Day TWO : Round TWO

“I knew what was going to happen today in terms of what Georgia brings to the table,” said Kennedy.

“Every point is evil and it’s really difficult to play against her. I thought she played really well there, that’s the first time that I felt I could really lose that match. I didn’t feel my best out there, I felt really flat.

“I was thinking of World No.1 Ali Farag, he’s said in a few interviews that you have to find a way to win when you’re not feeling your best. That’s what Ben [Ford, Kennedy’s coach] said to me and I had to dig in.”

“I think any time you play Tesni it is going to be really tough,” Perry said.

“We’ve played so many times over the years, and we know each other’s games inside out, so we are always trying to find another trick to add to our book. It was a big mental effort to come back from 2-0 down and it’s good to know that I still can. We’re very good friends off court and I didn’t like the way the match ended. It was a contentious decision.

“I saw the ball as okay [at 9-9 in the fifth], Tesni thought it was down, the referee wasn’t sure. Honestly, if I thought it was down I would have called it, but if it was then I am sorry.

“It’s always really special to be playing in the British Open, especially when it’s in your home city. I was born here just a couple of miles down the road, so it’s really special. I can’t wait to get out on that court at The Rep and play my next match on Wednesday.”

“I’m all good, it’s a contact sport and it does happen,” said Farag.

“The only problem is I’m going to look uglier than I already was. But Nour [El Tayeb, Farag’s wife] has to deal with that, not me! Accidents happen and we have to get on with them.

“I do feel very sorry for him [Mosaad] because he doesn’t shake hands unless it is very serious. He had a tough one physically yesterday, and I could feel in the first that he wasn’t moving his best.”

“I’m very happy with my performance after winning the World Championships a couple of weeks ago. It was hard to get back into tournament mode and getting Victor in the first round is always tough, but it’s nice to start like this.

“I had a few celebrations, that’s for sure, I disappeared for four or five days, but after that I started getting focused for this one. It’s the British Open and it’s a very important tournament, I’m relaxed right now and I want to enjoy my squash and see what happens.

“I haven’t done that well compared to last season, I haven’t won any big tournaments until a few weeks ago, so I wasn’t happy until that win. Now it’s the British Open, so hopefully I can finish the season well.”

“We’ve had some battles over the last couple of years,” said Makin afterwards.

My squash was sharp and if my body is responding like it did there I can make it difficult for the best players. I’m happy to win that, he’s obviously at the end of his season and he’s pretty tired, we’re all in a difficult place with our bodies but everyone is pushing.

“I hope everybody enjoyed the matches and it should be another good day of squash.

“He’s so attacking and it’s so easy to sit back and defend out of the front. You always end up on the back foot, so I had to be proactive, take the initiative and be direct with my attacks. That’s what you train for and I put it together well.

“Part of being a good player is playing on any court conditions at any time with no excuses. [Ali] Farag’s won eight tournaments in the last year and there were a lot of different court conditions, you have to find a way to work it out and play it to your advantage.”

“He’s at his best ever ranking and I didn’t take this lightly. My team and I prepared very well for the match and it was tough. Anytime I lost focus, he jumped on it, and anytime he lost focus, I jumped on it. It was a good match, high quality, and I’m really glad to go through.

“With everything I’ve done in my career, I’m not here for a last 16 or quarter-final. I’ve never aimed for those rounds, you have to aim to win the event, even if you have not been playing well or getting the results, you have to trust yourself.

“If you don’t have the mentality that you want to win all the time, or that you are the best player in the world, even if you’re not World No.1, then you should not be here.

“That’s the mentality I have, I go into every match to win it. Sometimes it doesn’t work, a lot times it doesn’t work, but a lot of times it does work, too.”

“To be honest, it was purely a mental battle for me today,” Gilis said.

“I woke up not feeling too well today, so physically I wasn’t there and I really just had to find a way to win and dig deep every point. I’m just proud of myself that I was able to do so, because Hollie [Naughton] is such a tough opponent.

“Maybe if I had snuck that first game, maybe my confidence would have been a bit better, but I’m just glad that I was able to come back from that. After the first game I wasn’t sure if I had the energy for that. I’ve been in this situation many times before. I do know that I can dig myself out of any hole and find a way to win.”

“She has a lot of talent,” Gohar said.

“I watched a couple of her matches to see what I should be doing and she’s a big talent. I like as well the attitude that she has on court. Even when she’s waiting for the serve she’s not intimidated and I love seeing players like that.

“It reminds me a bit of myself when I was younger and coming up. She was fighting hard until the very last point and it’s good to see, it’s very good for the sport. I’m happy with the way I handled her, in the last game she obviously played very well, but I gave her some easy points which usually I would be careful of.

“They always ask me what is my favourite tournament and British Open always comes up on the list because of the crowd. Even if I’m playing an Englishwoman they are very fair and I know they are going to cheer for my good shots. They are very knowledgable about the game and they appreciate good rallies and good points.

“I love when people appreciate what we’re doing and you can’t find this anywhere else apart from England. I’m Egyptian, so they always favour me [in Egypt] but I always feel very sorry for non-Egyptians playing in Egypt. But here it’s very fair, very nice, and having this venue at the theatre is amazing.”