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Malaysian Open 2022
Men's Draw
22 - 26 Nov
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, $52.5k |
ROUND TWO
23 Nov |
QUARTERS
24 Nov |
SEMIS
25 Nov |
FINAL
26 Nov |
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[1] Tarek Momen (EGY)
6-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-1 (34m)
[9/16] Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) |
Tarek Momen
11-1, 11-9, 11-6 (29m)
Addeen Idrakie |
Tarek Momen
11-8, 11-6, 11-4 (27m)
Nicolas Müller |
Tarek Momen
2-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5 (54m)
Mazen Hesham
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Addeen Idrakie (MAS)
4-11, 11-7, 13-11, 9-11, 11-8 (66m)
[7] Raphael Kandra (GER) |
[6] Nicolas Müller (SUI)
8-11, 11-3, 11-8, 7-11, 11-7 (62m)
[9/16] Moustafa El Sirty (EGY) |
Nicolas Müller
11-3, 11-9, 10-12, 11-7 (41m)
Marwan Elshorbagy |
[4] Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY)
6-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-7 (44m)
[9/16] Ramit Tandon (IND) |
[3] Mazen Hesham (EGY)
11-1, 11-5, 11-6 (29m)
Faraz Khan (USA) |
Mazen Hesham
11-5, 11-6, 11-3 (22m)
Patrick Rooney |
Mazen Hesham
11-7, 11-9, 11-13, 11-3 (64m)
Joel Makin |
[8] Patrick Rooney (ENG)
7-11, 15-17, 11-9, 11-4, 11-8 (85m)
[9/16] Mohamed Elsherbini (EGY) |
[5] Miguel Rodriguez (COL)
11-9, 11-13, 8-11, 11-4, 11-9 (88m)
[9/16] Shahjahan Khan (USA) |
Miguel Rodriguez
11-8, 11-7, 14-12 (64m)
Joel Makin |
[9/16] Eain Yow Ng (MAS)
11-6, 6-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5 (69m)
[2] Joel Makin (WAL) |
[1] Tarek Momen (EGY) bye
[9/16] Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) bt Mohd Syafiq Kamal (MAS) 11-9, 11-8,
11-7 (38m)
Addeen Idrakie (MAS) bt [9/16] Omar Mosaad (EGY) 14-12, 11-5, 11-13,
11-7 (64m)
[7] Raphael Kandra (GER) bye
[6] Nicolas Müller (SUI) bye
[9/16] Moustafa El Sirty (EGY) bt [WC] Ong Sai Hung (MAS) 11-6, 11-9,
11-6 (29m)
[9/16] Ramit Tandon (IND) bt Ivan Yuen (MAS) 11-4, 11-7, 11-7 (30m)
[4] Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY) bye
[3] Mazen Hesham (EGY) bye
Faraz Khan (USA) bt [9/16] Karim El Hammamy (EGY) 11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 11-8
(62m)
[9/16] Mohamed Elsherbini (EGY) bt Mazen Gamal (EGY) 8-11, 11-4, 11-3,
11-8 (45m)
[8] Patrick Rooney (ENG) bye
[5] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bye
[9/16] Shahjahan Khan (USA) bt Bernat Jaume (ESP) 10-12, 11-5, 11-5,
11-6 (53m)
[9/16] Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bt Leandro Romiglio (ARG) 11-7, 11-5, 11-8
(40m)
[2] Joel Makin (WAL) bye |
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Malaysian Open 2022
Men's Draw
22 - 26 Nov
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, $52.5k |
ROUND TWO
23 Nov |
QUARTERS
24 Nov |
SEMIS
25 Nov |
FINAL
26 Nov |
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[1] Olivia Fiechter (USA)
11-3, 11-4, 11-3 (24m)
[9/16] Julianne Courtice (ENG) |
Olivia Fiechter
11-9, 12-10, 11-7 (34m)
Yathreb Adel |
Olivia Fiechter
7-11, 11-7, 11-1, 11-7 (47m)
Tesni Evans |
Olivia Fiechter
5-11, 11-5, 13-11, 11-9 (59m)
Nele Gilis |
[9/16] Yathreb Adel (EGY)
11-7, 6-11, 11-9, 11-9 (40m)
[7] Alexandra Fuller (RSA) |
[6] Mélissa Alves (FRA)
12-10, 11-4, 11-5 (29m)
Chan Yiwen (MAS) |
Mélissa Alves
12-10, 10-12, 11-3,
6-11, 12-10 (70m)
Tesni Evans |
[3] Tesni Evans (WAL)
11-6, 11-4, 11-5 (25m)
[9/16] Ineta Mackevica (LAT) |
[4] Nadine Shahin (EGY)
11-6, 11-3, 11-13, 10-12, 11-7 (64m)
[9/16] Nour Aboulmakarim (EGY) |
Nadine Shahin
6-11, 11-1, 11-9, 11-9 (36m)
Rachel Arnold |
Rachel Arnold
10-12, 11-0, 11-9,
7-11, 11-6 (63m)
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[8] Rachel Arnold (MAS)
10-12, 12-10, 11-7, 11-9 (38m)
Grace Gear (ENG) |
[5] Aifa Azman (MAS)
11-6, 11-4, 11-8 (21m)
Ainaa Amani (MAS) |
Aifa Azman
11-9, 11-4, 11-2 (32m)
Nele Gilis |
Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY)
11-4, 11-8, 11-6 (33m)
[2] Nele Gilis (BEL) |
[1] Olivia Fiechter (USA) bye
[9/16] Julianne Courtice (ENG) bt Ooi Kah Yan (MAS) 11-9, 11-4, 11-4
(20m)
[9/16] Yathreb Adel (EGY) bt Alex Haydon (AUS) 11-7, 11-4, 11-5 (21m)
[7] Alexandra Fuller (RSA) bye
[6] Mélissa Alves (FRA) bye
Chan Yiwen (MAS) bt [9/16] Low Wee Wern (MAS) 11-4, 11-9, 11-4 (28m)
[9/16] Ineta Mackevica (LAT) bt Au Yeong Wai Yhann (SGP) 12-10, 10-12,
4-11, 11-4, 11-6 (40m)
[3] Tesni Evans (WAL) bye
[4] Nadine Shahin (EGY) bye
[9/16] Nour Aboulmakarim (EGY) bt Yee Xin Ying (MAS) 11-5, 11-9, 12-10
(33m)
Grace Gear (ENG) bt [9/16] Cristina Gomez (ESP) 11-8, 11-4, 11-5 (21m)
[8] Rachel Arnold (MAS) bye
[5] Aifa Azman (MAS) bye
Ainaa Amani (MAS) bt [9/16] Zeina Mickawy (EGY) 12-10, 6-11, 7-11, 11-7,
11-6 (48m)
Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) bt [9/16] Sana Ibrahim (EGY) 11-3, 11-3, 13-11
(36m)
[2] Nele Gilis (BEL) bye |
Finals
Twin Upsets as Hesham and Gilis Win Malaysian Open
Titles
L-R Tarek Momen, Mazen Hesham, Nele Gilis & Olivia
Fiechter
Egypt’s Mazen Hesham fought back from 2-0 down to stun top seed and
compatriot Tarek Momen to win the Bronze-level Malaysian Open Squash
Championships, his first title in seven years.
In the women’s draw, Belgium’s Nele Gilis became the first female winner
from outside of Malaysia since Raneem El Welily in 2014 as she downed
the USA’s top seed Olivia Fiechter at the National Squash Centre in
Kuala Lumpur.
No.3 seed Hesham, whose last title was the 2015 Houston Open, made the
worst possible start to the match, with the skilled shot-maker
consistently foiled by the tenacity of 2019 World Champion Momen, who
opened up a 2-0 lead with convincing 11-2, 11-8 wins.
Hesham, who after the match admitted that comebacks were not his
greatest strength, then dug in tremendously, holding well to negate
Momen’s pace as he levelled with 11-6, 11-8 victories.
In the decisive fifth game, Hesham looked confident throughout. The
28-year-old held his nerve as he drew errors from his compatriot’s
racket to win his biggest title to date with an 11-5 victory.
“I’m so excited, I haven’t won for so long,” Hesham said afterwards.
“It’s just so much emotion hitting me at different times. I’ve been
trying to overcome my body and injuries and trying to win anything. I
haven’t won a tournament since I was 21, which is crazy.
“I was fired up for it but I was really flat in the beginning and he was
picking everything up. He was on point.
"I’m really proud of myself for fighting and sticking in there and I
think I was lucky with a few points at the end so I’m really happy with
all that and how my mental game was today.”
There was another comeback in the women's final as top seed Fiechter
started the better of the two and controlled the middle of the court
well to take the opening game 11-5.
No.3 seed Gilis responded in great style in the second game, stepping up
the court and putting pressure on Fiechter around the middle to level
with an 11-5 of her own, before edging ahead with a tight 13-11 victory
in the third game.
Fiechter pushed hard in the fourth game as she used short, sharp attacks
to disrupt the World No.14’s gameplan and looked set to force a fifth
when she opened an 8-4 lead.
The Belgian, though, was steely in her resolve, with the 26-year-old
forcing mistakes from the American as she took seven of the next eight
points to bring the contest to an end.
Afterwards, Gilis said: “I’ve just had a really long couple of months
and to play like this today, I wasn’t expecting it. Olivia is such a
good player, she’s just outside the top 10 but she’s definitely that
standard.
“I tried to not give her anything on the volley and slow it down a bit,
because she’s so deadly up there. When I was down, I just thought I had
nothing to lose so I relaxed a bit and started playing better again.”
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Semi Finals
Hesham and Momen, Fiechter and Gilis to Contest
Malaysian Open Finals
Egypt’s No.3 seed Mazen Hesham recorded a first tour victory over Welsh
No.2 seed Joel Makin to progress to the final of the Malaysian Open
Squash Championships, where he’ll meet compatriot and top seed Tarek
Momen, who eased past Swiss No.6 seed Nicolas Mueller.
In the women’s semi-finals, top seed Olivia Fiechter came back from one
game down to beat Welsh No.3 seed Tesni Evans, while Belgian No.2 seed
Nele Gilis ended home hopes by beating Malaysian No.8 seed Rachel
Arnold.
Hesham went into his semi-final with Makin having steamrolled his two
previous opponents, Faraz Khan and Patrick Rooney, and was in excellent
form again today as he recorded a first win in four meetings against the
World No.11.
The Egyptian was dominant throughout as he went 2-0 up after 11-7 and
11-9 wins, before Makin - who appeared to be carrying an injury - clawed
the third game back 13-11.
That proved the Welshman’s final act of resistance, though, with Hesham
quickly wrapping up the match with an 11-3 win in the fourth game.
“I haven’t been beating some of the top guys for a long time now and
with injuries it has been very stop-start for me so I couldn’t get
momentum, so I was really happy I could play last week fine and this
week as well,” Hesham said afterwards.
Momen, too, was in top form as he guaranteed the event would have its
first Egyptian winner since 2014 by ruthlessly dispatching Mueller, who
had upset No.4 seed Marwan ElShorbagy in the last round, 3-0 in just 27
minutes.
“I’m very happy with the way I played today, there was so many
challenges. Playing after 10:30pm, it’s been a long day, coming up
against a tough opponent in Nicky,” Momen said.
Fiechter, Momen’s top seed counterpart in the women’s draw, had a less
comfortable time in her semi-final as she battled back to beat Evans.
The Welshwoman has been in great form of late and carried that into the
opening game, which she took 11-7 on the back of impressive accuracy
into space.
Fiechter responded calmly, though, with the 27-year-old constructing her
rallies well as she moved 2-1 ahead with 11-7 and 11-3 victories, before
ending the clash with an 11-7 win in a scrappy fourth game.
“I’m really proud to get through that. Tesni has been playing some
incredible squash in the last few months; she’s in great form and I knew
I would have to play some of my best squash to get past her,” Fiechter
said.
Fiechter’s opponent in tomorrow’s final, Belgian World No.14 Gilis, also
had to come through a tough encounter as she ended home hopes with a 3-2
win over World No.26 Arnold to reach her third final this season.
Arnold, spurred on by the home crowd, started the first game in great
style, firing the ball in short as she edged the opener 12-10.
Gilis hit back in the perfect style as she recorded a brutal 11-0 win in
game two and then moved ahead with an 11-9 win in game three.
Arnold dug in well to force a fifth game with 11-7 victory in the
fourth, but fell away to the superb energy of Gilis in the decider, with
the Belgian reaching the final with an 11-6 win.
Afterwards, Gilis said: “Rachel was on fire today.
“I knew she would be with the home crowd and I guess it fired her up and
it made me a bit anxious. She made my life very difficult and I just
went into survival mode and I’m just happy to scrape that one.”
The finals of the Malaysian Open Squash Championships will be played
tomorrow, 26th November, from 17:00 (GMT+8). All the action from the
National Squash Centre in Kuala Lumpur will be shown live on
SQUASHTV.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok.
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Quarter FInals
Switzerland's Mueller and Malaysia's Arnold Gatecrash
Semi-Finals
Switzerland's Nicolas Mueller and Malaysia's Rachel Arnold pulled off
impressive upsets as the semi-finalists of the Malaysian Open Squash
Championships were decided at the National Squash Centre in Kuala
Lumpur.
Swiss No.1 Mueller showcased a brilliant attacking range - including an
inspired reaction shot that drew gasps from the crowd - as he knocked
out No.4 seed Marwan ElShorbagy of Egypt.
Mueller dominated the first game and caught the Egyptian cold as he
fired the ball in short with superb accuracy and pace, not giving the
World No.6 any chance to get into the opening game.
After taking the first game 11-3, Mueller edged the second 11-9 to build
a commanding lead.
'The Jackal' hit back with a gritty 12-10 in the third game but could do
nothing to stop the in-form Swiss from closing out the match with an
11-7 win in the fourth.
“I’m very happy I won that match. I’ve been here at least 15 times; I
think the first time I was here was 15 years ago. I always feel very
welcome. I like the court, the atmosphere and the food, most
importantly! The people are very nice, so I’m very glad to win that
match," Mueller said afterwards.
'The Swiss Rocket' will face top seed Tarek Momen tomorrow after the
Egyptian ended the giant-killing run of popular Malaysian World No.83
Addeen Idrakie with a comprehensive 29-minute 3-0 victory.
Also through to the last four are No.3 seed Mazen Hesham and No.2 seed
Joel Makin, who will face each other tomorrow after recording 3-0 wins
over England's Patrick Rooney and Colombia's Miguel Rodriguez,
respectively.
In the women's draw, Malaysia’s No.8 seed Arnold came from behind to
beat Egypt's No.4 seed Nadine Shahin.
In an uneven match, Arnold – playing in her ninth Malaysian Open – fell
behind after dropping the first game 11-6, only to come storming back in
the second with a brutal 11-1 win.
Both players went on scoring runs in the third game, with Arnold better
able to manage the flow of the match with a hard-fought 11-9 win.
In the fourth game, which was briefly interrupted by a shoulder injury
to Shahin, Arnold was able to complete the upset, with the 26-year-old
recording another 11-9 win to proceed to the semi-finals for the first
time since 2019.
Afterwards, Arnold said: “It feels great. It’s always been a close
battle between me and Nadine and I’m really happy to get the win today.
“I think I came on a bit more aggressive after the first game. I started
a bit slow and had to change it up."
Arnold will play Belgian No.2 seed Nele Gilis in the next round after
the World No.14 downed defending champion and No.5 seed Aifa Azman of
Malaysia in straight games.
Completing the draw is Wales' No.3 seed Tesni Evans, who came through a
tough battle with French No.6 seed Melissa Alves 3-2, and top seed
Olivia Fiechter of the USA, who beat Egypt's Yathreb Adel in straight
games.
The semi-finals of the Malaysian Open Squash Championship will be played
tomorrow, 25th November, from 19:00 (GMT+8). All the action from the
National Squash Centre in Kuala Lumpur will be shown live on
SQUASHTV.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok.
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Round 2
Incredible Idrakie Continues Run to Reach Malaysian
Open Quarter-Finals
Malaysia’s World No.83 Addeen Idrakie's brilliant run at the Malaysian
Open Squash Championships has continued into the quarter-finals after
the 28-year-old came from behind to shock German No.7 seed and World
No.19 Raphael Kandra.
Idrakie, who yesterday surprised former World No.3 Omar Mosaad, looked
on his way out when a dominant Kandra took the opening game 11-4, only
to hit back with an 11-7 win in the second game.
In the third and fourth games, Idrakie showed more of the tenacity that
saw him shock Mosaad.
10-6 down in game three, he dug in and saved all four game balls before
incredibly moving a game ahead with a 13-11 win.
The Malaysian almost repeated the trick in the fourth game as he saved
five game balls in a tight 11-9 defeat that saw the match go to five.
On a hot court, and buoyed both by the vocal home crowd and by his late
scoring run in game four, Idrakie played some of his best squash in the
decisive game. The Kuala Lumpur native tirelessly harried Kandra and
sparked the loudest cheers of tournament so far as he pulled away from
7-7 to an 11-8 winner.
Idrakie will face top seed Tarek Momen tomorrow evening after the
Egyptian came from behind to beat compatriot Yahya Elnawasany 3-1.
Afterwards, Idrakie said: "I think this was my best squash. I knew that
I had no pressure today and that the crowd were really supporting me and
I pushed myself one point by one.
"I'm not sure [why I'm playing so well at the moment] but the crowd
really helps me a lot.
"In yesterday's match I caused an upset and my coach told me that they
believed in me and I can pull off another upset."
Kandra was not the only seed to fall on a a dramatic day at the National
Squash Centre in Kuala Lumpur, with South African No.7 seed Alexandra
Fuller falling to Yathreb Adel of Egypt.
World No.39 Adel got off to a strong start in the match, stopping the
movement of the World No.24 and disrupting her rhythm.
After losing the first game 11-7, Fuller started to find her length in
the following game and was able to step up the court, which was rewarded
with an 11-6 win to level the contest.
The following two games were scattered with decisions and short, sharp
rallies. Adel was able to secure both games 11-9 by digging deep to
continuously chase balls down and put pressure on the South African.
Afterwards, the Egyptian said: “I’m very happy to be through. I knew
Alex would be a tough opponent, she’s very talented, too, so I had to
focus from start to finish."
Elsewhere, women's defending champion and No.5 seed Aifa Azman of
Malaysia - who shocked the squash world last year by winning the
tournament as a wildcard - will play No.2 seed Nele Gilis of Belgium
after Azman defeated compatriot Ainaa Amani 3-0 and Gilis beat Fayrouz
Aboelkheir of Egypt by the same scoreline.
The quarter-finals of the Malaysian Open Squash Championship will be
played tomorrow, 24th November, from 14:00 (GMT+8). All the action from
the National Squash Centre in Kuala Lumpur will be shown live on
SQUASHTV.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok.
|
Round 1
Amani and Idrakie Lead Charge for Hosts as Malaysian
Open Begins
Malaysian duo Ainaa Amani and Addeen Idrakie produced two of the shocks
of the day as they beat much higher ranked opponents on the opening day
of the Malaysian Open Squash Championships 2022.
World No.106 Amani, a late addition to the tournament following an
injury to Lisa Aitken, ensured that the hosts got off to the perfect
start in the day's opening match on the traditional courts as she came
from behind to beat Egypt's World No.38 Zeina Mickawy 3-2.
The 20-year-old made a brilliant start to the match as she better held
her nerve at 10-10 to take the opening game 12-10.
Mickawy, who has been as high as 20 in the PSA World Rankings, then hit
back with a dominant 11-6 win to restore parity, before taking the lead
with a hard-fought 11-7 victory.
Amani then responded brilliantly; the 20-year-old levelled the match
with an 11-7 win in the fourth game before sealing a memorable victory
with an 11-6 win in the fifth.
The Malaysian will face compatriot and defending champion Aifa Azman in
the next round.
Afterwards, she said: “That was a really unexpected win. I just wanted
to come out and do my best and the result was really, really good!
“It’s a really an honour to represent my country, especially after I
only got into the draw last minute on Saturday. I just wanted to play
and enjoy the match.”
World No.83 Idrakie then built on Amani's success on the all-glass court
as he downed former World No.3 Omar Mosaad to reach the second round of
the Malaysian Open for the first time.
Idrakie showed no fear as he took on the ‘Hammer of Thor’ in the opening
game and took the pace to the experienced Egyptian from the start,
moving Mosaad around well and then picking him off at the front of the
court.
The Malaysian took the opening game 14-12 before backing that up with a
comfortable 11-5 win in the second to lead by two games.
Mosaad hit back as he saved match balls in the third game before giving
himself a lifeline with a 13-11 win, only for Idrakie to return to his
quality hitting however and set up a second round match against German
No.7 seed Raphael Kandra with an 11-7 win in the fourth game.
“I played really well and stuck to my game plan, I know I’m fitter and
stronger, I trained hard for this and I think I did really well,” said
Idrakie.
"I think I give my best performances in Malaysia; this is my first time
through to the second round in the Malaysian Open and I’m just hoping I
can play even better in the next round.”
Joining Amani and Idrakie in the second round are two more of their
compatriots, with Malaysian men's No.1 Eain Yow Ng beating Argentina's
Leandro Romiglio and Chan Yiwen beating compatriot and former World No.5
Low Wee Wern - who is returning from a lengthy spell out following knee
surgery - in straight games.
Tomorrow's Malaysian Open second round sees the seeded players enter the
draw. In the men's draw, top seed and 2019 World Champion Tarek Momen of
Egypt takes on compatriot Yahya Elnawasany, who beat Malaysia's Mohammad
Syafiq Kamal 3-0 today.
In the women's draw, top seed Olivia Fiechter of the USA goes up against
England's Julianne Courtice, who breezed past Malaysia's Ooi Kah Yan in
20 minutes.
The Malaysian Open Squash Championships continue on Wednesday, November
23, with the second round. All the action from the National Squash
Centre in Kuala Lumpur will be shown live on
SQUASHTV.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok.
|
Preview
Kennedy and Marche Ruled Out of Malaysian Open
Georgina Kennedy
France’s Gregoire Marche and England’s Georgina Kennedy are two of a
number of players who have been forced to withdraw from the upcoming
Malaysian Open Squash Championships.
Men’s World No.16 Marche suffered an injury following his MARIGOLD
Singapore Squash Open defeat to French compatriot Victor Crouin, while
World No.9 Kennedy, who has suffered with both illness and injuries this
season, has been unable to recover from an issue sustained in a
Singapore Open defeat to the USA’s Sabrina Sobhy.
Also ruled out from the upcoming Malaysian Open are Lisa Aitken, Joshna
Chinappa, Tinne Gilis, Todd Harrity, Mahesh Mangaonkar and Farida
Mohamed, who have been ruled out either through injury or due to
personal reasons.
The withdrawals have seen a number of changes in the draw, details of
which can be found below.
The Malaysian Open Squash Championships, a Bronze-level event on the PSA
World Tour, take place 22-26 November.
All of the action will be streamed live on
SQUASHTV.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok.
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