No.11 seed Toby Tse booked her place in the Quilter Cheviot British Open Qualifiers Finals by eliminating the No.1 seed Haya Ali in a thrilling five-game battle.
64 players arrived this week at Solihull Arden with the hope of earning a spot in the main draw of the Diamond-level event, which will take place at ‘the Rep’ Theatre in Birmingham.
And while 32 players remained in contention heading into the second round, it was Tse who stole the headlines with her impressive 3-2 victory against the No.1 seed.
Tse, who arrived into the second round after beating New Zealand’s Ella Jane Lash in 20 minutes, continued to play at the same tempo and took a comfortable 2-0 lead, winning 11-6 and 11-7.
Holding a two-game advantage, the lead proved to be enough breathing space for Tse, who was being hunted down by the No.1 seed. And with momentum growing in favour of the Egyptian, and the pressure mounting, Ali levelled the score to 2-2, winning the third and fourth games 11-4 and 11-9.
However, despite the comeback attempt from Ali, the No.11 seed seemingly remained unfazed by the pressure, as she was able to reshift the momentum back in her favour, closing out the game to win the fifth 11-6.
Following the match, Tse said:
“She played really well in the third and the fourth game, and she was really tough as she changed her game plan, and I lost my focus.
“So, with her getting the third and fourth game, I told myself, the fifth game is the last game, so I pushed myself to the maximum, and I’m glad I got the win.”It’s a good feeling,” she added.
In the men’s draw, Mohamed Gohar also caused an upset, eliminating the No.3 seed Balazs Farkas in a five-game thriller over 55 minutes.
Gohar, brother to squash legend and three-time British Open champion Nouran, continued his impressive form after beating compatriot Mohamed Sharaf in the opening round.
And it seemed that he was able to bring that form into today’s contest, as he was able to push the Hungarian to the limit and claim the first game 12-10.
Despite taking the lead, the momentum would shift back and forth with Farkas levelling the scoreline twice, before Gohar would eventually close out the game, winning 11-5 in the fifth.
Following the match, Gohar reflected on his second victory at the British Open Qualifiers, as he moved one step closer to the main draw, he said:
“I am feeling good. I am really excited for what is happening at the moment, and I am taking it step-by-step, and just enjoying it. So, there is no need to add any pressure onto it and just experience it all.”
Elsewhere, No.1 seed Adrian Waller avoided an early exit after coming from behind to win in a five-game battle against Yassin Shohdy.
Despite going 2-1 down in games, the No.1 seed used his experience to get the better of his opponent, clawing the contest back into his favour, eventually winning the match 3-2 in 51 minutes.
On court three, No.10 seed David Bernet came from behind against Egypt’s Salman Khalil to claim a 3-2 win in 70 minutes.
The 21-year-old’s five-game victory has set him up for tomorrow’s match against South Africa’s Dewald van Niekerk, who progressed after beating Malaysia’s Ameenshenraj Chandran in straight games.
Spain’s Noa Romero continued her winning form and achieved yet another one of the biggest wins of her career to date as the World No.75 took down the No.8 seed, Tsz-Wing Tong, to book her place in the qualification finals.
Romero will face off against Egypt’s Farida Walid, who secured her place in tomorrow’s qualification finals after beating No.3 seed Habiba Hani in 33 minutes.
19-year-old Lauren Baltayan and New Zealand’s Joelle King will face off in tomorrow’s qualifiers final after they both secured straight games victories against England’s Millie Tomlinson and Germany’s Saskia Beinhard, respectively.
The qualification finals take place tomorrow, 28 May, from 12:00 (GMT+1).
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Results: Quilter Cheviot British Open Qualifying Round Two (Men’s)
[1] Adrian Waller (ENG) bt [11] Yassin Shohdy (EGY) 3-2: 11-7, 7-11, 3-11, 11-7, 11-2 (51m)[8] Samuel Osborne-Wylde (ENG) bt [13] Muhammad Asim Khan (PAK) 3-1: 11-3, 11-5, 7-11, 11-6 (60m)
[14] Dewald van Niekerk (RSA) bt Ameeshenraj Chandaran (MAS) 3-0: 11-5, 11-3, 11-8 (54m)
[10] David Bernet (SUI) bt [6] Salman Khalil (EGY) 3-2: 9-11, 11-8, 11-6, 6-11, 11-5 (70m)
[16] Emyr Evans (WAL) bt Yusuf Sheikh (ENG) 3-0: 11-8, 11-8, 11-8 (39m)
Adam Hawal (EGY) bt [15] Matthew Lai (HKG)3-0: 11-8, 11-7, 11-7 (48m)
[9] Perry Malik (ENG) bt [7] Sanjay Jeeva (MAS) 3-0: 11-7, 11-8, 11-9 (43m)
Mohamed Gohar (EGY) bt [3] Balazs Farkas (HUN) 3-2: 12-10, 3-11, 11-6, 10-12, 11-5 (55m)
Results: Quilter Cheviot British Open Qualifying Round Two (Women’s)
Farida Walid (EGY) bt [3] Habiba Hani (EGY) 3-0: 12-10, 11-4, 11-4 (33m)
Noa Romero (ESP) bt [8] Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG) 3-1: 11-6, 7-11, 11-8, 11-8 (39m)
[4] Lauren Baltayan (FRA) bt [16] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-9, 11-7 (39m)
[5] Joelle King (NZL) bt Saskia Beinhard (GER) 3-0: 11-2, 11-5, 11-7 (26m)
[15] Ruqayya Salem (EGY) bt [7] Nicole Bunyan (CAN) 3-0: 11-7, 11-3, 11-6 (31m)
[11] Toby Tse (HKG) bt [1] Haya Ali (EGY) 3-2: 11-6, 11-7, 4-11, 9-11, 11-6 (45m)
[6] Alina Bushma (UKR) bt [14] Kaitlyn Watts (NZL) 3-0: 11-3, 11-6, 11-9 (37m)
[2] Jana Swaify (EGY) bt Asia Harris (ENG) 3-1: 8-11, 11-2, 11-9, 11-4 (38m)
Qualifying Finals, Thu 28th May :
12.00 Noa Romero (Esp) v Farida Walid (Egy)
12.14 [10] David Bernet (Sui) v [14] Dewald van Niekerk (Rsa)
13.30 [4] Lauren Baltayan (Fra) v [5] Joelle King (Nzl)
14.30 [1] Adrian Waller (Eng) v [8] Sam Osborne-Wylde (Eng)
17.00 [11] Toby Tse (Hkg) v [16] Ruqayya Salem (Egy)
17.45 [16] Emyr Evans (Wal) v Adam Hawal (Egy)
18.30 [2] Jana Swaify (Egy) v [6] Alina Bushma (Ukr)
19.15 [9] Perry Malik (Eng) v Mohamed Gohar (Egy)
