Cameron Pilley
9-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-6 (79m) Simon Rösner
[Q] Ben Coleman (ENG)
11-7, 11-4, 11-6 (42m)
[1] Simon Rösner (GER)
Qualifying
Results –
Final Qualifying Round: UCS Swedish Open 2016
[1] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) bt Eddie Charlton (ENG) 3-0: 11-6,
11-3, 11-6 (41m)
[6] Ben Coleman (ENG) bt [4] Joe Lee (ENG) 3-2: 7-11, 5-11, 11-8,
11-5, 11-7 (79m)
[3] Lucas Serme (FRA) bt [7] Kristian Frost Olesen (DEN) 3-0: 11-8,
11-7, 11-5 (47m)
[2] Olli Tuominen (FIN) bt [8] Henrik Mustonen (FIN) 3-0: 11-8,
11-4, 11-2 (25m)
Results –
First Qualifying Round:
[1] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) bt Joel Makin (WAL) 3-0: 11-7, 11-3,
11-6 (44m)
Eddie Charlton (ENG) [5] bt Charles Sharpes (ENG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-9,
11-6 (43m)
[7] Kristian Frost Olesen (DEN) bt Tom Ford (ENG) 3-1: 8-11, 12-10,
11-6, 11-7 (65m)
[3] Lucas Serme (FRA) bt [L] Viktor Hogberg (SWE) 3-0: 11-3, 11-4,
11-7 (23m)
[4] Joe Lee (ENG) bt [L] Bjorn Angtoft (SWE) 3-0: 11-2, 11-1, 11-0
(21m)
[6] Ben Coleman (ENG) bt Peter Creed (WAL) 3-2: 5-11, 11-6, 11-13,
12-10, 11-7 (88m)
[8] Henrik Mustonen (FIN) bt [L] Miko Äijänen (FIN) 3-0: 11-2, 11-3,
11-5 (19m)
[2] Olli Tuominen (FIN) bt [L] Carl Remle (SWE) 3-0: 11-6, 11-1,
11-1 (22m)
Gawad Lifts Swedish Open Crown After Beating Momen
in All-Egyptian Final
click on images for larger view World
No.9 Karim Abdel Gawad overcame fellow Egyptian and close friend
Tarek Momen in a dramatic final in the 2016 UCS Swedish Open in
Linköping - earning his first ever PSA M70 crown in the process.
The match was finely poised throughout the 80-minute encounter with
Momen coming back from a one-game deficit on two separate occasions
to set up a climactic fifth game showdown.
Gawad dug into his energy reserves impressively though to come
through in five games for the second time in this event, with a
12-10, 8-11, 11-9, 3-11, 11-4 victory handing the crown to the man
from Alexandria.
"It’s
a great feeling, I’ve been working so hard for this," said Gawad.
"It’s my first big title, my biggest title before this was an M35
tournament so, for me, it’s a great step forward and hopefully this
is just the beginning. In the fifth game when it was at 4-4 I said
to myself that I just needed seven more points. I had to push and
put in everything I could.
"Obviously,
Tarek was doing the same but I had to focus and remember all the
work I have been doing over the last couple of months. I’m very
thankful I won the last few points. It’s given me a lot of
confidence for the rest of the season."
Momen
And Gawad To Contest All-Egyptian Swedish Open Final
click on images for larger view Egyptian
duo Tarek Momen and Karim Abdel Gawad will face off in the final of
the 2016 UCS Swedish Open in Linköping after claiming victories over
German No.1 Simon Rösner and England’s Daryl Selby, respectively.
Momen’s clash with Rösner saw the lead change hands multiple times
throughout a frenetic 91-minute encounter with both players battling
back from deficits on numerous occasions. With the match poised at
2-2, Momen managed to come out on top in an energy-sapping fifth
game to record a 5-11, 14-12, 11-6, 7-11, 11-9 victory to reach his
first ever PSA M70 final.
“It’s a great feeling to get through to the final,” said Momen
“I fought for every point and it was close all the way,
point-by-point, until the very end. When it’s 2-2 and 9-9 it can be
decided by the flip of a coin. It went my way this time and I’m very
happy about that."
"The journey’s not over yet, I want to do well tomorrow and win my
first M70 title."
Gawad
has also reached his maiden PSA M70 final after coming through in
straight games against Selby.
Both players went head-to-head in an extremely tight opening game
with only two points in it as Gawad crept to the win. Some superb
shots from Gawad enabled the man from Alexandria to build up a
strong lead in the second and he doubled his advantage after Selby
appeared to be struggling with his movement.
An inordinate amount of unforced errors from Gawad let Selby back
into the fixture in the third and final game but the 24-year-old did
just enough to close the match out with an 11-9, 11-4, 11-8 margin
of victory.
"Tomorrow will be a tough match," said Gawad.
"During
the second game I felt that he wasn’t going for many balls. I
thought that the third would be the same but he started to move
better so I found myself 6-4 down. I had to refocus and try to play
as if he wasn’t suffering from anything.
"Tarek is one of my best friends on the tour, we’ve been playing at
the same club for seven years so tomorrow will be a good match. I
don’t think it will make much difference that Tarek played a long
match today. Yesterday it was the other way round so I think we will
be physically equal tomorrow."
click on images for larger view World
No.9 Karim Abdel Gawad came though a brutal five-game-thriller
against eighth seed Chris Simpson to reach the semi-final stage of
the 2016 UCS Swedish Open in Linköping.
Both players partook in a veritable feast of attacking squash and
put on a show in front of an enraptured crowd but it was Gawad who
eventually shaded the contest, prevailing courtesy of a 7-11, 11-6,
11-6, 9-11, 11-7 scoreline.
“This is the second PSA M70 semi-final I have reached in my career
so I’m really happy to get through. Simpson is a very tough player
so I’m glad I could take it in the fifth today. It was tough because
in the fourth he was 9-4 up and I managed to get it back to 9-9 but
he still won it.
“It made it tough mentally in the fifth because of how tough the
fourth game was. I had to refocus, concentrate and get the first
points in the fifth. I’m the number two seed in this tournament so I
have to focus and not put too much pressure on myself.”
Title
favourite Simon Rösner is still on track to pick up a first PSA
World Tour title in over a year after downing Australian No.1
Cameron Pilley in a highly entertaining 79-minute clash.
High quality rallies were par for the course with only a number of
lets towards the end of the third game punctuating what was
otherwise a nail-biting contest full to the brim with attacking
brilliance from the duo.
Rösner dropped the first game but soon wrestled back momentum of the
match, prevailing by a 9-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-6 margin of victory to
reach his second ever Swedish Open semi-final.
“I’m really proud of my performance today,” said Rösner.
“I thought we played some good squash out there today and I hope
that we ended up exciting the crowd as well. I think that I played
better than last time I played him [in the Cathay Pacific Sun Hung
Kai Financial Hong Kong Open). I’m really proud to be in another
semi-final in the Swedish Open.”
Elsewhere,
Daryl Selby has reached his first PSA M70 semi-final since 2013
after coming through his fixture with Max Lee in straight games.
Lee was fatigued after coming through a gruelling five-game contest
in the previous round against Alan Clyne and Selby took full
advantage of his opponent’s weary legs to take an 11-9, 11-5, 16-14
victory and set up a semi-final meeting with second seed Gawad.
“I felt like I played well,” said Selby.
“He picked up so many balls in the third that I really didn’t think
he was going to get back. It shows the professionalism, grit and
determination that you face every time you step on court so all
credit to Max. I thought my length was good so we’ll see what
happens in the next round.”
Tarek
Momen defeated French qualifier Lucas Serme in the day’s other
fixture and the World No.11 will go head-to-head with Rösner in the
next round.
Serme Scalps
Dessouki In Sweden
click on images for larger view French
World No.42 Lucas Serme (right) bridged a huge gap in the world
rankings to dispatch talented Egyptian Fares Dessouki in the first
round of the 2016 UCS Swedish Open in Linköping.
It was Dessouki who had the better of the early exchanges with his
dynamism and attacking artistry in full flow in front of enraptured
crowd but a superb fightback from Serme saw the young Frenchman take
three games without reply to complete an 8-11, 13-11, 11-7, 11-2
triumph.
“I’m ecstatic, I’m over the moon,” enthused Serme, who will meet
Tarek Momen in the next round.
“I was just really happy to qualify, that was my goal in this
tournament. I wasn’t expecting this much. I knew I could beat him
but he’s really dangerous.
“He has beaten so many good players but I went out there quite free
and quite relaxed. I knew he had the pressure on him and maybe
that’s what made the difference in the end."
Hong Kong’s Max Lee is also through after prevailing in a brutal
encounter with Scotland’s Alan Clyne.
The World No.15 looked to be easing through to the last eight of the
PSA M70 event after claiming a commanding two-game lead but Clyne
wrestled back momentum of the match to level things up.
Lee held his nerve though and recovered to complete an 11-6, 11-7,
4-11, 10-12, 11-8 triumph to move through to his first ever Swedish
Open quarter-final where he will face England’s Daryl Selby.
“That
wasn’t fun at all,” said Lee (left).
“I was 2-0 up but it took me some time to break him down a little
bit. Hopefully my next match is a bit quicker than this one. If I
can play 30-40 minutes then I would be very happy.
“I will go back, stretch out and recover. I’m struggling with
jet-lag so hopefully I can get some sleep now.”
Meanwhile, Egyptian World No.9 Karim Abdel Gawad ended Swedish hopes
of having a local hero take the crown by dispatching wildcard Rasmus
Hult in straight games.
Gawad put on a flamboyant performance that was full of flair as he
hit a number of sumptuous winners in a sterling 27-minute display
that yielded a victory by an 11-5, 11-8, 11-8 scoreline.
“I’m really happy to win today in three,” said Gawad.
“It was my first time playing against him and I enjoyed it so much.
He is a great player and it was a great match with a great
atmosphere in the venue."
Gawad will go head-to-head with Chris Simpson for a place in the
semi-final.
England’s
Ben Coleman came through a second successive five-game-thriller in
the qualifying stages of the 2016 UCS Swedish Open, PSA M70
tournament, coming back from 2-0 down to defeat compatriot Joe Lee.
Coleman, who overturned a 2-1 deficit in the first qualifying round
against Peter Creed, found himself on the back foot early on and
looked to be heading out of the event before a virtuoso display in
the final three games saw him storm back to take a 7-11, 5-11, 11-8,
11-5, 11-7 victory.
Former World No.9 Laurens Jan Anjema continued his flawless
qualifying campaign with a straight games triumph over Eddie
Charlton. The experienced Dutchman was in command through the
fixture and kept his opponent at arm’s length to take the win in
three. Anjema will do battle with Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai
Financial Hong Kong Open runner-up Cameron Pilley next for a place
in the quarter-final.
Elsewhere, second qualifying seed Olli Tuominen came out on top of
his all-Finnish encounter with Henrik Mustonen and surged to an
impressive 3-0 victory to set up a first round meeting with Daryl
Selby.
Lucas Serme prevailed over Kristian Frost Olesen in their final
qualifying round tie with the promising Frenchman taking the victory
without dropping a game. Serme will hope to keep up his perfect
displays in Sweden so far when he lines up against Fares Dessouki in
the opening round of the main draw.
Anjema Arrows Through In Swedish Open Qualifying
#PSAWorldTour
click on images for larger view Experienced
Dutchman Laurens Jan Anjema took a step closer to the main draw of
the 2016 UCS Swedish Open, PSA M70 event after the World No.41 came
up with a straightforward victory over Welshman Joel Makin in the
opening round of qualifying.
Anjema, who has battled back from a career-threatening foot injury
sustained in 2014, was in commanding form throughout the 43-minute
encounter and attacked with a ferocity and flair that was
reminiscent of his best form when he was ranked at World No.9.
Sharpes was the only seed to fall by the wayside however, with all
of the other results going in the favour of the higher seeded
players. Sixth seed Ben Coleman faced real resistance from the
energetic Peter Creed though and had to come back from 2-1 down to
take the win in five. Coleman will face fellow Englishman Joe Lee in
the final round of qualifying thanks to Lee’s impressive dismantling
of Bjorn Angtoft for the loss of just three points throughout the
whole encounter.
Finland’s Olli Tuominen had an easier time of things against local
player Carl Remle as he swept to the victory in straight games. The
2002 runner-up will go head-to-head with compatriot Henrik Mustonen
in the next round after the experienced campaigner defeated Miko
Aijanen 3-0.
Lucas Serme and Kristian Frost Olesen will face off in the other
final qualifying round fixture, meanwhile, after they rose to
triumph over Viktor Hogberg and Tom Ford, respectively.
Willstrop
Withdraws from Swedish Open
click on images for larger view Former
World No.1 James Willstrop has been forced to withdraw from the
upcoming 2016 UCS Swedish Open, PSA M70 event that takes place
between Thursday February 4 - Sunday February 7 in Linköping due to
illness.
The Yorkshireman had been seeded sixth for the tournament and, after
an upturn in recent form that saw him memorably dispatch World No.1
Mohamed Elshorbagy in November’s PSA Men’s World Championship, would
have been confident of challenging for a second Swedish Open title
after he won his first in 2008.
Willstrop’s withdrawal sees Scotland’s Greg Lobban move into the
main draw, with England’s Chris Simpson moving up to one of the
seeded positions.
"James is a really well-respected player and we wish him a full
recovery," said tournament promoter Fredrik Johnson.
"However, we are still looking forward to one of the most
unpredictable Swedish Open events ever. With six of the world’s top
15 players in action, including German No.1 Simon Rösner, World
Championship semi-finalist Tarek Momen and Hong Kong Open finalist
Cameron Pilley, this year’s instalment of the Swedish Open looks to
be the most tightly-contested tournament yet.
"We have been buoyed by the fantastic response that the tournament
has received once again in Linköping and, after excellent ticket
sales, are excited to see a packed crowd gather for an unforgettable
tournament."
Main Draw: UCS Swedish Open 2016
[2] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v [WC] Rasmus Hult (SWE)
Greg Lobban (SCO) v [8] Chris Simpson (ENG)
[5] Daryl Selby (ENG) v [Qualifier]
Alan Clyne (SCO) v [4] Max Lee (HKG)
[3] Tarek Momen (EGY) v Adrian Waller (ENG)
[Qualifier] v [6] Fares Dessouki (EGY)
[7] Cameron Pilley (AUS) v [Qualifier]
[Qualifier] v [1] Simon Rösner (GER)
Having been held for the first time in the 1970s, the Swedish Open
has grown to become one of the most prestigious International-level
tournaments on the PSA World Tour calendar and is set to enter its
13th year under the stewardship of ActiPro Event.
The 2016 UCS Swedish Open gets under way with qualification on
February 2 – February 3 with the main draw action commencing at
Linköping Sporthall, Linköping from February 4 – February 7. Tickets
can be purchased by visiting
www.swedishopensquash.se
Gaultier Out Of Swedish Open
World
Champion Gregory Gaultier has been forced to withdraw from the
forthcoming UCS Swedish Open after failing to recover from an ankle
injury suffered during the semi-finals of January’s J.P. Morgan
Tournament of Champions, PSA World Series tournament.
Gaultier had been odds-on favourite to triumph at the PSA M70
tournament for the third time in his career when the action gets
underway at Linköping Sporthall, Sweden on February 2 but now faces
an anxious race to recover from injury as soon as possible.
His place in the main draw has been occupied by Adrian Waller while
Scotland’s Alan Clyne also moves into the main draw after the
withdrawal through injury of Mazen Hesham.
“Greg is a big favourite amongst the spectators and fans here in
Sweden so his presence at the tournament will be greatly missed but
we all wish him a speedy recovery from his latest injury,” said
“However, with seven players from inside the World’s top 15 still in
contention including World Championship semi-finalists James
Willstrop and Tarek Momen, we are certain that the 2016 UCS Swedish
Open will once again be a very successful tournament and look
forward to welcoming all the players in the next few weeks.
“Alongside the PSA tournament we will see over 250 competitors in
action in the all-comers tournament which we have organised at the
same time as the UCS Swedish Open tournament in what promises to be
an exciting week of action at all levels.”
Revised Main Draw - UCS Swedish Open [2] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v [WC] Rasmus Hult (SWE)
Chris Simpson (ENG) v [6] James Willstrop (ENG)
[5] Daryl Selby (ENG) v [Qualifier]
Alan Clyne (SCO) v [4] Max Lee (HKG)
[3] Tarek Momen (EGY) v Adrian Waller (ENG)
[Qualifier] v [7] Fares Dessouki (EGY)
[8] Cameron Pilley (AUS) v [Qualifier]
[Qualifier] v [1] Simon Rösner (GER)
World Champion Gaultier To Headline 2016 UCS
Swedish Open
2015 Squash World Champion Gregory Gaultier will be man to beat when
the most squash prestigious tournament in Scandinavia, the 2016 UCS
Swedish Open, gets underway at the Linköping Sporthall, Sweden on
February 2.
Two-time Swedish Open Champion Gaultier, who last month finally
clinched World Championship glory after falling in four previous
finals, will be the favourite to triumph and claim the title for a
third time when the PSA M70 tournament gets underway but will have
to be at his best to hold of the challenge fellow top ten players
such as Simon Rösner, Karim Abdel Gawad and Tarek Momen.
The start-studded field will also feature top 20 players such as
former World No.1 James Willstrop, Daryl Selby, Mazen Hesham , Max
Lee and 2015 Hong Kong Open runner-up Cameron Pilley amongst others
while local hopes will rest on the shoulders of Wildcard Rasmus Hult.
“We're delighted to have such a strong collection of players
competing in the UCS Swedish Open and look forward to what promises
to be a very exciting week of squash in one of the best sporting
locations in all of Sweden,” said Fredrik Johnson, CEO of ActiPro
Event.
"The UCS Swedish Open is always a fantastic event and I am sure that
in 2016 we will once again see some world class action on the
magnificent glass court during what promises to be a very exciting
week of squash and I cannot wait to watch it all unfold.”
Having been held for the first time in the 1970s, the Swedish Open
has grown to become one of the biggest International-level
tournaments on the PSA World Tour calendar and will enter its 13th
year under the stewardship of ActiPro Event.
Qualification on February 2 – February 3 with main draw
action taking place at Linköping Sporthall, Linköping from
February 4 - February 7 and tickets can be purchased by
visiting
www.swedishopensquash.se
