The European World Championships Qualification event got underway from Pontefract Squash Club yesterday with 32 players featuring in round one, all hopeful of booking a ticket to Cairo for the biggest event on the calendar.
On a day which saw seven upsets across the two draws, the biggest surprise win came from Wales’ Rhys Evans, who downed top seed Rory Stewart 3-2 to progress to round two. The World No.97 lost a narrow opener 12-10 before storming back to win the next two games 13-11, 11-7 and take a 2-1 lead. Stewart showed his mettle in the fourth to save a match ball and force a decier. Evans’s trademark physicality and intensity was too much for Stewart to handle in the final game as he ran out to an 11-4 victory to take down the top seed.
The only other upset in the men’s event saw Czech’s Viktor Byrtus down No.4 seed David Bernet in a 69-minute clash. Both players were dominant in the games that they won, heading into the fifth game. The final game saw both players show their desire to win but it was the unseeded Byrtus who came through 12-10 in the fifth game to reach the quarter finals.
Only three seeds survived in the women’s draw on a dramatic first day of action. The top three seeds all progressed into the quarters with Ireland’s No.2 seed Hannah Craig narrowly avoiding a scare against compatriot Breanne Flynn, winning 11-8 in the fifth game. Craig moved to 2-1 on the scoreboard but the accurate play of Flynn forced a decider between the two. The score reached 8-8 but the higher ranked Craig forced herself ahead, eventually taking the game 11-8 to advoid an early exit.
Poland’s Karina Tyma and the Netherlands’ Tessa Ter Sluis will meet in the quarter finals after they downed No.4 seed Keira Marshall and No.6 seed Enora Villard, respectively. Ambre Allinckx and Katerina Tycova beat Noa Romero and Asia Harris to move inot the quarters whilst Wales’ Lowri Roberts came through another all-British clash with Alison Thomson in just 32 minutes to advance.
The quarter finals are underway in Pontefract, live on SQUASHTV.
Results: Women’s RD1
[1] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) bt Cristina Tartarone (ITA) 3-1: 11-3, 11-9, 11-13, 11-7 (47m)Ambre Allinckx (SUI) bt [7] Noa Romero (ESP) 3-2: 10-12, 11-6, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6 (62m)
Tessa ter Sluis (NED) bt [6] Énora Villard (FRA) 3-1:7-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-9 (42m)
Karina Tyma (POL) bt [4] Kiera Marshall (ENG) 3-1: 11-7, 12-14, 11-7, 12-10 (44m)
[3] Madeleine Hylland (NOR) bt Nadia Pfister (SUI) 3-0: 11-8, 13-11, 12-10 (30m)
Lowri Roberts (WAL) bt [8] Alison Thomson (SCO) 3-0: 11-4, 11-7, 11-5 (32m)
Katerina Tycova (GER) bt [5] Asia Harris (ENG) 3-0: 11-9, 11-6, 11-9 (34m)
[2] Hannah Craig (IRL) bt Breanne Flynn (IRL) 3-2: 11-3, 6-11, 11-7, 3-11, 11-8 (67m)
Results: Men’s RD1
Rhys Evans (WAL) bt [1] Rory Stewart (SCO) 3-2: 10-12, 13-11, 11-7, 10-12, 11-4 (82m)
[6] Rowan Damming (NED) bt Aqeel Rehman (AUT) 3-0: 11-6, 11-8, 11-5 (29m)
[8] Ben Smith (ENG) bt Henrik Mustonen (FIN) 3-0: 11-7, 11-4, 11-7 (25m)
Viktor Byrtus (CZE) bt [4] David Bernet (SUI) 3-2: 6-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-5, 12-10 (69m)
[3] Perry Malik (ENG) bt Joeri Hapers (BEL) 3-0: 11-0, 11-2, 11-8 (27m)
[5] Emyr Evans (WAL) bt Yannik Omlor (GER) 3-0: 11-7, 11-8, 11-5 (33m)
[7] Edwin Clain (FRA) bt Sam Buckley (IRL) 3-2: 11-7, 8-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-7 (87m)
[2] Sam Osborne-Wylde (ENG) bt Owain Taylor (WAL) 3-1: 11-9, 15-13, 9-11, 11-9 (70m)
Draw: Women’s QF
[1] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) v Ambre Allinckx (SUI)Karina Tyma (POL) v Tessa ter Sluis (NED)
[3] Madeleine Hylland (NOR) v Lowri Roberts (WAL)
[2] Hannah Craig (IRL) v Katerina Tycova (GER)
Draw: Men’s QF
Rhys Evans (WAL) v [6] Rowan Damming (NED)
Viktor Byrtus (CZE) v [8] Ben Smith (ENG)
[3] Perry Malik (ENG) v [5] Emyr Evans (WAL)
[2] Sam Osborne-Wylde (ENG) v [7] Edwin Clain (FRA)
