20-Oct, Finals:

Dipikal Pallikal bt Rachael Grinham 12-10,5-11,11-7,11-9 (42m)
Omar Mosaad bt Adrian Grant 11-8,4-11,9-11,11-9,11-8 (96m)

Dipika's biggest title, Omar's first 0f 2013
Report by Casper Lai

Final day at the Macau Open 2013! Two amazing matches were played before a sell-out crowd at Praca da Amazade. The day started with a Squash Star Clinic in the afternoon, conducted by world no.30 Emma Beddoes.

Emma took time out of her busy schedule to spend an hour with a group of players from the Macau junior squash team, giving them valuable advices and tips on improving their game.

Dipika Pallikal vs Rachael Grinham

Dipika got better of yet another Grinham in tonight’s final, this time dispatching Rachael in four sets. The first set was neck and neck. They were first tied at 5-all and then again at 10-all. Dipika won two successive rallies in the tiebreak to take the game 12-10.

Rachael came back strongly in the second to score a quick 11-5 win. It was 5-all in the third before Dipika reeled off to win successive rallies. Rachael only managed to muster another two points before Dipika closed out the game at 11-7.

The fourth was even closer. They both exchanged leads several times, but were tied at a few stages; 5-all, 7-all and 9-all. At 9-all, Dipika played two fantastic shots which Rachael could not retrieve to be crowned the champion of the Macau Open 2013.

Dipika and Rachael now move on to the $50k China Open, where both are in the qualifying draw!

Omar Mosaad vs Adrian Grant

This final was set to be explosive and it proved to be so. Omar targeting to be the third successive Egyptian champion in Macau, whilst Londoner Adrian seeking his second title for the year.

Both of them started cautiously, testing each other out with some patient rallies and occasionally went short at the front two corners. Adrian led in the early stages but Omar started to play the ball flatter and the two were tied at 6-6. Omar piled on the pressure and with Adrian making a couple of mistakes, he took the first set 11-8. Adrian built a quick six-point cushion in the second and continued to play well to win 11-4.

Nothing separated the two in the third game. At 8-8, Adrian asked for a ‘let’ but was denied. Clearly unhappy with the decision, he had a protracted argument with the referee and was given a conduct warning. He managed to regain his focus though to take the third 11-9.

Adrian held a slender lead in the fourth at 8-6 and threatened to end the match early. Omar not ready to throw in the towel fought back to take the lead and then the set 11-9.

The decider was nail-biting. Once again at 8-8, a ‘not let’ decision against Adrian riled him up. The Englishman engaged in another heated discussion with the referee. The referee had enough of his antics gave him a conduct stroke; 10-8 to Omar. The Egyptian then fired a shot into deep and beyond Adrian’s racket to claim his first title of the year.

Next stop for the men's finalists is Manchester for the World Open
 

Draws & Results

women's report from the Business Standard

11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7 (81m)

[4] Saurav Ghosal

11-8, 4-11,
9-11, 11-9, 11-8 96m

Adrian Grant

11-4, 8-11, 11-2, 11-6 (52m)

Adrian Grant

16-Oct, Qualifying Finals:

[1] Omar Abdel Meguid (EGY) 3-1 [8] Joe Chapman (IVB)         6-11,11-7,11-7,11-7
[3] Leo Au (HKG) 3-1 [5] Peter Creed (WAL)                         13-11, 3-11, 11-2, 11-5
[4] Ivan Yuen (MAS) 3-0 [6] Aqeel Rehman (AUT)                           11-5, 11-8, 11-5
[2] Mazen Hesham (EGY) 3-0 [7] Elvinn Keo (MAS)                           11-7,11-3,11-8

15-Oct, Qualifying first round :

[1] Omar Abdel Meguid (EGY) 3-0 Ahmed Atef (EGY)                     11-2, 11-3, 11-2
[8] Joe Chapman (IVB) 3-0 [L] Armando Amante (MAC)                  11-3, 11-6, 11-6
[5] Peter Creed (WAL) 3-1 Ahmad Al-Saraj (JOR)                 11-7, 11-7, 10-12, 11-7
[3] Leo Au (HKG) 3-1 Ravi Dixit (IND)                                  12-10, 7-11, 11-3, 11-8
[4] Ivan Yuen (MAS) 3-0 [L] Hoi Long Chan (MAC)                          11-2, 11-6, 11-4
[6] Aqeel Rehman (AUT) 3-0 [L] Cheuk Yan Tang (HKG)                11-6, 13-11, 11-6
[7] Elvinn Keo (MAS) 3-1 [L] Tsz Fung Yip (HKG)                     7-11, 11-3, 11-9, 11-4
[2] Mazen Hesham (EGY) 3-0 James Huang (TPE)                           11-9, 11-5, 11-6

11-9, 8-11, 8-11, 11-4, 11-9 (68m)

[3] Dipika Pallikal

12-10, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9 (42min)

[4] Rachael Grinham

11-6, 11-5, 11-6 (27m)

[5] Joey Chan

16-Oct, Qualifying Finals:

Salma Hany Ibrahim (Egy) 3-0 Liu Tsz-Ling (Hkg)                     11-7, 11-8, 11-7
Farah Abdel Meguid (Egy) 3-1  Tong Tsz-Wing (Hkg)      12-10, 11-8, 2-11, 11-3
Deon Saffery (Wal) 3-0  Carmen Lee (Hkg)                               11-4, 11-6, 11-9
Megan Craig (Nzl) 3-2  Lisa Camilleri (Aus)               11-3, 9-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-8

15-Oct, Qualifying Round One:

[7] Salma Hany Ibrahim (EGY) 3-0 Cecelia Cortes (USA)              11-2, 11-7, 11-3
[3] Tong Tsz-Wing (HKG) 3-1 Lee Ka Yi (HKG)                      11-7, 11-7, 6-11, 11-2
Farah Abdel Meguid (EGY) 3-2 [5] Nouran Gohar (EGY) 11-8, 2-11, 11-8, 2-11, 11-8 
[8] Carmen Lee (HKG) 3-0 Karman Siu (HKG)                               11-9, 11-9, 11-8
[4] Deon Saffery (WAL) 3-1 Vanessa Chu (HKG)                 11- 13, 11-4, 11-6, 11-1
Lisa Camilleri (AUS) 3-1 Ho Ka Po (HKG)                            11-5, 8-11, 12-10, 11-8

Semis in Macau 

We were down to the final four at the Macau Squash Open last night after the quarterfinals on Friday produced two unexpected winners; giant-killer Omar Abdel Meguid subdued Stephen Coppinger in three sets whilst Joey Chan upset her more illustrated team mate Annie Au in four.

Last night, the competition moved to an outdoor all-glass court at Praca da Amazade.

The buildup to the semifinals was started by a fun-filled squash carnival. The two vibrant and colourful inflatable mini squash courts were a crowd-puller, not just with the kids but also the parents! The Wii squash game was also another popular booth. There was a lot of media coverage here too, with the Macau Head Coach Lim Chee Ming being the center of attention. The carnival continues today, so if you are in town, do drop by!

Natalie Grinham vs Dipika Pallikal

The semifinals proceeding begun with an upset when India’s Dipika Pallikal packed off first seed Natalie Grinham in a five-set battle.
Natalie led early in the opening game with some clinical attacking boasts and drop shots. Dipika finally found her touches midway into the game to level at 6-6. From then on the rallies were long and tight but it was the world no. 17 Dipika who seized her opportunities better and won 11-9.

Natalie increased her tempo in the second and third. Her strategy worked as she won both sets 11-8, but not without a repercussion. Her effort in those two games meant a lot of acid buildup now in her legs as Dipika won the fourth easily 11-4. Natalie failed to recover for the fifth and found herself trailing 4-9. She gave one last big push to level at 9-all but that was as far as she could go. Dipika won the next two rallies to end the 68-minute marathon match.

Joey Chan vs Rachael Grinham

Surprise package from the quarterfinals, Joey Chan, could not reproduce the same energetic performance that saw her beating teammate Annie Au, lost tamely to the older Grinham sister, Rachael. The 36-year old Rachael was on top form out of the blocks.

She was taking the ball very early and deprived Joey time to get settled into the match. Joey tried her level best to stay with the former world no.1, but Rachael was ruthless and quickly ended the match in straight sets.

Omar Mosaad vs Saurav Ghosal

In his typical fashion, Omar began strongly to lead the opening game 3-1, when a contributed injury to Saurav stopped the game temporarily. After a quick treatment, Saurav returned to the court to level the score at 6-6. He was clearly still struggling though, as Omar wrapped up the first set 11-8.

Both players played with better variations in the second, exploring all four corners of the court. The score was once again tied at 6-all, when Saurav injected more speed into his game to lead 10-8 and then won it at 11-9. The pair traded blows in the fourth all the way to 8-all. Saurav’s drop shot clipped the top of the tin, followed by a stroke for Omar. Saurav protested the decision

briefly before Omar quickly finished off the next rally to win 11-8.
From 3-all in the fifth, Omar moved ahead to a 9-6 lead after a few amazing shots from the Egyptian and mistakes from his opponent. Omar won the next two points to finally wrap up the match, but not before he was made to run all over the court by Saurav.

Adrian Grant vs Omar Abdel Meguid

Awaiting Omar Mosaad tomorrow is Englishman Adrian Grant. Adrian denied an all-Egyptian final by ending Omar Abdel Meguid’s impressive run in the tournament. Adrian won the first set 11-4 before Omar crawled back into contention and won the second 11-8. Adrian ran riot and dominated the third by winning 11-2.

Adrian was in no mood to let it slip and maintained the pressure to quickly go 6-2 up in the fourth. Omar managed to halve the gap at 5-7 but was only allowed to collect another point before Adrian regained control and wrapped up the game 11-6 to progress to the final.
  

Quarters in Macau 

The first round of the Macau Squash Open concluded yesterday with two upsets in the men’s event, with Australian Cameron Pilley being the biggest casualty, whilst all seeded players in the women’s were safely through to today’s quarters. Today will also be the last day where the competition is played at the Centro de Bowling do Complexo Desportivo Internacional before we move to the all-glass court at an outdoor arena in downtown Macau tomorrow.

Max Lee (Hkg) vs [4] Saurav Ghosal (Ind)

Fourth seed Saurav Ghosal began today’s proceeding going up against Max Lee. Max, who recently bagged the gold medal at the East Asian Games, started brilliantly with a 3-1 lead. His 2-point cushion didn’t last for long though as Saurav then took charge to lead 7-5 and then held four game balls at 10-6. Max, from neighbouring Hong Kong, seemed to also have a huge following here in Macau as he was cheered on by the enthusiastic crowd. That must have some positive impact on Max. He crept back into the game to level at 10-10, but Saurav then regained control at this crucial stage to take the first game 12-10.

Saurav built a comfortable 6-point lead in the second game at 8-2, before allowing Max to crawl back at 7-8. Max almost leveled the score, but instead he sent the ball to the tin with his backhand volley. He only managed to collect another point before Saurav closed out the second game 11-8.

A confident-looking Saurav never gave Max any chance in the third, staying ahead in the entire game. He held five game balls and forced Max to send yet another ball to the tin to wrap up the match.

[1] Omar Mosaad (Egy) vs Ong Beng Hee (Mas)

The last time this pair met was at the CIMB KL Open in March, where Beng Hee played his best squash in recent times to upset the much-fancied Egyptian. Today, Beng Hee is looking for a repeat of that performance but Omar was in his element.

Omar raced to a quick 4-1 lead in the opening game, and only allowed Beng Hee another four points before he took the first game at 11-5. Beng Hee looked to turn things around in the second, throwing everything he could at the Egyptian. Omar however stayed focus to win it at 11-9.

It must have been a frustrating evening for Beng Hee. He was made to work long and hard for every single point, and every time he won a rally, Omar hit back immediately and win the next few rallies at relative ease. Omar was just simply too good for the veteran Malaysian today as the Egyptian finished off the third 11-5.

[3] Stephen Coppinger (RSA) vs [Q] Omar Abdel Meguid (Egy)

As with Omar’s match yesterday against Tom Richards, which was marred with constant pushing, shoving and interruptions from the referees, his encounter with Stephen Coppinger this evening was of no difference. There was barely any free-flowing squash with a let or stroke being called every few rallies. At one point it got so heated that Omar stepped out of the court and literally shouted at the referee, resulting a conduct warning. However the crowd was certainly entertained by Omar’s speed and shot-making, and it was evident that this was the match of the day judging by the “oohs” and “aahs”.

Omar was hitting nick after nick in the first set, taking a comfortable lead at 10-3. Stephen was not ready to give up yet and scored four consecutive points before Omar finally finished it off at 11-7.

Omar continued with his aggressive style in the second and opened up a 2-0 lead. Stephen realized he couldn’t let Omar dictate the pace. He took charge in the opening part of the third, leading 4-1 and then 6-4. Omar eventually caught up at 8-8 and held the match ball at 10-8. He let slipped another point but made sure he didn’t let Stephen go any further to finish it off at 11-9 to march into tomorrow’s semi finals.

Adrian Grant (Eng) vs [Q] Leo Au (Hkg)

The last men’s quarterfinal match of the evening saw Adrian Grant taking on another qualifier Leo Au, who claimed the biggest scalp yesterday beating second seed Cameron Pilley in a marathon match.

Adrian started the first set confidently, leading 5-1. Leo narrowed it to 4-5 after a ‘no let’ call against Adrian. He wasn’t happy with the decision and had a lengthy chat with the central referee. The ref was not interested and ordered the play to go on. Adrian won the next point very quickly from the restart, turned back and looked at the ref with a cheeky smile, as if to tell him “Told you it was a Let”. The ref was not amused and gave Adrian a conduct warning. After the brief interaction with the referee, Adrian continued his domination to take the first set 11-7.

Leo had two opportunities in the second to even out the score, once at 10-8 and then at 12-11. Adrian played a great shot at that critical stage to again deny Leo. At 12-12, Leo played a trickle boast which unfortunately ended up right in front of him – stroke to Adrian, 13-12. Adrian was less wasteful. One quick rally and he took the set at 14-12. With Leo now looking tired, Adrian was ruthless in the third and he closed out the game 11-5.

Women's Quarter-Finals:

[3] Dipika Pallikal (Ind) vs [8] Delia Arnold (Mas)

Indian squash sensation Dipika Pallikal was the first to qualify to the semifinals, beating Malaysia’s Delia Arnold. Dipika was very solid and precise today, making Delia covering a lot of ground. Delia led briefly in the early part of the first game, but was left playing catch up for the rest of the match. Unfortunately the gap was too huge to close as Dipika chalked up an emphatic 3-0 victory.

[1] Natalie Grinham (Ned) vs [6] Joshana Chinappa (Ind)

Top seed and world no.8 Natalie Grinham was up next against India no.2 Joshana Chinappa. Natalie opened up a healthy four point lead in the first at 7-3, but Joshana came back strongly to level the score at 7-all. It was then Natalie’s turn to win four consecutive points to take the game 11-7. Joshana saved three match balls in the second to force a tiebreak but did not managed to stop Natalie from winning it 13-11.

It was closely contested in the third with both players trading point to 4-4. Joshana then reeled off to a 9-6 lead before Natalie caught up at 10-10. Joshana won the next two points and stayed on course to create the upset. The fourth game was again a tight affair. Joshana led 9-8, then Natalie pipped her to hold the match ball at 10-9. A stroke was awarded to Natalie in the next rally and she is now through to the semifinals.

[5] Joey Chan (Hkg) vs [2] Annie Au [Hkg]

In was an all-Hong Konger affair in the third women’s quarterfinal match between Annie Au and Joey Chan. This was Annie’s second five-setters match in two days, but this time it was her opponent that triumphed. Hong Kong no.2, Joey Chan, started brightly by taking the first two sets. Annie mounted a great comeback in the third and fourth to force the match into the decider. The score was tied at 6-all when Joey hit two nick in a row, followed by a mistake from Annie, for Joey to lead 9-6. Joey was growing in confidence, but Annie managed to win a few more points before Joey completed her remarkable upset by winning the fifth 11-9.
[7] Emma Beddoes (Eng) vs [4] Rachael Grinham (Aus)

This was a repeat of last week’s Penang Open final between Emma Beddoes and Rachael Grinham. Emma, ranked 30 in the world, stunned Rachael with a solid performance last week, was eager to prove her success was no fluke.

The first set saw Rachael making some excellent attacks at the front. This coupled with some unforced errors from Emma saw Rachael taking the first set easily 11-3. Emma came back strongly in the next two sets, winning 11-7 in both sets. Emma stormed to a 4-1 lead in the fourth but Rachael was also just as determined not to let last week’s episode repeat itself. She did not just caught up at 5-5 but also won it at 11-9 to bring the match into the fifth.

Emma looked tired in the fifth as Rachael played at the same pace as she did in the first. With six match balls in hand, Rachael won the decider with a cool drop shot that was too good for Emma to retrieve.
 

Draws & Results

11-Oct:

Only days to go...

Macau Squash Association, with its main sponsor, Macau Sports Development Board has organised a press conference on the Macau Squash Open 2013 on Friday, 11th October 2013, 3PM at the Macau Sports Development Board meeting room.

The Acting Director of the Macau Sports Development Board, Mr. José Tavares, the Executive Director of Macau Squash Association, Mr. William Kuan and the Tournament Director of Macau Squash Open 2013, Mr. Kenneth Lei, were the guests of honours of the press conference.

Qualifying rounds start on October 15 to 16, and then proceeds to the main rounds draw from October 17 to 20. The early rounds and quarter finals matches will be played at Centro de Bowling do Complexo Desportivo Internacional,COTAI. The tournament will then be moved to Praça da Amizade, where the semi-finals and finals will be played.

The Macau Squash Open 2013 offers combined prize money of USD 50,000 for the men’s event and USD 35,000 for the women’s event. The organizer also hope with such prestigious event being held in Macau, the quality and interest in squash of the local players can be further improved.

To further promote the sport in Macau, a squash carnival will be held on October 19 and 20. Entrance to the carnival, and the Macau Squash Open, will be free of charge for all local residents.

Macau Open Preview

With the support and assistance from the Macau Sports Development Board, the previous Macau Squash Opens have enjoyed remarkable success in several aspects, particularly in promoting the sport in the country and helped to boost the local tourism industry. Once again, the Macau Squash Association (ASM) is proud to be hosting the Macau Squash Open 2013. This year’s tournament has attracted the participation of world’s top men and women players, promising a week-long of exciting and top level squash.

Making a return to the tournament and leading the star-studded men’s draw is world no.11 Omar Mosaad. The talented Egyptian is definitely eager to bring home the title this year, having bowed out in the quarter final stage in last year’s edition. Mosaad will need to be at the top of his game though as he will be accompanied by hard-hitting Australian no.1 Cameron Pilley, South Africa’s Stephen Coppinger and Saurav Ghosal of India as the tournament top seeds. The local interest in the men’s main draw is represented by Steven Liu.

In the women’s event, top seed and Netherland’s world no.9 Natalie Grinham will be gunning for her second WSA title for the year having bagged the Tournament of Champions in January. Hong Kong’s Annie Au (world no.14) is seeded behind Natalie, while India’s Dipika Palikal and Natalie’s elder sister, Rachel, seeded 3rd and 4th respectively.

Fierce battles are likely to ensue as the top 4 seeds are joined by Joey Chan (Hong Kong – world no.20), Joshana Chinappa (India- world no.26), Emma Beddoes (Egypt - world no.32) and Delia Arnold (Malaysia - world no.33) who are all looking to stamp their mark on the tour. A wild card entry is rewarded to local girl Liu Kwai Chi.

Both the men and women events will feature a 16-player draw. The 11 top seeded players are given an automatic berth in the main draw with one wild card is awarded to a Macau player. The remaining 4 main draw slots will be determined by rounds of qualifying.

The tournament kicks off with the qualifying rounds on 15 to 16 Oct 2013. The main draw matches will take place from 17 to 20 Oct. Qualifying and preliminary rounds are held at the Centro de Bowling do Complexo Desportivo Internacional, Cotai. The tournament will then move to Praça da Amizade, where the semifinals and finals will be played.

In conjunction with the tournament, ASM will also be organizing a squash carnival. Mini squash courts and entertainment booths will be setup during the carnival to further promote and raise the profile of the sport in the Macau.