Reports:
Joseph Kneipp (Aus) bt [14] David Evans (Wal) 16/17, 15/13, 15/7, 15/8 (62m)
[6] John White (Sco) bt [Q] Graham Ryding (Can) 15/12, 15/12, 15/13 (43m)
[10] Lee Beachill (Eng) bt [Q] Mohammed Abbas (Egy) 13/15, 17/15, 15/5, 15/6 (47m)
[4] Stewart Boswell (Aus) bt [Q] Nick Taylor (Eng) 13/15, 15/10, 15/7, 15/8 (55m)
Karim Darwish (Egy) bt [9] Martin Heath (Sco) 15/9, 15/5, 16/17, 15/11 (55m)
[8] Ong Beng Hee (Mas) bt Del Harris (Eng) 15/4, 7/15, 15/6, 15/12 (44m)
Mansoor Zaman (Pak) bt [12] Chris Walker (Eng) 16/17, 17/15, 15/9, 15/10 (52m)
Nicol, who had lost in the first round last year, started nervously, and at 14-all in the first it seemed that another 'wobble' may be on the cards. The world number one held his nerve to take the first 17-14 though, and raced ahead in the next two games to move into the second round.
"From 14-all in the first I played better. It took some time, the court was dead and the ball was slow initially. I called for set-three to make sure that I wouldn't slip up," said Nicol to Alvin Aallay of the South China Morning Post.
"It was a big blow losing the gold medal in [the Commonwealth Games] and I hope to avenge that loss here. I'm gunning for Jonathon, or whoever who enters the final. But saying that, I have to play well as I have a very tough draw," Nicol told the SCMP. "I need to win the Hong Kong Open. It is very important for my ranking. If I lose and if Power wins, my top spot will be in danger. I have got to start winning and there is no better time than now," added Nicol.
Nicol was champion here in 1999 and 2000, and wants to win a third time. "This is my 10th consecutive year in Hong Kong and I know my way around pretty well. I feel comfortable here and it's nice to be back," said Nicol.
The top half will be missing three seeded players though, with Martin Heath, David Evans and Chris Walker all suffering shock losses.
Karim Darwish, the world junior champion fresh from taking the World University title last week, provided the first upset, overcoming Scotland's Martin Heath. Darwish raced into a 2-0 lead, and although Heath stemmed the tide to take the third the young Egyptian was not to be denied.
Darwish wants to add the senior title to his junior one. "Hopefully, my dream will come true in less than three years' time. Egypt has never produced a world champion and I hope to be the first. Barada gave up because he was bored. But I want to be a world champion," Darwish told the SCMP.
Darwish lost to Heath in the last 16 of last year's Hong Kong event, but he never doubted that he would reverse that loss today. "Even though I lost the third game it did not worry me as I tried to focus on the fourth from the very beginning. Last year I made it through to the second round. I hope this time I can go further," said Darwish.
Then Australia's Joseph Kneipp weighed in with an ultimately comfortable win over 2000 British Open champion David Evans. Evans took the first on the 'tie-break', but thereafter the result was never in doubt. The third shock was provided by Pakistan's Mansoor Zaman, who also lost the first game, 16-17 to veteran Chris Walker, before recovering to claim a second round spot.
Zaman will renew his Asian rivalry with Malaysia's Ong Beng Hee in the next round, Asian champion Ong comfortably seeing off another English veteran, Del Harris. Darwish now meets Stewart Boswell, and Kneipp faces a tough task against Nicol in the next round.
But the most intriguing second round match in the top half has to be John White v Lee Beachill. White will be keen to impress after missing out on the Commonwealth Games, and scored the quickest win of today's matches, beating Canada's qualifier Graham Ryding in 43 minutes. British Champion Beachill recovered from a poor start to beat Egyptian qualifier Mohammed Abbas in 47 minutes, and will be keen to set up a quarter-final clash with Nicol, his partner in the Commonwealth Games doubles.
Tomorrow sees the conclusion of the first round, with second and third seeds Jonathon Power and David Palmer in action.
Both of their matches will be live on CathaySquash.com - stay tuned ...
Peter Nicol
Karim Darwish
Lee Beachill
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