20/11/2011
HONG KONG OPEN (MEN) 2011
James Willstrop Wins Hong Kong Open Crown
Men's Draw
Hong Kong Open 2011
Piazza, Hong Kong
Cultural Centre, Kowloon $145k
|
Round One
15/16 Nov |
Round Two
17 Nov |
Quarters
18 Nov |
Semis
19 Nov |
Final
20 Nov |
[1] Nick Matthew (Eng)
11/6, 11/4, 11/7 (41m)
[Q] Martin Knight (Nzl) |
Nick
Matthew
12-10, 11-7, 11-8
(65m)
Daryl Selby |
Nick
Matthew
7-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-5 (90m)
Gregory Gaultier |
Gregory Gaultier
11/9, 11/9, 11/1 (67m)
James Willstrop |
James Willstrop
11/5, 11/9, 11/4 (53m)
Karim Darwish |
Saurav Ghosal (Ind)
9/11, 8/11, 11/7, 11/4, 11/3 (66m)
Daryl Selby (Eng) |
Aamir Atlas Khan (Pak)
11/8, 11/4, 11/8 (35m)
Omar Mosaad (Egy) |
Omar
Mosaad
11-6, 4-11, 11-4,
11-6 (68m)
Gregory Gaultier |
Julian Illingworth (Usa)
11/6, 11/6, 9/11, 11/3 (65m)
[5] Gregory Gaultier (Fra) |
[6] Peter Barker (Eng)
7/11, 12/10, 9/11, 11/5, 11/9 (87m)
Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) |
Peter
Barker
11-8, 11-7, 11-4
(47m)
Cameron Pilley |
Peter
Barker
11-3, 11-8, 3-0 ret. (27m)
James Willstrop |
Cameron Pilley (Aus)
11/2, 11/8, 3/11, 11/6 (44m)
Max Lee (Hkg) |
Olli Tuominen (Fin)
11/7, 11/9, 11/5 (45m)
[Q] Borja Golan (Esp) |
Olli
Tuominen
11-3, 11-8, 11-6
(30m)
James Willstrop |
Jonathan Kemp (Eng)
13/11, 11/6, 11/5 (24m)
[3] James Willstrop (Eng) |
[4]
Amr Shabana (Egy)
11-9, 11-9, 3-11,
11-1 (40m)
[Q] Nafiizwan Adnan (Mas)r |
Amr Shabana
11-5, 11-7, 12-10
(31m)
Hisham Ashour |
Amr Shabana
11-9, 11-5, 11-6 (40m)
Azlan Iskandar |
Azlan Iskandar
11/3, 11/8, 11/2 (37m)
Karim Darwish |
Hisham Ashour
(Egy)
11-6, 11-7, 7-11,
11-9 (47m)
Ong Beng Hee (Mas) |
Azlan Iskandar
(Mas)
11-4, 11-7, 11-1
(33m)
[Q] Gregoire Marche (Fra)r |
Azlan Iskandar
6-11, 11-6, 14-12,
11-7 (56m)
Mohamed El Shorbagy |
[Q] Alan Clyne (Sco)
11-8, 11-8, 11-6
(34m)
[7] Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy) |
[8] Thierry Lincou (Fra)
11-3, 11-9, 11-5
(45m)
Stewart Boswell (Aus) |
Stewart Boswell
11-4, 11-9, 11-0
(42m)
Tom Richards |
Stewart Boswell
11-5, 11-4, 11-6 (39m)
Karim Darwish |
Tom Richards (Eng)
8-11, 11-5, 11-8,
2-11, 12-10 (77m)
[Q] Mathieu Castagnet (Fra) |
Nicolas Mueller (Sui)
15-17, 11-4,
11-8, 11-7 (48m)
[Q] Tarek Momen (Egy) |
Tarek Momen
11-3, 11-2, 5-11,
11-7 (41m)
Karim Darwish |
[Q] Ivan Yuen (Mas)
11-5, 11-5, 11-4
(27m)
[2] Karim Darwish (Egy) |
James
Willstrop Wins Hong Kong Open Crown
James Willstrop
ended the five-year Egyptian stranglehold on the Cathay Pacific Sun
Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open title when he beat Karim
Darwish in straight games in today's final of the seventh PSA
World Series squash event of the year to become the first English
winner of the prestigious trophy since Peter Nicol in 2002.
The
28-year-old third seed from Leeds was in awesome form this week -
reaching the final without dropping a game, then despatching second seed
Darwish 11-5, 11-9, 11-4 in 53 minutes on an all-glass court at the
Hong Kong Cultural Centre to clinch his first PSA Tour title since
January 2010 and end a run of five successive runner-up finishes over
the period.
"Every
player who wins a World Series event knows how difficult it is," said
the jubilant champion minutes after his success in his maiden appearance
in the event's final at his sixth attempt.
"It
takes a lot of time to put it together in a week like this. If I was
going to win one World Series event, the World Open would be nice - but
this comes a close second.
"This
is as special as it gets," added the Yorkshireman.
Willstrop acknowledged that he and Darwish had played each other
"thousands of times" since their earliest meeting as juniors in 1991.
Their PSA Tour head-to-head record on the eve of the final showed the
Englishman 11-5 ahead - with a string of seven successive wins over the
past five years.
But it
was Darwish who triumphed in their most recent clash - in August's World
Team Championship final decider in Germany, where Egypt pipped England
to the title.
"We
know each other's games so well now - but people change their games over
the years and you can't expect the same player every time," explained
Willstrop.
The
triumph marks the 13th - but biggest - Tour title of Willstrop's career,
and his fifth World Series crown.
Willstrop's success also takes him up to third place in the latest
2011 Dunlop PSA World Series Standings. Compatriot Nick Matthew,
a quarter-final casualty in Hong Kong, heads the list, with Egypt's
Ramy Ashour, unable to compete in the event due to injury, in second
place. Malaysian Mohd Azlan Iskandar, who reached the semi-finals
unseeded, moves into the top eight for the first time.
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Willstrop & Darwish Celebrate First Hong Kong Final
With
both players making the final for the first time, England's James
Willstrop and Egypt's Karim Darwish will contest Sunday's
climax of the Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open
after surviving today's semi-finals of the seventh PSA World Series
squash event of the year on an all-glass court at the Hong Kong
Cultural Centre in straight games.
Willstrop, the world No3 from Leeds, became the first Englishman to
reach the final of the long-established Tour event for seven years
following an emphatic 11-9, 11-9, 11-1 victory over fifth seed
Gregory Gaultier - a defeat which denied the Frenchman his fifth
successive final appearance.
The
win ended Gaultier's four-match unbeaten run over the Yorkshireman
stretching back more than a year.
Both
players reached the semi in contrasting styles - Gaultier in a 90-minute
marathon upset over England's world number one and world champion
Nick Matthew, and Willstrop in a 27-minute clash with Peter
Barker in which his fellow countryman retired injured early in the
third game.
"Today, the conditions suited me better," Willstrop said afterwards. "He
also had a very hard match yesterday that took a lot out of him.
"I've
got to the semis a few times - but today, getting to the final, and
trying to put my name alongside the prestigious names on that trophy,
it's pretty special," added the 28-year-old, now in his 26th PSA World
Tour final.
Darwish, the world No6 from Cairo, took just 37 minutes to end Mohd
Azlan Iskandar's run, beating the unseeded Malaysian 11-3, 11-8,
11-2 to celebrate his first semi-final win at his third attempt in a
row.
"Like
I said yesterday, at this stage of the competition, I really wanted to
spend as little time on there as possible, so a 3/0 is perfect for me,"
said the delighted second seed.
"But
it was not easy, Azlan is a tough competitor even if he wasn't at his
best today," added the 30-year-old former world number one who will be
marking his 36th Tour final appearance.
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Gaultier Avenges Matthew Defeat In Hong Kong
Less
than two weeks after losing to Nick Matthew in the World Open
final in Rotterdam, Frenchman Gregory Gaultier earned his revenge
in Hong Kong today by upsetting the world number one from England in a
90-minute marathon in the quarter-finals of the Cathay Pacific Sun
Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open, the seventh PSA World Series
squash event of the year.
While
Gaultier was 9-7 ahead in their Tour career head-to-head tally, Matthew
had won their three most recent encounters - and looked in commanding
form today as he took the opening game.
The
fifth seed came back to take the second but again Matthew seemed to have
the upper-hand as he built up a 9-4 lead in the third.
But
the dynamic of the match changed at that point as the Frenchman mounted
a massive comeback to take the game after a tie-break - before romping
ahead in the fourth and ultimately closing out the match 7-11, 11-9,
13-11, 11-5.
"I think we were both tired today, everybody knows that we were playing
in the final of the Worlds last week, and that I lost," Gaultier
said
afterwards. "So today, I was dying for revenge.
"In
the third, it was a toss of a coin! I was 9-4 down, and I thought, well,
win or lose, I'm just going to make him work for it. And point by point,
I dug in. At 7-8, 8-9, I realised that I could actually win that game.
And of course, when I did, it was a great advantage for me, 2/1 up,"
continued the 28-year-old from Aix-en-Provence - now just one match away
from his fifth final appearance in a row.
The
world No5 will now play life-long European rival James Willstrop,
the world No3 from England who was gifted his place in the semi-finals
when his England team-mate opponent Peter Barker was forced to
withdraw with an injury early in the third game.
"I
really feel for him," said Willstrop after his 27-minute encounter. "But
you can't take any risks when it comes to the knee and you can't play
squash if you can't run."
Gaultier is aware of the advantage Willstrop has over him after their
contrasting quarter-final clashes: "I've watched James play today, he
looks sharp. So now, no celebration, just my normal routine, to get
ready for tomorrow. I know James didn't have a long match as Peter got
injured, so it will be a bit of a challenge. But then again, I love
challenges!"
There
was a further significant upset in the other half of the draw when
Malaysia's Mohd Azlan Iskandar became the only unseeded player to
make the semi-finals after beating Egypt's fourth seed and four-time
Hong Kong Open champion Amr Shabana 11-9, 11-5, 11-6.
The
29-year-old from Kuala Lumpur has enjoyed a fine run of form in Hong
Kong, which began with a four-game win over Egypt's seventh seed
Mohamed El Shorbagy. Iskandar is now in his first PSA World Series
semi-final of the year - and certain to finish in the top eight of the
2011 World Series standings after the completion of the event.
"I
don't think Shabana was at his best today, but I'll take it," said the
delighted winner. "My first semi in Hong Kong!"
Iskandar will face Karim Darwish, the No2 seed from Egypt who
ended unseeded Australian Stewart Boswell's run 11-5, 11-4, 11-6.
"Overall, happy with my performance," said the 30-year-old from Cairo,
now in his third successive Hong Kong semi-final. "Last time I played
Azlan was in the US Open, I was not 100% at my best, but normally, we
have great matches. He is a good mate and a fair player. I'm looking
forward to it."
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Iskandar Shakes Off Shorbagy In Hong Kong
Malaysia's Mohd Azlan Iskandar produced the upset of the day in
today's second round of the Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial
Hong Kong Open when he downed in-form Egyptian Mohamed El
Shorbagy, the No7 seed, to secure an unexpected place in the
quarter-finals of the seventh PSA World Series squash event of
the year.
El
Shorbagy, the 20-year-old world No8 from Alexandria, arrived in Hong
Kong fresh from title success in last week's PSA International 50
Macau Open. The Egyptian, who went into the match 3/0 ahead in his
head-to-head tally with Iskandar, took the opening game.
But
the 29-year-old Malaysian, the world No13 from Kuala Lumpur, recovered
to win 6-11, 11-6, 14-12, 11-7 and claim an impressive first win over
his higher-ranked opponent in 56 minutes.
And
there will be a surprise Australian name in the last eight line-up after
unseeded Stewart Boswell beat England's Tom Richards 11-4,
11-9, 11-0 in 42 minutes.
The
33-year-old former world No4 from Canberra is enjoying some of the best
form of his recent career: After previously making the last eight of a
PSA World Series event in January 2008, Boswell burst through to the
semi-finals of last month's Qatar Classic - and now, after making
his Hong Kong breakthrough by beating No8 seed Thierry Lincou in
the opening round, is through to his second successive quarter-final.
"When I looked at the draw, I didn't think I was that lucky, but it
turned out to be good after all," Boswell said
afterwards. "I think I was again a bit lucky, like I was in Qatar. But
then, yet again, I still had to play my best squash to win today."
In
Lincou's unexpected absence, French interest in the quarter-finals will
be led by fifth seed Gregory Gaultier, the recent Qatar Classic
champion who was stretched to four games before overcoming Egypt's
Omar Mosaad 11-6, 4-11, 11-4, 11-6.
The
day otherwise belonged to Englishmen and Egyptians - with England
team-mates Nick Matthew, Peter Barker and James
Willstrop coming through in the top half of the draw, and Cairo
compatriots Amr Shabana and Karim Darwish prevailing in
the other half.
Barker
continues to be the most consistent performer in the 2011 PSA World
Series by claiming his seventh quarter-final berth in a row. In a repeat
of his victory over Cameron Pilley in the World Open
earlier in the month, the London left-hander again despatched the
Australian in straight games, winning 11-8, 11-7, 11-4 in 47 minutes.
"After
my first round I had to be more ruthless," said the sixth seed. "And I
think that tactically, I played well today. In Rotterdam, the court
suited me better, and it was easier for me. But today, the court was
more suited to his game, in particular his forehand, and I had to be
prepared to be more proactive. And I was.
"I'm
really happy with the way I played. I was trying to frustrate him, and
only he can say if I succeeded, but I'm happy with what I implanted."
Matthew defeated fellow countryman Daryl Selby 12-10, 11-7, 11-8
in 65 minutes.
"I
enjoyed my match today," said Selby later on Twitter. "Not the losing
part but the running around like a maniac part. Disappointed, but
Nick Matthew was a warrior!"
Willstrop eased into his sixth World Series quarter-final of the year
after defeating Finland's Olli Tuominen 11-3, 11-8, 11-6.
Fourth
seed Shabana, looking for his sixth title in Hong Kong after following
his World Open success there in 2005 by four successive Hong Kong Open
title triumphs, beat fellow countryman Hisham Mohamed Ashour
11-5, 11-7, 12-10, while in the final match of the day second seed
Karim Darwish ended Tarek Momen's great run by beating the
Egyptian qualifier 11-3, 11-2, 5-11, 11-7.
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Qualifier Momen Makes Last 16 In Hong Kong
Egyptian Tarek Momen made an impressive debut today in the
Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open when he beat
Swiss opponent Nicolas Mueller in a high-paced battle to become
the only qualifier to make the last 16 round of the seventh PSA World
Series squash event of the year.
The
23-year-old from Cairo - who has never before played in the popular
PSA World Tour event celebrating its 25th staging this year - is one
of six Egyptians to secure a place in Tuesday's second round.
In
fact, since the Hong Kong Open draw was made, Momen has leapt to 19 in
the world rankings - now three places ahead of the Zurich-born
22-year-old whom he was facing on the Tour for the first time.
Mueller prevailed in a tight and prolonged opening game - but Momen
struck back to prove his new ranking superiority over his unseeded
opponent to win 15-17, 11-4, 11-8, 11-7 in 48 minutes.
The
rising star of Egyptian squash will now face compatriot Karim Darwish.
The second seed, ranked six in the world, took just 27 minutes to
overcome Malaysian qualifier Ivan Yuen - the only player in the
draw ranked outside the top 100 - 11-5, 11-5, 11-4.
Another all-Egyptian second clash will see four-time champion Amr
Shabana take on Cairo colleague Hisham Mohamed Ashour.
Shabana, the distinguished former world number one who is making his
14th successive appearance in the championship since 1996, was fully
tested by event newcomer Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan before beating the
Malaysian qualifier 11-9, 11-9, 3-11, 11-1.
Ashour, older brother of the injured defending champion Ramy Ashour,
battled for 47 minutes to see off experienced Malaysian Ong Beng Hee,
a quarter-finalist in 2001 and 2002, 11-6, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9 in 47
minutes.
In the
other upset of the day, Stewart Boswell doubled the Australian
interest in the last 16 round when he defeated eighth seed Thierry
Lincou in straight games.
Frenchman Lincou, always a favourite with the Hong Kong crowd since his
title triumph in 2004, looked flat after his recent exploits in Macau,
and although he briefly threatened a comeback in the third Boswell
closed out the match 11-3, 11-9, 11-5 in 45 minutes.
And
England's Tom Richards was close to becoming another unexpected
first round casualty when he twice faced match-ball against him from
French qualifier Mathieu Castagnet.
After
the first four games were shared, the Englishman led the way in the
decider, but pure determination saw Castagnet come back and earn two
match balls at 10-8.
A
despairing dive into the back corner couldn't stop Richards levelling
and the Englishman completed a run of four points to win 8-11, 11-5,
11-8, 2-11, 12-10 in 77 minutes.
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English Quartet Survive First Hong Kong Hurdle
England team-mates Nick Matthew, James Willstrop, Peter
Barker and Daryl Selby came through today's first round of
the Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open - but
claimed their places in the last sixteen of the seventh PSA World
Series squash event of the year in contrasting styles.
In an
early match on the opening day of the 25th staging of one of the most
popular events on the PSA World Tour, third seed Willstrop
brushed aside fellow countryman Jonathan Kemp 13-11, 11-6, 11-5.
The 24-minute win extended the world number three's career-long unbeaten
Tour run over Kemp - but avenged Willstrop's shock defeat by the
left-hander in the British National Championships nine months ago.
In the
day's final encounter, top seed Nick Matthew continued where he
left off after clinching his second successive World Open title
in Rotterdam earlier in the month by despatching New Zealand qualifier
Martin Knight 11-6, 11-4, 11-7.
But
both Barker and Selby were taken the full distance as they battled
against lower-ranked opponents in Hong Kong. Sixth seed Barker faced
Dutchman Laurens Jan Anjema, the highest-ranked unseeded player
in the draw.
The
world No7 from London twice had to fight back from behind against fellow
left-hander Anjema, ranked 11 in the world, before finally emerging
triumphant 7-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-5, 11-9 after 87 minutes.
And
Selby, eager to make up for disappointing results this month in the
World Open and Macau Open, fell two games down to Indian star
Saurav Ghosal after leading 5-0 in the first. But the world No12
from Essex dug deep and ground down his opponent to win 9-11, 8-11,
11-7, 11-4, 11-3 in 66 minutes.
Selby
now faces Matthew for a place in the quarter-finals, while Barker takes
on Australian Cameron Pilley and Willstrop the rejuvenated Finn
Olli Tuominen.
Pilley
removed the only Hong Kong interest in the men's draw with a four-game
win over the well-supported Max Lee. The 23-year-old Hong Kong
national champion gave the crowd brief hope by taking the third game
convincingly - but the tall Australian soon put paid to that, winning
11-2, 11-8, 3-11, 11-6 in 44 minutes.
Tuominen was the first player through to round two following a
straight-game win over qualifier Borja Golan. Tuominen started at
his usual ferocious pace, and although the Spaniard matched it at times,
he suffered from too many unforced errors, particularly at the start of
the third as he, much to his own annoyance, virtually gifted the Finn a
5-0 lead and there was no coming back from there.
Julian Illingworth,
the sole US competitor in the championship, put in an impressive
performance against Gregory Gaultier, winner of the last World
Series event in Qatar. The record seven-time US national champion took
the third game convincingly, but fifth-seeded Frenchman Gaultier closed
out the match after 65 minutes, winning 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-3.
Matthew In Bid For Hong Kong First
Qualifying finals:
Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Siddharth Suchde (IND) 11-5, 8-11,
11-3, 11-2 (41m)
Ivan Yuen (MAS) bt Leo Au (HKG) 11-8, 7-11, 11-5, 11-8
(66m)
Martin Knight (NZL) bt Harinder Pal Sandhu (IND) 11-5,
11-9, 7-11, 4-11, 11-5 (70m)
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) bt Chris Ryder (ENG) 12-10, 11-9,
12-10 (60m)
Alan Clyne (SCO) bt Yann Perrin (FRA) 11-6, 11-4, 11-9
(25m)
Gregoire Marche (FRA) bt Dick Lau (HKG) 11-7, 11-5, 11-2
(37m)
Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) bt Matthew Karwalski (AUS)
11-7, 11-7, 11-4 (32m)
Borja Golan (ESP) bt Kamran Khan (MAS) 11-7, 11-9, 11-1
(48m)
Nick Matthew,
the world number one who earlier this month claimed the PSA World
Open title for the second year in a row, is favourite in this week's
Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open - a PSA
World Series title the Englishman has yet to win.
Runner-up in 2004, the 31-year-old from Sheffield crashed out at the
quarter-final stage last year and is eager to make amends in 2011.
The
Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open, in its 25th
staging since 1985, is the seventh PSA World Series event of the
year and gets underway and reaches its final at the
Hong Kong Cultural Centre on Sunday (20 November).
Matthew, who made his Hong Kong debut in 2001, opens his campaign
against Martin Knight, a New Zealand qualifier who earned his
maiden appearance in the main draw after beating India's Harinder Pal
Sandhu 11-5, 11-9, 7-11, 4-11, 11-5 in 70 minutes in today's
qualifying finals.
The
withdrawal of title-holder Ramy Ashour, the world No2 from Egypt,
with a hamstring injury has elevated his fellow countryman Karim
Darwish to No2 seed. The 30-year-old from Cairo reached the
semi-finals in 2010 - a position he has not bettered in eight
appearances since 2001 - and faces Malaysian qualifier Ivan Yuen
in the opening round.
Yuen
became the only player outside the world's top 100 to qualify today when
he dashed home hopes by beating Hong Kong's Leo Au 11-8, 7-11,
11-5, 11-8 in 66 minutes.
But
pride of place in the Hong Kong Open draw goes to Amr Shabana,
the distinguished Egyptian who won the title four years in a row from
2006 and made his debut in the championship in 1996 - three years ahead
of any of his rivals this year!
Fourth
seed Shabana begins his 14th successive campaign against Malaysian
qualifier Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan, an 11-7, 11-7, 11-4 victor over
Australian Matthew Karwalski today.
Au &
Lau Lead Home Hopes In Hong Kong
RESULTS: PSA World Series Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong
Kong Open, Hong Kong
1st
qualifying round:
Tarek Momen (EGY) bye
Siddharth Suchde (IND) bt Wong Chi-Him (HKG) 11-3, 11-2,
11-5 (25m)
Ivan Yuen (MAS) bt Bradley Hindle (MLT) 5-11, 11-5, 8-11,
11-6, 11-6 (77m)
Leo Au (HKG) bt Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY) 11-7, 3-11, 11-8,
4-11, 17-15 (75m)
Martin Knight (NZL) bt Yuen Tsun-Hei (HKG) 11-3, 11-1,
11-7 (18m)
Harinder Pal Sandhu (IND) bt Christopher Gordon (USA)
13-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-7 (40m)
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) bt Ma Tsz Hei (HKG) 11-3, 11-7,
11-8 (24m)
Chris Ryder (ENG) bt Cheuk Yan Tang (HKG) 11-2, 11-5, 11-5
(20m)
Alan Clyne (SCO) bt Ng Ka-Yiu (HKG) 11-1, 11-4, 11-6 (22m)
Yann Perrin (FRA) bt Yip Tsz Fung (HKG) 11-6, 11-8, 7-11,
11-9 (61m)
Dick Lau (HKG) bt Ho Tze Ho (HKG) 11-6, 11-6, 11-5 (22m)
Gregoire Marche ! (FRA) bt Chris Lo Cheuk-Hin (HKG) 11-3,
11-7, 11-6 (19m)
Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) bt Henry Leung Chi-Hin (HKG)
11-5, 11-7, 11-2 (20m)
Matthew Karwalski (AUS) bt Yeung Ho Wai (HKG) 11-8, 11-3,
11-8 (31m)
Kamran Khan (MAS) bt Hon Fung Wong (HKG) 11-6, 11-8, 11-7
(25m)
Borja Golan (ESP) bt Ling To Yu (HKG) 11-8, 11-7, 11-7
(25m)
A pair
of Hong Kong players survived today's first qualifying round of the
Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open to raise hopes
of extending home interest in the main draw of the seventh PSA World
Series squash event of the year this week in Hong Kong.
Leo
Au,
the world No104 from Hong Kong, played the game of his life to defeat
Egypt's Omar Abdel Aziz, ranked 64 places higher.
The
21-year-old local star twice led the experienced Aziz - then saved four
match-balls in the dramatic fifth game decider to record a stunning
11-7, 3-11, 11-8, 4-11, 17-15 victory in 75 minutes.
Au
will now face Malaysia's Ivan Yuen in the qualifying finals for a
place in the first round.
Dick Lau
had a more straightforward task in seeing off local junior Ho Tze Ho.
Lau, a 25-year-old who is ranked 88 in the world, beat his 17-year-old
opponent 11-6, 11-6, 11-5 in just 22 minutes.
Lau
will now line up against Gregoire Marche, the world No51 from
France who despatched local player Chris Lo Cheuk-Hin 11-3, 11-7,
11-6.
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