The 2022 CIB PSA World Championships continued with a third day day at the Club S Allegria, 16 second round matches from the top half of the draws, four of them on the Glass Court to finish off the day.
All the side court matches will be streamed live on the PSA YouTube channel with Glass Court action live on Squash TV. You can also follow with Live Scores and our Social Media channels, and we’ll have reports and reaction right here with a roundup to follow at the end of the day.
Glass Court
[1] Nouran Gohar (Egy) 3-0 [25] Farida Mohamed 11-4, 11-2, 11-4 (27m)
[1] Paul Coll (Nzl) 3-0 Mahesh Mangaonkar (Ind) 11-5, 11-3, 11-9 (36m)
[4] Amanda Sobhy (Usa) 3-0 [31] Alexandra Fuller (Rsa) 11-3, 11-5, 11-6 (22m)
[3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (Egy) 3-0 Juan Camilo Vargas (Col) 11-6, 11-4, 11-5 (27m)
Court 1
[5] Joelle King (Nzl) 3-0 Yathreb Adel (Egy) 11-3, 11-5, 11-9 (28m)
[8] Fares Dessouky (Egy) 3-1 George Parker (Eng) 11-6, 9-11, 11-3, 11-4 (50m)
[8] Rowan Elaraby (Egy) 3-0 [26] Hana Ramadan (Egy) 11-7, 11-7, 11-9 (33m)
[6] Tarek Momen (Egy) 3-1 Faraz Khan (Usa) 11-7, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8 (50m)
Court 2
[15] Nada Abbas (Egy) 3-0 [17] Olivia Clyne (Usa) 11-6, 3-0 rtd (13m)
[13] Gregoire Marche (Fra) 3-1 Ramit Tandon (Ind) 15-13, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8 (66m)
[12] Joshna Chinappa (Ind) 3-0 [18] Emily Whitlock (Wal) 11-8, 12-10, 11-5 (37m)
[9] Joel Makin (Wal) 3-0 Lucas Serme (Fra) 11-8, 11-3, 11-6 (45m)
Court 3
[11] Nele Gilis (Bel) 3-0 Lisa Aitken (Sco) 11-6, 11-5, 11-6 (41m)
[12] Karim Abdel Gawad (Egy) 3-0 Victor Crouin (Fra) 11-9, 11-5, 11-8 (37m)
[13] Tesni Evans (Wal) 3-0 Coline Aumard (Fra) 12-10, 11-2 rtd (19m)
[10] Mazen Hesham (Egy) 3-0 Karim El Hammamy (Egy) 11-8, 11-5, 11-6 (40m)
Reports & Reaction
Gohar continues strong start
World No.1 Nouran Gohar continued her strong start to the World Championships with a convincing win over Egyptian compatriot Farida Mohamed, who carried heavy leg strapping.
The 24-year-old Cairo-native put in a typically brutal performance from minute one, with her power hitting consistently troubling the 20-year-old World No.19, who struggled to construct rallies throughout.
After Gohar took the first game 11-4 in six minutes, Mohamed’s concentration slipped in the second and she played a number of loose shots that Gohar was more than happy to punish on the way to an 11-2 win.
Gohar continued to dominate proceeding in the third game, and reached the third round – where she will play Wales’ Tesni Evans – with another 11-4.
“I had to play my A Game today to do it in three. Last time against her, it was a very tough battle, so that’s what we call learning lessons and definitely I learned from this one.
“It’s always tricky to play an injured player, you have to not think about it because sometimes it plays in their favour and makes them sharper. I’ve carried many injuries in the past so I know how it feels! I didn’t think about her injury, I tried to play my own game.
“It’s the toughest tournament of the year in terms of length, pressure, title, in terms of everything! I’m just trying not to think about the whole thing, I’m just taking it match by match and focus on the little things I have in my hands right now and move on to the next round.
“I have all the motivation throughout the year. I was really looking forward to the world champs from the beginning of the year, it was definitely a goal. I’m not trying to think about it right now. Any match I play on the court, I want to win it! It doesn’t matter if it’s in the World Championship or in a practice match, I just try to focus on the game and do my best!”
Result
[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt [25] Farida Mohamed (EGY) 3-0: 11-4, 11-2, 11-4 (27m)
Typically efficient performance sees Coll safely through
Men’s World No.1 Paul Coll’s relentless brand of squash saw him safely through to the Museum Court, where he will play Egypt’s Mazen Hesham in the third round.
Against India’s World No.52 Mahesh Mangaonkar, Coll was in fine form, and the 30-year-old opened up a two game lead with his patented brand of athleticism and immaculate recoveries, alongside dangerous and well-chosen attacks.
Mangaonkar put up fierce resistance in the third game and caused Coll trouble when he went short.
At 9-7, the Indian had an opportunity to gain a foothold in the match. Coll, however, was able to hold off Mangaonkar to take the match 11-9.
“I felt a lot more comfortable on court than in the first round,” Coll said. “It’s been a good first two rounds for me, coming through unscathed and with two 3-0s which is really good. I felt really good on court, just in time to swap courts in the next round! But it’s nice to have the experience of playing outside and I’m sure the conditions are pretty similar.
“It’s great, something that Egypt is very good at is finding new venues all over the country. Indoors, outdoors, they put on a good event. It’s great for the sport to have such spectator backdrops and using the glass courts in the way we can.
“There’s no chance I’m announcing publicly [what he’s added to his game]! I’m just sharpening everything, every shot we’ve been practicing with Rob [Owen] over the last two years. Every time we go for a week we might add a new shot or find something that maybe is ten percent off and we’ll just get it back to 100 percent. It’s overall a good week, sharpening everything that has got us to the top and just trying to keep it there.”
Result
[1] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) 3-0: 11-5, 11-3, 11-9 (36m)
Superb Sobhy sets up best-friend battle with Gilis
US No.1 Amanda Sobhy will take on close friend and Belgium No.1 Nele Gilis in the next round after beating South Africa’s Alexandra Fuller in straight games.
Lethal, powerful, and able to find her targets all around court, this was Sobhy at her best. The World No.4 had far too much quality for Fuller as she attacked from the start.
Although Fuller attempted to blunt Sobhy’s attacking instincts by moving her around the back of the court, too often she played shots that Sobhy was able to attack, and the American was able to secure a comfortable victory in 22 minutes with 11-3, 11-5, 11-6 wins.
After the match, Sobhy said: “I’m feeling good so far. It’s a long event, so it’s just about preserving the energy and not trying to take anything too seriously. I’m just taking it one day at a time and thankfully feeling good. Hopefully we’re just going to continue that!
“Me and Nele are best friends, we haven’t played each other in a while, I know it’s going to be a fair battle. I think we’re both excited to be at the museum. It’s going to feel like a totally different tournament which is kind of nice to break things up. It’s going to be a new day on… whatever day it is we’ll play, I don’t even know what day it is anymore!
“I know she’s going to come out firing, we know each other’s game pretty well. It’s going to be whoever adapts to the conditions the best. I’m excited!”
“She picks up a lot of balls, she’s known for her retrieval skills and fitness. I definitely know I’m going to be feeling it in the lungs, but I’m going to do the best I can, tactically, to contain that and win!”
Result
[4] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt [31] Alexandra Fuller (RSA) 3-0: 11-3, 11-5, 11-6 (22m)
First into round three: King, Abbas and Gilis
On the traditional courts, New Zealand’s Joelle King and Egypt’s Nada Abbas will meet in the third round after victories over Egypt’s Yathreb Adel and the USA’s Olivia Clyne.
World No.5 King made a rapid start to the match, with the Kiwi No.1 looking sharp and accurate as she took the first two games11-3, 11-5.
World No.38 Adel put up strong resistance in the third, but was unable to prevent King from securing a 3-0 win with an 11-9 victory for the 33-year-old.
King’s opponent in round three,Abbas, meanwhile, spent only 13 minutes on court.
The Egyptian had made a good start to the match, taking the opening game 11-6, before Clyne, who had been suffering from illness prior to the match, was forced to withdraw early in game two.
Joining the pair in the next round is Belgium’s Nele Gilis, after the World No.11 recorded a 3-0 win over Scotland’s Lisa Aitken, with Gilis’ pace and power proving too much to handle.
Afterwards, King said: “Yathreb and I have seen each other play a lot and played a few times over the years. If the ball is on her racket she can put it away as well as any player on the Tour.
“Today, I just tried to contain her, she obviously had a really tough battle against Mariam [Metwally] two days ago, so I just tried to set my stall out from the beginning and apply pressure early and keep her contained. Like most good players she came back at me in the third, so I’m glad to get off in three and looking forward to my next match in two days time.
“Mentally that was such a tough match [for Yathreb against Mariam] as well as physically, so I’d say anyone you’re playing, if they’ve come off a tough match, your tactics are to start well from the get go and keep the pressure on and at a high pace. I thought I did that well in the first and second and then she came back at me in the third, but good to get off 3-0.”
Gilis added: “I’m very happy to get away in three because Lisa is a really good player,”
“I was very happy that I was able to focus on my game plan from start to finish, definitely focused. It was a long, clean battle as I expected against Lisa and I’m very excited to play on the museum court next.
“It’s really exciting that there’s a new venue, I’m really looking forward to it. It’s going to be different and new conditions but I’m up for the challenge.”
On her lingering injury from Europeans Team Championships, she said: “My preparation hasn’t been as good as I have hoped for this one, which is a bit frustrating. I’m managing it and so far, it’s been good.”
Results
[15] Nada Abbas (EGY) bt [17] Olivia Clyne (USA) 3-0: 11-6, 3-0 retired (13m)
[5] Joelle King (NZL) bt Yathreb Adel (EGY) 3-0: 11-3, 11-5, 11-9 (28m)
[11] Nele Gilis (BEL) bt Lisa Aitken (SCO) 3-0: 11-6, 11-5, 11-6 (41m)
Acrimonious end to Dessouky-Parker battle
In the first set of men’s round two matches, tensions boiled over between Egypt’s Fares Dessouky and England’s George Parker, while there were entertaining wins for France’s Gregoire Marche and Egypt’s Karim Abdel Gawad.
Dessouky and Parker had been playing a tight and entertaining game, which had been conducted at an enjoyable pace, until a controversial decision sparked fury.
In the fourth game, with Dessouky leading by two games to one, a ball was called down which Parker insisted was up. The Englishman remonstrated with referee Massarella and Dessouky, whom he felt had also seen the ball as good.
After this argument, Parker struggled to find his way back into a rhythm and Dessouky closed out the match with an 11-4 win in the fourth game, and the pair exchanged heated words again at the end.
For Gawad and Marche, their matches ended on a happier note, with Gawad playing out an entertaining 3-0 over talented French 22-year-old Victor Crouin. Marche, meanwhile, earned his spot in the next round after a 3-1 win over India’s Ramit Tandon, with a thrilling 15-13 win in the first game setting the tone.
Speaking after the match, Dessouky said: “Today, I wasn’t comfortable on court. I was thinking a lot, he was putting me under a lot of pressure, I was running a lot on court and he was the one controlling the rallies. So I was just trying to find solutions for every point. And as the point finished, I was thinking and trying to learn from my errors, and trying to add something new.
“And that’s why I feel that after the second game, I played some good squash, very accurate squash, so I was very happy with my performance.
“I am very relaxed. He was taking too much space from the first point, and I’m accepting that, and playing through.
“I accepted all the decisions, I didn’t say anything. And at the end, when the game finished, he thought that a ball was down, and I thought it was good. So, it’s the ref’s call now, it’s not my decision. Before that, I asked him for a double, and he said it was good, and I accepted the decision.
“At the end, he starting talking in a very bad way.
“In my last match, I was playing against Asal, the same thing happened, and nothing was done. I feel they have to put limits to that kind of players. This is squash. We are not playing soccer or anything. It’s a very decent sport, and these kind of actions are not accepted on a squash court.
“I had my problems, I was penalised, and I learned from my mistakes.”
Marche added: “The first game was crucial, but in my head I knew it was good to have a long and tough first game. Physically I knew it would have been even harder for him, I was happy to take it but I felt like was a good first game.
“In the second, I felt I was hitting and then I lost a bit of focus and he came back. He’s really talented with the racket and on these courts I think it suits him pretty well. It was better at the end of the second and I had to make a big push, I could see there were some tough rallies for him and I could feel it as well but I knew it was even harder for him. Mentally it was hard to push every rally, he’s really dangerous and I had to be on my toes all the time. 8-8 in the fourth, you never know what’s going to happen, so I’m really pleased to get through.
“I’m trying to work on my mental side in every match. It’s not easy and I still have a lot of trouble, even though I’m 32 years old, I still feel like I’m 20. It’s a big part of the game where I need to improve and these kind of matches will have helped this week. Let’s get ready for the next one.”
Gawad, meanwhile, said: “We just played last week, he played superbly and I was under pressure all time. I made sure that I had enough time to watch that match and watch him in other matches to get my plan with my coach and also have different plans and I’m glad things worked out today. I’m so happy to win in three against Victor.
“It’s always nice to play on a glass court and especially in Egypt. Playing at a different venue and different glass court thanks to CIB and I’m looking forward to it. Looking forward to playing another good match.”
Results
[12] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt Victor Crouin (FRA) 3-0: 11-9, 11-5, 11-8 (37m)
[8] Fares Dessouky (EGY) bt George Parker (ENG) 3-1: 11-6, 9-11, 11-3, 11-4 (50m)
[13] Gregoire Marche (FRA) bt Ramit Tandon (IND) 3-1: 15-13, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8 (66m)
Disappointing end for Aumard in final World Championship appearance
In a tight opening game, Aumard – who will retire after the upcoming RMCLUB Women’s Open 2022 presented by Expression Networks in Mauritius – led a number of times and had game ball, only for World No.15 Evans to come back each time.
The Welshwoman successfully overturned game ball at 10-9 to win the first game 12-10, before taking a quick lead in the second. Aumard appeared to injure her foot in the second game, which Evans won 11-2, and was unable to return for the third, handing the match to the 29-year-old.
Elsewhere, Egypt’s Rowan Elaraby beat compatriot Hana Ramadan 3-0 in 33 minutes, while India’s Joshna Chinappa overcame Wales’ Emily Whitlock by the same scoreline, with the highlight of their match being a back-and-forth second game that went to the Indian 12-10.
Afterwards, Evans said: ““It’s obviously disappointing to go through like that, especially against a friend. Coline is struggling with her knee and I hope she can come back and play Mauritius. That wasn’t the way I wanted to win, she played really well in the first game, she took the game to me and made it tough. I really had to dig in the win that game and obviously after that, she was really struggling to move which was sad to see.
“I’ve heard so much about the museum and the glass court being there, it’s been bigged up for a while and a lot of people are talking about it. It’s going to be amazing and so nice to play somewhere different. I’m looking forward to it.”
Elaraby, who will play Chinappa in the next round, said: “Although it was better than last time, I still talked to the ref, which is out of character for me. I guess it’s because it’s the first time I feel that nervous about a tournament.
“I want to be consistent in my results, and I have done rather well these past few weeks. And also, I’m trying to get “in the mood of the tournament”.
“I am trying to play my squash. My winners weren’t the best today, but I still managed to play them. So I’m happy with my performance, but I need to be a bit more consistent. I lost a bit of focus in the third, because I was leading, and it’s only when she got away with the score that I found my focus again.
“In my next match, I’ll try to be more consistent throughout the match. I am playing Joshna, she has a lot of experience, I remember playing her a long time ago. But I know what to expect.”
Chinappa commented: “The first couple of games were really hard and could’ve gone either way because she was leading. I think I was just a bit lucky towards the end to sneak those two games and going 2-0 up gives you a lot more confidence and I just played on that basically.
“The glass is completely different, it’s an exciting opportunity for me to play on the all-glass court and I’m really looking forward to that.
“I know Rowan is going to bring her A game, they all do, especially in the top 10. I feel like I’ve prepared well for this event and I hope I can play my game and let the rest happen.”
Results
[13] Tesni Evans (WAL) bt Coline Aumard (FRA) 3-0: 12-10, 11-2 retired (19m)
[8] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt [26] Hana Ramadan (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-7, 11-9 (33m)
[12] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt [18] Emily Whitlock (WAL) 3-0: 11-8, 12-10, 11-5 (37m)
Momen, Makin and Mazen make it through
In the day’s final matches on the traditional courts, Egyptians Tarek Momen and Mazen Hesham and Wales’ Joel Makin progressed in relative comfort.
World No.6 Momen, a World Champion in 2020, was pushed hard by the USA’s World No.53 Faraz Khan. The Egyptian took the first game 11-7, before Khan responded with a hard-fought 11-8 win.
Both players went all out for the rest of the match, with a number of brutal rallies sapping the energy of both men. The ever creative Momen, however, was able to make the decisive breakthrough to set up a third round match against Makin with 11-7 and 11-8 wins in the third and fourth games.
Makin, meanwhile, will take confidence into his match against Momen after a strong showing against Lucas Serme in which the Welshman, whose stamina and pace are never questioned, displayed the attacking side of his game in a 3-0 win.
Joining Momen and Makin will be one of the game’s best attackers, in the shape of Mazen Hesham, as the World No.8 beat compatriot Karim El Hammamy 3-0 in 40 minutes.
“He didn’t read my game, I just couldn’t play my game because the court was so hot and bouncy!” Momen said afterwards.
He added: “Every single straight drive I hit was a stroke, so I had to crosscourt everything, and I know he’s going to be on the crosscourt, and he knows it’s going to be a crosscourt, and it’s just a matter of me getting it wider, or at his body.”
Makin said: “It was a really hot bouncy court today, a lot hotter than it has been. Lucas is an incredibly fluid mover and light, he absorbs a lot of pressure, I wanted to cancel him out and I felt like I did that.”
On facing Tarek Momen next, he said: “You’ve got to accept that it’s not going to be a lot of fun for the first 30-45 minutes, take your punishment and accept he’s going to hit some unbelievable stuff. As a match, as I’ve done against him and quite a few top players before, I can get into him physically and start to ask him a few questions, work him hard and wait for those errors to come because he’s always get them in him.
“My quality needs to be good enough as well, it’s not just a physical thing, but that is where the weaknesses are. The early stages, he is very high quality and has been No.3 in the world for so many years for a reason, so you’ve got to accept that quality is going to be high but as the match goes on, I’m going to try and get those errors out of him and break him down.”
Results
[10] Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt Karim El Hammamy (EGY) 3-0: 11-8, 11-5, 11-6 (40m)
[9] Joel Makin (WAL) bt Lucas Serme (FRA) 3-0: 11-8, 11-3, 11-6 (45m)
[6] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Faraz Khan (USA) 3-1: 11-7, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8 (50m)
