Sat 17th, Day FOUR:
Men's Round One continues at
Grand
Central, meanwhile at
the Yale Club it's the second of three Women's Qualifying
rounds.Men's
Round One, bottom half - Refresh for latest
Omar Mosaad (Egy) 3-1 [Q] Mohamed Abouelghar (Egy)
11/3, 8/11, 11/3, 11/4 (66m)
[3] Nick Matthew (Eng) 3-1 Daryl Selby (Eng)
12/10, 11/3, 7/11, 11/6 (70m)
[Q] Tom Richard (Eng) 3-0 Alister Walker (Bot)
11/6, 11/6, 11/5 (37m)
[8] Simon Rosner (Ger) 3-1 Steve Coppinger (Rsa)
10/12, 11/4, 11/7, 12/10 (87m)
Mathieu Castagnet (Fra) v [Q] Diego Elias (Per)
11/3, 11/7, 3/11, 11/5 (68m)
Miguel Rodriguez (Col) 3-0 [Q] Joe Lee (Eng)'
12/10, 11/4, 11/7 (51m)
[2] Gregory Gaultier (Fra) 3-0 Max Lee (Hkg)}
11/1, 11/7, 11/2 (44m)
[5] Peter Barker (Eng) 3-0 Grégoire Marche (Fra)
11/6, 11/5, 11/3 (47m)
PSA Roundup
Gaultier and Matthew secure
second sound spots in New York
English three-time World Champion Nick Matthew and French
World No.2 Gregory Gaultier, the man Matthew beat to claim
two of his world crowns, moved one step closer to a potential
semi-final showdown at the 2015 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions
after coming through their first round match-ups in Manhattan today.
In the opening PSA World Series event of 2015, taking place at the
iconic Grand Central Terminal, the duo prevailed in strikingly
different styles with Gaultier effortless against Hong Kong's Max
Lee while Matthew was given a stern test by compatriot Daryl Selby.
After
opening proceedings with a gut-busting rally that set the scene for
what was to follow, the English pair served up a 70-minute battle of
attrition that saw them trade blows with spectacular retrievals
interspersed with pinpoint accurate winning shots but it was
Sheffield-man Matthew who withstood an early Selby onslaught to
complete a hard-earned 3-1 victory.
"That was a very tough match against Daryl today," said
34-year-old Matthew.
"When he moves well he is a top ten player without any doubt. He's
had a few problems with his body over the past year but he's been
moving well again recently so I knew it was going to be a tough one.
"In the first game it took me a little while to find my range. He
came out with an aggressive plan, making it tough to break him down,
and that game was crucial.
"If he'd snuck it then it would have been a very tough ask as he
always seems to counter me well so I was pleased to get off in four
at the end and I'll rest up tomorrow ready to return on Monday."
2014
Tournament of Champions runner-up Gaultier took 44-minutes to get
past Lee and never looked troubled against the World No.16.
"I maybe relaxed a little bit in the second game and let him get
into it but it was a good first round match for me as it was fast
paced and really got my body working," said Gaultier.
"I had a few weeks off over Christmas but I was feeling fluid today
so I'm happy with the win."
Earlier
in the day German World No.10 Simon Rösner came through a
thrilling encounter with Stephen Coppinger, the South African World
No.18, to book his place in the second round.
Two of the most physically imposing players on the PSA World Tour,
the duo tested each other to the brink in an mammoth 87-minute
battle that saw them trading points in a continuous series of
brutal, energy-sapping rallies.
Coppinger took first blood with a 12-10 win in the opening game but
Rösner showed the battling spirit that has taken him into the top
ten for the first time in his career to bounce back and secure an
impressive 3-1 win, taking the match 10-12, 11-4, 11-7, 12-10.
"There were a lot of very tight decisions today and it was a
tough match for both of us," said Rösner.
"Stephen is a top quality player and we've had some very tough
battles in the past so I'm just really pleased to get through and
win.
"I tried to play the match point by point and keep my focus all the
way through and I'm just happy to still be in the tournament."
There
were also victories for Omar Mosaad, Mathieu Castagnet, Peter
Barker and Miguel Rodriguez while qualifier Tom Richards
pulled off the biggest upset of the day to knock out Alister Walker
3-0.
Quick "as it happened" reports from
selected matches
Women's Qualifying
Round Two: (Yale Club)
Mariam Metwally (Egy) 3-1 Madeline Perry (Irl)
9-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-4
Victoria Lust (Eng) 3-0 Joshana Chinappa (Ind)
13-11, 18-16, 12-10
Heba El Torky (Egy) 3-1 Sarah-Jane Perry (Eng)
7-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9
Kanzy El Defrawy (Egy) 3-1 Nicolette Fernandes (Guy)
6-11, 11-2, 13-11, 11-1
Salma Hany Ibrahim (Egy) 3-0 Laura Pomportes (Fra)
11-6,11-6, 11-3
Emma Beddoes (Eng) 3-0 Sabrina Sobhy (Usa)
11-7, 11-6, 11-8
Samantha Teran (Mex) 3-2 Sarah Kippax (Eng)
14-12, 11-9, 5-11, 6-11, 11-6
Jenny Duncalf (Eng) 3-1 Hollie Naughton (Can)
10-12, 11-2, 11-4, 11-7
Egyptians rule in ToC qualifying shocks
Egyptians claimed the lions'
share of places in the qualifying finals of the Women's JP Morgan
Tournament of Champions after major upsets on the second day of
qualifying action.
Ireland's Madeline Perry was the highest-ranked player to suffer at
the hands of a lower-ranked opponent from Alexandria. The world
No.15 from Belfast, twice a semi-finalist in the prestigious WSA
World Tour championship at New York's iconic Grand Central Terminal,
went down 9-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-4 in 52 minutes to Mariam Metwally,
the 18-year-old world No.46.
Fellow Alexandrian Heba El Torky also claimed an unexpected
place in the final qualifying round after despatching Sarah-Jane
Perry, the world No.16 from England, 7-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9 - also
in 52 minutes.
World No.27 El Torky will now face compatriot Kanzy El-Defrawy
for a place in the main draw after the 20-year-old world No.66 from
Cairo became the lowest-ranked player to survive when she upset
Guyana's world No.21 Nicolette Fernandes 6-11, 11-2, 13-11, 11-1.
Meanwhile Metwally will line up against Victoria Lust, the
25-year-old world No.32 from England who claimed one of the biggest
scalps of her career by overcoming Indian hope Joshana Chinappa,
ranked ten places higher, 13-11, 18-16, 12-10.
Mexican star Samantha Teran became the oldest player to win a
place in the qualifying finals after surviving a 65-minute battle
against England's Sarah Kippax, the world No.20.
Teran, the world No.33 and reigning Pan American champion, clinched
a 14-12, 11-9, 5-11, 6-11, 11-6 victory to set up a play-off against
England's world No.19 Jenny Duncalf. The former world No.2
from Yorkshire is one step away from a fifth appearance in the
Tournament of Champions' main draw after beating Canadian Hollie
Naughton 10-12, 11-2, 11-4, 11-7.
England's Emma Beddoes denied home hopes of a qualifying
success - and became the highest-ranked player to survive in the
process - after beating New York's Sabrina Sobhy 11-7, 11-7, 11-9.
The 29-year-old world No.18 from Leeds will now face Egypt's 18-year-old
Salma Hany Ibrahim for a place in the main draw.
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