|
|
13-Nov:
Men's preview from
Malcolm
Invariably the draws in the major events are the significant
factor for those players who harbour thoughts of winning. After
Manchester and Doha, Hong Kong is intriguing to say the least.
 Amr
Shabana, convincingly beaten by Karim Darwish in the
Qatar final, but looking in control midway through the fourth
against Ramy Ashour in the Worlds before losing in the
semi-final, will feel, as undisputed no.1, in need of a win.
Perversely Darwish is in his quarter and Ashour in his half, so
to win he may have to get past both, something he may or may not
relish.
Darwish's confidence will be high, that's for sure, but Peter
Barker is not the kindest second round draw and there are
some physical heavyweights in Ashour's quarter, including
Thierry Lincou who beat him in Doha.
 The
bottom half has the prospect of a heavy second round match
between resurgent Nick Matthew and Wael el Hindi,
whilst James Willstrop's troublesome ankle has made life
difficult for him.
Nor have things been easy for Gregory Gaultier with a
last 16 loss to Adrian Grant in Manchester and a 3-2
quarter final loss to Darwish in Doha, though that looks good
enough form in view of the Egyptian's win.
David Palmer continues to hold his form and if Matthew
survives El Hindi - they will, I am sure recall their bloody
battle in the World Championships in Egypt 2006 - then that pair
seem to have less to deal with than other main players in the
bottom half.
First round matches to catch the eye are Laurens Anjema v
Borja Golan, and Cameron Pilley v El Hindi -
although the Australian seems to be less consistent these days.
Darwish v Barker is certainly the pick of the last 16,
though once the line-up is settled there will be others.
The projected last 8 is:
Shabana v Darwish
Ashour v Lincou
Willstrop v Matthew
Palmer v Gaultier
You would certainly get odds against all that working out, but
if it does, semi-finals night in the glamorous setting of Hong
Kong harbour will be the place to be. Happily I will be there.
 |
 |
|
 |
 13-Nov-08:
Live on Pearl
Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Squash Open 2008 will commence next
week, and to promote squash for locals, TVB Pearl will be
broadcasting the semi-finals and finals live on 22nd and 23rd
November, with delayed broadcast featuring highlights of the
day.
HK Squash Chairman Mr. David Mui and Ms. Cecilia Tan,
Deputy Controller, Programme Division of TVB attended the
contract signing ceremony held yesterday.
Chinese version in the Blog
|
 |
27-Oct-08:
Draws for 2008
full draws
The draw for the 2008 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open was made
today, with all the world's top players in the hat for one of
the world's longest-standing and popular major events.
Men's Draw
Women's Draw
|
HK Squash Chairman
Mr David Mui on local TV |
|
 |
25-Oct-08:
Back to the Waterfront
Once again, fans will be treated
with world class squash when the annual “Cathay Pacific Hong
Kong Squash Open 2008” takes place at the world’s most vibrant
city in November.
Presented by Hong Kong Squash with the full support of Cathay
Pacific, the sporting extravaganza will be held from November 17
to 23 at the Hong Kong Squash Centre in Central and the Hong
Kong Cultural Centre Piazza in Tsim Sha Tsui.
A “Platinum Series” on the world circuit, the week-long
tournament will feature top WISPA players as well as the PSA
stars. With a winning purse of HK$1.6 million at stake, the
world’s top 30 players will certainly be ready to compete for
the prestigious men and women’s titles.
To showcase the scenic view of the Victoria Harbour, the
tournament will be staged at the Tsim Sha Tsui water front when
entering the semi-final stages.
Matches will be held in a state-of-the-art glass court erected
at the Piazza of the Cultural Centre, with the grand Harbour as
its natural backdrop. A big screen will also be set up at the
Piazza where people visiting one of the world’s busiest shopping
areas can take a break and enjoy some world class sport.
The Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open, which is also supported by
the Hong Kong government’s Major Event Sports Committee and is
awarded “M” mark status, is always popular with the domestic and
international squash community. A large contingent of players,
coaches, families, fans and international media will be in Hong
Kong in November to witness this spectacular event.
Ticket for the “M” event is available at Hong Kong Squash office
from October 27 and advance booking is welcome. Please call 2523
2225 for information. You may also contact Hong Kong Squash at
2869 1592 or via fax at 2869 0118 for more details.
Don’s miss the opportunity of joining the world‘s best players
for a week of top class squash at the “2008 Cathay Pacific Hong
Kong Squash Open” Act now and see you then!
|
2005 World Open
|
|
