Day THREE reports & reaction

The 2022 edition of the Allam British Open – celebrating the Centenary of the sport’s longest-running tournament – continues today with eight third round matches from the top half of the Platinum draws as the first Quarter-Finalists are decided.

After two days of action on four courts, the rest of the event will be played out on the Glass Court at Hull’s Allam Sports Centre, while the traditional courts will be used for the returning Masters competition, featuring 18 draws from ages 35+ to 80+.

Six of today’s matches featured Egyptians, with home hopes centred on former finalist Sarah-Jane Perry and rising star Georgina Kennedy, and one unseeded quarter-finalist guaranteed as Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller met yesterday’s giant-killer, Germany’s Raphael Kandra.

You can watch all the action Live, follow on Live Scoring and our Social Feeds, and we’ll have reports, player reaction and photos right here, with a roundup to follow at the end of the day.

Allam British Open 2022 : Wed 30th Mar, Day THREE, Round THREE (top)

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[5] Joelle King (Nzl) 3-0 Nada Abbas (Egy) 11-3, 11-3, 11-7 (28m)
[9/16] Mazen Hesham (Egy) 3-2 [7] Marwan ElShorbagy (Egy)   11-9, 9-11, 12-10, 4-11, 11-5 (51m)

Tinne Gilis (Bel) bt [9/16] Joshna Chinappa (Ind) 12-10, 11-8, 11-8 (35m)
Nicolas Mueller (Sui) 3-1 Raphael Kandra (Ger)  11-6, 9-11, 11-5, 12-10 (52m)

[4] Sarah-Jane Perry (Eng) 3-0 Farida Mohamed (Egy)  11-6, 11-6, 11-8 (25m)
[1] Ali Farag (Egy) 3-0 [9/16] Karim Abdel Gawad (Egy)  11-8, 11-4, 11-9 (38m)

[2] Hania El Hammamy (Egy) 3-1 [9/16] Georgina Kennedy (Eng)  11-9, 11-6, 5-11, 11-7 (48m)
[5] Tarek Momen (Egy) 3-1 Baptiste Masotti (Fra)  13-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-9 (50m)

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Reports and Reaction

King storms past Abbas to reach last eight

No.5 seed Joelle King and Egyptian Nada Abbas opened up play on day three at the Allam British Open 2022.

King was in superb form throughout the entire match and kept the ball moving away from Abbas all the time. The talented Egyptian was given no opportunity to flex her attacking muscles. King took the opening two games 11-3.

The momentum continued for King and after dealing with a charge from Abbas in the middle of the game, she booked her place in her seventh British Open quarter final.

King had this to say about her match: “Nada is an up and coming superstar, it’s my first day on the glass court so there’s a bit of a transition but I thought from the first serve, that I aced, I calmed down and I thought I played the court really well. As you say, my seventh quarter final so here’s hoping this week I can go further.

“As I said last week in Black Ball, I just enjoy these stages and being out here. I live in Bristol so playing in England is like a second home for me so I’ve got Hadrian [Stiff] here, it’s just nice to be playing here in front of some familiar faces.

“I think they put all the tallest players in one quarter, two very tall and powerful players, SJ has great hands and Farida is an absolute fighter so it’s going to be an interesting match up so I just have to come back and do my best each day.

“The court is beautiful, I thought I found my length really well and just hit the corners, it’s quite basic really and if you do that well and get in front you seem to come out on top.”

Result
[5] Joelle King (NZL) bt Nada Abbas (EGY) 3-0: 11-3, 11-3, 11-7 (28m)

Hesham downs ElShorbagy in five to advance

An all-Egyptian battle was next on the all glass court at the University of Hull as No.7 seed Marwan ElShorbagy took on ‘The Black Falcon’ Mazen Hesham for a place in the quarter finals.

Hesham’s shot-making was on top form in the opening game, whipping his trademark boast around, dragging ElShorbagy so far up the court. Hesham took the opening game 11-9.

In a complete turnaround, El Shorbagy capitalised on some poor errors from Hesham and ran out to a 7-0 lead in the second game. Hesham started to make his way back in the game and managed to get himself back to within one point at 9-10, but it was El Shorbagy who held on to equalise.

Another two topsy turvy games followed with both players having periods of dominance, but due to the style of Hesham’s play, errors are always a danger. Hesham got himself in front at 2-1 in games but ElShorbagy quickly levelled to take the match into a fifth and final game.

Hesham took the early lead at 6-3 after some long and physically testing rallies went the way of the unorthodox Egyptian. Hesham showed no signs of slowing down however and booked his quarter final place in 51 minutes.

[su_qupte]

“First of all, tough luck to Marwan, it is tough playing him,” said Hesham

“He has had the better of me over the years, so I’m just happy to be able to push him that way and get the win in the end.

“I think what people don’t know at home is that we’re exhausted mentally, they say that we’re not physically fit and all of this but they don’t know what happens behind the scenes. I think both of us coming into this match are tired, I can see everyone’s faces at this event and we’re all tired.

“Just to be able to push one more match and one more round, people always talk to me about not being mentally fit, but they haven’t been what I’ve been through, they’ve not got what I’ve got so I’m sick of all of this and they don’t know anything. But just keep cheering us on so we can keep producing on court for you guys.

“May the best player win between those two, it’ll be a tough match I’m sure but I’m just going to recover and come back and try to play well in that match.”

[/su_quote]

Result
Mazen Hesham bt [7] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) 3-2: 11-9, 9-11, 12-10, 4-11, 11-5 (51m)

Gilis makes first British Open quarter final

A huge opportunity presented itself for both players next onto court, Belgium’s Tinne Gilis and India’s Joshna Chinappa. The Indian No.1 defeated No.6 seed Salma Hany in round two to progress to the last 16.

Gilis has been in terrific form lately, started the better of the two in the first game, capitalising on a slow start from Chinappa and took the first game 12-10.

She continued this form into the second game as Gilis stepped up the court and exposed the movement of Chinappa into the front corners.

After taking the second game 11-8, Gilis earned herself a healthy lead in the third game, but back came Chinappa. The Indian clawed her way back to within two points at 8-10 but Gilis closed the match out recieving a stroke on match ball to book her place in her first British Open quarter final.

“It feels amazing, I’m so happy,” said Gilis,

“I’m just so happy to be here, to be playing, it’s been a hard couple of weeks but I’m glad I could focus on my squash and I don’t know what to say, I’m just so happy.

“You’re under pressure the whole time, she hits it so hard and so well all of the time and if there’s one loose shot she foes for it and her kills go just above the tin so I had to keep it out of the middle because otherwise, I couldn’t do tnayitgn and I think in the beginning I was just hitting hard with her so I tried to mix it up and slow it down and happy it worked out in the end.

“I’m very excited to watch that match, they’re both physically so good, I train a lot with Gina because we live together in Nottingham so she’s one of my closest friends. But I have so much respect for Hania, she’s been so good for such a long time. I hope they pay a really physical match so hopefully, they get a bit tired, but with the rest day that might not happen.

“It’s step by step, even though Sherbini is not at this tournament, everyone else is at the top of their games. Hania has taken her place and she’s super strong as well. I’m sad she’s not here and hope that she is okay but it’s going to be hard regardless.”

Result
Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt Joshna Chinappa (IND) 3-0: 12-10, 11-8, 11-8 (35m)

Mueller’s red-hot form continues in Hull

After scoring a huge upset in round two, by beating No.3 seed Mohamed ElShorbagy, Raphael Kandra was in action once again, this time facing fellow European Nicolas Mueller.

‘The Swiss Rocket’ has been in unstoppable form on the PSA World Tour recently and picked up exactly where he left off in the first game against the German. His weight of shot to both the front and back corners had Kandra away from the middle for the entire first game. Mueller took the lead in the match by winning 11-6.

Mueller was impressive again in the second game and moved into a 9-7 lead. Kandra responded however and played the crucial points very well to win the next four points and equalise.

It wasn’t long before Mueller was back on track, twisting and turning his German opponent and forcing errors from his racket. After an 11-5 victory in the third game for Mueller, a competitive fourth game went into a tiebreak with Mueller being awarded a stroke on match ball to win the game 12-10 in 52 minutes.

Not only has Mueller moved into his first British Open quarter final but it is also the first time any Swiss player has managed to reach the last eight in this historic competition’s history.

Mueller was unhappy about the way the match ended but was very happy to be through:

“Getting to the British Open third round, it doesn’t get much bigger than this, it is one of the most prestigious events on the calendar and very happy to be in the quarter finals. It’s a shame it ended this way, I certainly didn’t mean to hit him but those are the rules of the game.

“I played Mazen about five times this season already, he’s had the upper hand in all of them but they’re always very close and exciting matches and I’m looking forward to that and will be ready for that one.

“I changed a few things, my diet changed, I tried to eat less meat and be more fish-based and less milk and my body has been behaving for three quarters of a year now and when you know your body is fit, you can play with a different attitude and when I’m feeling good and confident I can hit winners from anywhere and managed to back it up today.”

Result
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt Raphael Kandra (GER) 3-1: 11-6, 9-11, 11-5, 12-10 (52m)

Perry fires her way into the last eight

England’s Sarah-Perry kicked off the afternoon evening session on day three at the Allam British Open, as she beat Egypt’s Rising Star Farida Mohamed in straight games to secure her quarter final place.

The hard hitting of Mohamed was being absorbed well by Perry as she used good deception and height to halt the rhythm of the Egyptian. Both opening games went the way of Perry 11-6 with Mohamed getting increasingly frustrated with her own game.

More of the same followed in the third game but Mohamed did step her game up slightly. The experience of Perry shone through in the closing stages and she played dug in exceptionally well to win 11-8 in the final game to move into the quarter finals in her tenth British Open.

“Yeah the last two times we played, I’m going to be brutally honest, I felt like it wasn’t squash,” admitted Perry.

“I was bad and it got really scrappy and she’s all over it when it’s scrappy and especially on traditional courts, I love playing on glass courts and I love playing in England up here in Hull, I just wanted to go on and really enjoy it and make it about squash. My normal arguing was left back down in the midlands, thankfully, I just wanted to stay calm and focused and she can hit some amazing shots, you see that every time the ball is loose. So I’m really pleased with that.

“We’re both attacking players, when I’m playing well I really enjoy it, I can go passive at times and I don’t want to play like that, so I know that if I am playing that aggressive style of play there are always going to be errors and I’m sure Farida would say the same and after each one you can ask yourself if it was the right one and if yes, aim higher, if no, choose a different one.

“I think I’ve played on this court a lot now, it’s my 10th British Open. I was a little bit scrappy in my match yesterday, I and Lisa both agreed on that but I think I found my targets better today. That lob when I play it well is hard to get back at the best of times.

“Joelle is a good friend of mine and we’ve had some really tough games over the years. That commonwealth final was one of them and I don’t think either of us will be thinking we’ve got it in the bag. It’ll just be who plays better on the day so I’m looking forward to the rest day, a little trip to the coffee shop, a massage, living the life really.”

Result

[4] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt Farida Mohamed (EGY) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-8 (25m)

No.1 seed Farag marches on to the last eight

In the second all-Egyptian battle of the day, reigning World Champion Ali Farag took on a former World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad.

In what was always going to be a classy match, Farag started the stronger. The intensity of his game was relentless and he got to work early in the match on working the casual movement of Gawad into all four corners.

The World No.2 is playing like he has a point to prove in this event after losing his spot at the top of the PSA rankings this month to Paul Coll. Farag took the opening two games 11-8, 11-4 to place one foot in the last eight.

Gawad seemed to have found his feet in the third game and a confident Gawad is a dangerous Gawad. His lead would evaporate however as Farag started to limit the angles and force errors from Gawad. In the end, Farag was simply too accurate and sharp for Gawad. He took the third 11-9 to move into another quarter final.

“I was getting ready for the fourth, to be honest,” said Farag.

“At the back end of the third, he was going for his shots and they were going in so I thought at least put some work into his legs and I didn’t think I would win it but thankfully I did. Karim makes me very very edgy, my food appetite is not the same when I’m nervous and I hardly ate any lunch, Karim is a former world no.1 world champion, I haven’t beaten him in 2/3 years, his drop in the rankings doesn’t reflect his level. I have been making the quarters for the last 5 years so I didn’t want to break that streak here and I’m very relieved to be through.

“I’ve never played Baptiste before, it’s very rare with him making some last 16s that we haven’t played yet, so I don’t know what to expect from him. But I know what to expect from Tarek and he knows what to expect from me. Another former world champion and it’s always a tough match. We’re not used to playing in the quarters if he does get through but I have the rest day tomorrow.

“I’m luckier than any other player on tour, I was very nervous, Farida (Ali’s daughter) wanted to go to sleep, so I told Nour to let me take her and spend some time with her. I’ll be looking after her tomorrow whilst Nour gets ready for her match and hopefully, she does well in her match and we go again on quarters day.”

Result
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 3-0: 11-8, 11-4, 11-9 (38m)

El Hammamy books quarter final place

In the penultimate match of the day’s play, No.2 seed Hania El Hammamy took on dangerous Englishwoman Georgina Kennedy for a place in the quarter finals at the 2022 British Open.

A competitive first game saw the momentum switch several times between the two. El Hammamy is no stranger to this type of stage at a major event and showed that experience to close out the game 11-9.

Kennedy raced out to a 5-1 lead in the second game, being proactive in her approach and asking some real questions of the Egyptian. Once El Hammamy found her rhythm again, it was all over for Kennedy. El Hammamy won ten out of the last eleven points to take a commanding 2-0 lead.

Kennedy showed her fighting spirit, however, her non-stop energy and intensity started to worry World No.3 El Hammamy and uncharacteristic errors started to creep into the game from the Egyptian, much to Kennedy’s delight.

Despite forcing the match into a fourth game, Kennedy couldn’t stop the winners of El Hammamy. The World No.3 picked up momentum throughout the game and booked her quarter final place, winning the fourth game 11-7, to set up a match with Belgium’s Tinne Gilis.

El Hammamy is a big admirer of Kennedy and was relieved to be through:

“We’ve never played but I’ve been watching her a lot, I know she’s a tough opponent, she’s so physical, we’ve trained a couple of times and even in practice, it feels like a best of five. I had to bring my A game today, it was so hard but I’m glad I’m through.

“Yeah, it’s such a physical match so I need to be prepared for the first point, I can’t take anything for granted, I have to do a lot of footwork drills so that I’m sharp so I can be ready.

“She’s improved a lot recently, she’s pushed Nour (El Sherbini) the last twice which is very big, I watched both of those matches and she did very well, but I’m looking forward to that match as I haven’t played Tinne in a long time.”

Result
[2] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt Georgina Kennedy (ENG) 3-1: 11-9, 11-6, 5-11, 11-7 (48m)

Momen battles past Masotti to progress

The final match of the day saw No.5 seed Tarek Momen get the better of France’s Baptiste Masotti to move into his fourth British Open quarter final.

Momen took an entertaining first game 13-11 after testing the powerful movement of Masotti on several occasions. Despite this being Momen’s first match on the glass court in this tournament, he found his weight of shot in no time and dragged the Frenchman from corner to corner.

Momen continued to use his superb touch to take the second game 11-6. Masotti wouldn’t go away that easy and by showcasing his heavy-metal squash, raced out to a 7-1 lead in the third game. Despite Momen impressively recovering to 8-8, Masotti prevailed to force a fourth.

Momen stuck to his task however and showed his experience to pin the Frenchman in the back corners and eventually take the match in 50 minutes.

 

“He put up a huge fight. I was particularly proud of my performance in the second game, I felt like I played the perfect game and despite all that he never gave up and kept pushing, he only gave me one or two errors but wasn’t phased when I went 2-0 up. He came into the third firing but then gave me some cheap errors. But in the fourth, surprisingly we changed the ball and it came out more dead than the other one and we kind of struggled to get it to the back and whoever would take the ball in short would win the points.

“I was just thinking I wanted to get into a good rhythm to start the fourth in the best shape so I forgot about the score and just remember the game plan, I just wanted to remember how I was playing and structure my rallies better and all of a sudden I found myself back.

“I can’t think about other people’s achievements, I just need to focus on my own.

“At this level, we’re not looking for weaknesses, we’re looking for the right game plan to increase my chance to win. There aren’t any standout weaknesses in his game, it’s just the tactics on court that make the difference so I’m looking forward to the rest day tomorrow and then we will see how it goes.”

Result
[5] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Baptiste Masotti (FRA) 3-1: 13-11, 11-6, 8-11 11-9 (50m)

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