China Open: Upsets for Pilley, Ghosal & Ibrahim

PSA 09:29 02/09/2016
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  • Pilley, the World No.14, produced a strong performance to overcome World No.3 Omar Mosaad in straight games, with an 11-4, 11-5, 11-7 victory sending the 33-year-old through to the quarter-final where he will take on Borja Golan, who overcame Fares Dessouky 3-0.

    World No.21 Ghosal is also through to the last eight after coming out on top of a five-game thriller against ‘Colombian Cannonball’ Miguel Angel Rodriguez.

    Rodriguez had fallen to a shock opening round defeat to tournament wildcard Tsz Fung Yip during last week’s Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open, but looked to have bounced back after taking a 2-1 lead against Ghosal.

    However, a shift in momentum saw Ghosal fight back and the Kolkata-born 30-year-old took the next two games without reply to consign Rodriguez to a second successive first round defeat and set up a quarter-final clash with Hong Kong Open runner-up Karim Abdel Gawad after the World No.6 defeated fellow Egyptian Mohamed Abouelghar.

    Elsewhere in the Men’s event, World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy and World Champion Gregory Gaultier got their tournaments off to winning starts with wins over wildcard Junjie Wang and Peruvian qualifier Diego Elias, respectively.

    Next up for ElShorbagy is a meeting with Frenchman Mathieu Castagnet, against whom the Egyptian has won the last four encounters. Gaultier, meanwhile, will go head-to-head with Tarek Momen for a place in the semi-final.

    The Women’s event saw 20-year-old Salma Hany Ibrahim come up with the day’s biggest upset, beating World No.13 Annie Au in straight games.

    Ibrahim’s reward is a quarter-final fixture with recent Hong Kong Open winner Nouran Gohar after the World Junior Champion dispatched Indian No.2 Dipika Pallikal Karthik in a comfortable three-game salvo.

    There were also wins for top seed Laura Massaro and World No.5 Raneem El Welily, with Massaro axing Joey Chan and El Welily overcoming wildcard Li Dongjin.

    Massaro will line up against fifth seed Joshna Chinappa in the last eight, while El Welily is set to face Alison Waters.

    New Zealand’s Joelle King and England’s Sarah-Jane Perry will contest the other last eight fixture after they rose to respective wins against Delia Arnold and Emily Whitlock.

    2016 China Squash Open – Men’s First Round Results:
    [1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) bt [WC] Junjie Wang (CHN) 3-0: 11-8, 11-5, 11-3 (22m)
    [5] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) bt [Q] Zahed Mohamed (EGY) 3-1: 12-10, 7-11, 11-6, 11-6 (60m)
    [8] Borja Golan (ESP) bt Fares Dessouky (EGY) 3-0: 14-12, 11-3, 11-4 (60m)
    Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [3] Omar Mosaad (EGY) 3-0: 11-4, 11-5, 11-7 (55m)
    Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt [4] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) 3-2: 11-9, 8-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5 (90m)
    [6] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt [Q] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) 3-0: 13-11, 11-6, 11-6 (36m)
    [7] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt [Q] Cesar Salazar (MEX) 3-0: 12-10, 11-7, 5-1 ret. (30m)
    [2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [Q] Diego Elias (PER) 3-0: 11-8, 11-7, 11-4 (38m)

    2016 China Squash Open – Men’s Quarter-Final Draw:
    [1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) v [5] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA)
    [8] Borja Golan (ESP) v Cameron Pilley (AUS)
    Saurav Ghosal (IND) v [6] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
    [7] Tarek Momen (EGY) v [2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA)

    2016 China Squash Open – Women’s First Round Results:
    [1] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt [Q] Joey Chan (HKG) 3-0: 13-11, 11-9, 11-9 (32m)
    [5] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt [Q] Heba El Torky (EGY) 3-1: 8-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-7 (43m)
    [7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt Emily Whitlock (ENG) 3-1: 11-0, 7-11, 11-9, 11-7 (44m)
    [4] Joelle King (NZL) bt Delia Arnold (MAS) 3-1: 11-3, 7-11, 11-5, 11-5 (48m)
    [3] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt [Q] Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND) (27m)
    [Q] Salma Hany Ibrahim (EGY) bt [6] Annie Au (HKG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-3 (24m)
    [8] Alison Waters (ENG) bt Victoria Lust (ENG) 3-2: 11-4, 6-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-6 (57m)
    [2] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt [WC] Li Dongjin (CHN) 3-0: 11-3, 11-6, 11-4 (18m)

    2016 China Squash Open – Women’s Quarter-Final Draw:
    [1] Laura Massaro (ENG) v [5] Joshna Chinappa (IND)
    [7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) v [4] Joelle King (NZL)
    [3] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v [Q] Salma Hany Ibrahim (EGY)
    [8] Alison Waters (ENG) v [2] Raneem El Welily (EGY)

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