Day Two opened with two of yesterday’s Hong Kong winners on the exhibition court at Hong Kong Squash Centre, but Tomato Ho and Lee Ka Yi faced uphill tasks as they were against world number 1 and 3 in Nouran Gohar and Hania El Hammamy.
“I just want them to play well, enjoy the experience and if they can take a game that would be great, no pressure,” said HK women’s coach Rebecca Chiu before play started.
Ho gave Gohar a real test in the opening game, but the 2016 Hong Kong Open champion took the first and powered through ahead from 5-5 in the second to win 11-8, 11-5, 11-4.
Lee too gave a good account of herself, but Hammamy proved too strong, winning 11-5, 11-4, 11-5.
With the top four seeds in both draws scheduled on the Glass Court, it was second and third seeds Diego Elias and Mohamed ElShorbagy up next, and both won convincingly in three games. Elias took a 10-0 lead in the opening game before beating Mohamed ElSherbini 11-1, 11-3, 11-3, but ElShorbagy had to fight back from 9-6 down in the second before beating Eain Yow Ng 11-9, 11-9, 11-5.
Elsewhere there was a host of Egyptian winners – and a couple of tense all-Egyptian battles – as Rowan Elaraby, Nour El Tayeb, Youssef Soliman, Mazen Hesham and Fayrouz Aboelkheir all advanced – Aboelkheir reaching a Platinum round three for the first time with a fighting five-game win over compatriot Zeina Mickawy.
Patrick Rooney and Jasmine Hutton – who saved two match balls before overcoming Hana Ramadan in five – made sure England was represented in the last sixteens, while fellow 9/16 seeds Iker Pajares and Aifa Azman also claimed round three spots. Malaysia’s Ivan Yuen, Japan’s Satomi Watanabe and France’s Auguste Dussourd were all unseeded winners, Dussourd prevailing in a physical five-game.
A dramatic evening session at Hong Kong Squash Centre witnesses some amazing squash, a number of upset results, and two fantastic wins for Hong Kong players!
With the upstairs gallery packed with noisy and enthusiastic Hong Kong fans, Tong Tsz-Wing reached the third round with a three-nil win over Malaysia’s Low wee Wern, who is just returning to action after a long injury layoff.
The final match of the evening was longer, noisier and more dramatic still as Tsz Kwan Lau got the better of Scotland’s Greg Lobban in five tense games. The match swung one way then the other, with Lobban taking the lead then leveling to force a decider, but it was Lau who dominated the fifth to the delight of the crowd.
Elsewhere all the top seeds progressed, although women’s second seed Nour El Sherbini was taken to five games by compatriot Nadine Shahin, and England’s Sarah-Jane Perry also needed five games to see off Jana Shiha.
The only top eight seed to fall was Egypt’s Salma Hany, losing out in four games to fellow-Egyptian Yathreb Adel, who was one of 13 Egyptian winners, and one of 11 players outside the top 16 seeds to progress.
Round three starts tomorrow, with eight matches from the top half of the draw on Centre Court.
