mosaad secured his place in round three, beating Scotland’s Greg Lobban 3-0 in 45 minutes on court 3.
In a tight first game, there wasn’t much between the two players in the opening game but it was Mosaad who played the crucial points slightly better and used his trademark hard-hitting to take the game 11-9.
Mosaad settled into his stride in the second game and made life very difficult for Lobban. Long rallies were to be expected in this game and it was the Egyptian who capitalised, taking the second and third games 11- 6, 11-5 to book his third round place.
Mosaad now faces compatriot Tarek Momen for a quarter final place.
Results
Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt Borja Golan (ESP) 3-0: 11-7, 11-3, 12-10 (35m)
Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt Greg Lobban (SCO) 3-0: 11-9, 11-6, 11-5 (45m)
[8] Fares Dessouky (EGY) bt Youssef Soliman (EGY) 3-1: 11-7, 10-12, 11-9, 11-7 (63m)
Three five set wins for Evans, King and Turmel
Wales’ Tesni Evans completed an excellent performance to recover from 2-0 down to defeat Egypt’s Hana Ramadan in 53 minutes.
A blistering start from Ramadan gave Evans no time to settle in the first game and the mix of attacking play and some errors gave Ramadan a 1-0 lead. This momentum continued for the Egyptian as she stuck to her plan of taking the ball early to test the movement of Evans and was rewarded with a 2-0 lead.
Evans showed her classic Welsh determination however and got a great start to the third game, using her power to stretch Ramadan into all four corners of the court and took the game confidently 11-4.
The Welsh No.1 used that momentum in the subsequent two games and summoned all of her strength to get in front of Ramadan and start to volley more and more both to the front and back of the court. She took the fourth game 11-9 and battled hard to win the fifth and final game 11-7 and book her third round slot.
“That was a huge battle,” said Evans.
“I haven’t been enjoying my squash recently at all and a match like that, I weirdly always enjoy. I love it when it’s a fight and you have to work for every point and I just really enjoy those kinds of matches,
“I just thought that if I’m going to lose then I’m going to go down fighting and once I got a bit of momentum it just kind of spiralled from there and I managed to close it out.”
Tesni Evans in action
New Zealand’s No.5 seed Joelle King survived a 55 minute 3-2 match with USA’s Olivia Clyne to progress to the last 16.
The opening two games of the match saw both players dominate at different times. King was the stronger starter as she took the first game 11-2, whereas Clyne completely reversed the first game and took the second 11-3.
After these two games, the rallies became a lot closer and there was nothing between the two until the closing stages of each game. King got her nose in front as she regained control of the middle and took the third game 11-9.
Despite Clyne’s response in the fourth game, winning 11-9, her momentum wasn’t enough to see her take the match as King secured her place in round three winning 11-8 in the fifth game.
There was an all-English battle happening on court two as Lucy Turmel and Jasmine Hutton left no stone unturned on their pursuits to make the last 16.
The two recently played in the final of the E.M Noll Classic 2022 with Hutton winning a tight 3-1. Today’s match saw the momentum shift several times between the two players. The rallies were long from the start as Hutton took a lengthy opening game 15-13.
Turmel responded by taking the second game 11-6, using her length to set up attacking opportunities and taking full advantage. Hutton regrouped in the third game and was able to move Turmel into the corners and gained a 2-1 lead in the match.
Turmel stepped up the gears however and didn’t panic when she found herself 2-1 down. She started to get in front of Hutton a lot more and produced two excellent games to close the match out 11-7, 11-8 in 78 minutes.
Results
Tesni Evans (WAL) bt Hana Ramadan (EGY) 3-2: 9-11, 6-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-7 (53m)
[5] Joelle King (NZL) bt Olivia Clyne (USA) 3-2: 11-2, 3-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8 (55m)
Lucy Turmel (ENG) bt Jasmine Hutton (ENG) 3-2: 13-15, 11-6, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8 (78m)
Waller, Makin and Gawad progress to round three
Englishman Adrian Waller survived an entertaining five-set battle with Malaysian No.1 Eain Yow Ng to reach the last 16 in Chicago.
The opening two games featured numerous tough exchanges between the two, both trying to push one another deep into the back corners to set up volleying chances around the middle of the court. Waller took the opening game 12-10 before Ng equalised 11-9 in the seocnf=d.
Waller’s touch and feel around the front of the court was on display in the third game as some loose attacks from Ng gave Waller time at the front to hit his targets and put Ng under consistent pressure. Waller got his nose in front by winning that game 11-6.
Ng responded, however, and used his movement to attack and started to counter drop the attacking play of Waller and started the move the tall Englishman. Despite Ng winning the fourth game 13-11, Waller was able to push Ng to the extremes as the Malaysian struggled to fight off cramps in his legs as he was 9-7 up un. The final game. Waller exploited this and a hobbling Ng was unable to make any further contributions to the match. Waller won the remaining four points and secured his third round place.
Waller had this to say after the match:
“It was certainly a tough match,” admitted Waller.
“You could see that with the way it ended there. I put some really tough rallies into him in the opening three games and I could feel him starting to struggle, but fair play to him as every time I started to push him more he countered really well and reversed the pressure.”
“He managed the game well and went on the attack in the fifth because I guess he had to with the way his body was feeling and almost finished it off but unfortunately for him he wasn’t able to play the last few rallies the way the rest of the match had been played but these things happen.”
Adrian Waller in action
On court one there was an all-British battle between No.7 seed and recent Squash On Fire Open runner-up Joel Makin and England’s Patrick Rooney.
Rooney started the match well, working the ball into all areas of the court with a mix of paces and heights. Makin was no stranger to the way Rooney plays and stayed tough in the crucial moments of the game and won it 11-7.
From then on it was difficuilt for Rooney to make significant strides on the scoreboard and Makin was simply too solid. The retreieval abilities of Makin were evident and that was clearly frustrating Rooney.
Makin’s weight of shot to the back of the court was sublime throughout the entire match and he hit more winners to the back than he did to the front. Makin won the second and third games conviningly 11-5, 11-4 to close out the 50 minute match.
Former World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad was in action on court two as he took on Swiss No.1, Nicolas Mueller.
In a match that was always going o feature amazing touch and control, Gawad looked in fine form as he manoeuvred Mueller around the court constantly and gave the ‘Swiss Rocket’ no time to settle in the final match of the day.
Gawad won two close first two games both 11-9 and places one foot in the last 16. He then stepped his play up further in the third game and with some help from Mueller’s errors took his place in the next round.
Gawad will now face Wales’ Joel Makin for a quarter final spot.
Results
Adrian Waller (ENG) bt Eai Yow Ng (MAS) 3-2: 12-10, 9-11, 11-6, 11-13, 11-9 (75m)
[7] Joel Makin (WAL) bt Patrick Rooney (ENG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-5, 11-4 (50m)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 3-0: 11-9, 11-9, 11-5 (34m)