It’s Quarter-Final Friday in Hong Kong with four more last eight matches at Ocean Park to complete the semi-final lineups.
It’s bound to be an action-packed evening, you can Watch Live on SquashTV, follow on Live Scoring and Socials, and we’ll have photos going into the Gallery and Reports and Reaction right here.
17.30 Matches
[6] Satomi Watanabe (Jpn) 3-2 [2] Amina Orfi (Egy) 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 4-11, 11-4 (68m)
[2] Paul Coll (Nzl) 3-0 [5] Marwan ElShorbagy (Eng) 11-5, 11-1, 11-6 (27m)
20.30 Matches
[4] Olivia Weaver (Usa) 3-0 [5] Tinne Gilis (Bel) 11-8, 14-12, 11-2 (37m)
[8] Youssef Ibrahim (Egy) 3-0 Miguel Rodriguez (Col) 11-7, 11-1, 11-7 (37m)
Sataomi storms into the semis as Coll cruises
Sixth seed Satomi Watanabe stunned second seed Amina Orfi in a five game thriller while New Zealand’s Paul Coll eased past Marwan ElShorbagy in straight games.
[6] Satomi Watanabe (Jpn) 3-2 [2] Amina Orfi (Egy) 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 4-11, 11-4 (68m)
[2] Paul Coll (Nzl) 3-0 [5] Marwan ElShorbagy (Eng) 11-5, 11-1, 11-6 (27m)
Watabane and Orfi had met just a fortnight ago in the final of the China Open , a match which Orfi won in four games, but Japanese #1 Watanabe avenged that defeat with an impressive performance on the glass court at Ocean Park.
Watanabe dominated the opening two games with Orfi unable to get a foothold in the match. The Egyptian forged ahead in the third and although Watanabe pulled it back to 9-all Orfi held on to reduce the deficit.
As Orfi levelled 11-4 it looked as though Watanabe’s chance might have gone, but she stormed ahead in the decider, finishing with a delightful flick and a fling of her racket as she reached the semi-finals.
“I definitely knew it was going to be a really tough match today. I don’t think I’ve ever beaten her 3-0, so I knew that she would do something different in the third game. I was quite emotional on court today. I just wanted to win so badly. In the third and fourth games, I lost my concentration.
“In the fifth game I really tried not to engage in any conversation with the referee. I just tried to focus on my squash. I’m just really happy to get through today.”
Coll eased into the semi-finals with a convincing win over Marwan, who never reached the heights he’s capable of. Only in the third did he briefly threaten, but that was soon snuffed out as Coll went through.
“It was a bit annoying to do what I did the other day [surviving in the fifth!], but I didn’t need to drastically change anything, I thought I was playing well there so I’m happy. I love Hong Kong. There are a lot of Kiwis out here, so I always enjoy playing here. I’m looking forward to another semi-final here.”
Weaver and Ibrahim complete the Semi-Final lineups
Olivia Weaver and Youssef Ibrahim completed the semi-final lineups with three-nil wins over Tinne Gilis and Miguel Rodriguez.
[4] Olivia Weaver (Usa) 3-0 [5] Tinne Gilis (Bel) 11-8, 14-12, 11-2 (37m)
[8] Youssef Ibrahim (Egy) 3-0 Miguel Rodriguez (Col) 11-7, 11-1, 11-7 (37m)
Weaver had never lost to Gilis in eight previous meetings, and was dominant from the start of the match, moving into a 5-0 lead. Gilis fought back but it was too late to stop Weaver taking the lead. Gilis raced into 7-0 lead in the second and it was Weaver’s turn to fight back. Three game balls went begging for Gilis and Weaver doubled her lead 14-12 then cruised through the third to book her semi-final spot.
“I always love playing at this tournament and I was really enjoying my time last year but I finished with an injury, but I came here and I wanted another shot at a semi-final and take it even further and bring home the title,” said Weaver. “I’m really pleased with that performance, Tinne is playing really well and she made it really tough out there.
“Satomi had a phenomenal win earlier and she’s really dangerous when she’s playing well so I need to bring my A game tomorrow.”
Ibrahim, finalist in last week’s HKFC Silver event, beat Rodrigues – the oldest player to feature in a major PSA quarter-final – in their first meeting to reach a second successive Platinum semi-final.
“It means a lot to reach the semi finals here,” he said. “Last year I made the quarters and this year I’ve been consistent in the last few months and gone one step further, hopefully it can continue.
,The semi-finals are on Saturday evening, again in two sessions starting at 17.30 and 20.30.
