Singapore Open

PHOTO ALBUM

Finals

[1] Ali Farag 3-2 [3] Diego Elias (PER)  6-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-1, 11-4 (70m)
[5] Amina Orfi3-2 [1] Hania El Hammamy 9-11, 11-9, 11-13, 11-1, 11-9 (96m)

World No.1 Ali Farag is the men’s VITAGEN Singapore Squash Open champion for a second year running after he came back from two games down to beat World Champion Diego Elias.

For the first game and a half it was Elias – who had overturned a 2-0 deficit in his semi-final match with Paul Coll – who dictated the tempo of the match and slotted a range of winners to outclass the world’s best male player.

Farag finally managed to put some work into the Peruvian’s legs at the back end of the second game, and while he went on to lose it, that work proved crucial in the next three games.

The Egyptian began to weave his web as he drew Elias into his game plan. The third game went to Farag by an 11-8 scoreline and the fourth was a procession as he dropped just one point en route to drawing level.

Farag made the first two rallies of the fifth game physical, with Elias requesting an injury break so he could receive treatment from the physio on his hip. From there, Farag pulled away as Elias continued to suffer with his movement, closing out a 6-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-1, 11-4 victory.

That marks Farag’s 43rd PSA Squash Tour title from his 75th final.

What Farag Had to Say…

“I’m very happy to get away with the win,” said Farag afterwards.

“I was a little lucky because Diego didn’t have much in the tank yesterday, he was absolutely cruising in the first two games, but I was lucky he got a bit tired at the end. I was telling him after the match that I’m pretty sick of him, I’ve played him five times this season and all of them have been really tough.

“I also want to congratulate the women. Amina [the women’s Singapore Open champion] is doing incredibly at the age of 17. Hania [the runner-up] is a dear friend and a great person before being a great player. I know she will come back stronger. Both of them are making Egyptian squash and women’s squash very proud.”

17-year-old Orfi has become the youngest player in history to win a Gold-level event after the No.5 seed battled past top seed Hania El Hammamy, winning 9-11, 11-9, 11-13, 11-1, 11-9 after 96 absorbing minutes.

Orfi replaces current World No.1 Nour El Sherbini as the youngest player to win a Gold event when she won the Texas Open in 2014 at the age of 18. It’s Orfi’s sixth PSA Squash Tour title and she will now aim to win a maiden Platinum title at the Milwaukee Hong Kong Squash Open between December 2-8.

“I feel so happy that I won, I can’t believe it at all,” said Orfi afterwards.

“This is my biggest title and my biggest win so far, I’m very happy with how I played.

“The bounces were on my side and she hit a lot of unforced errors. That bought me the confidence I needed. I didn’t know when the next time that I would reach a Gold final would be, so I took it step by step, and I was motivated by Siva’s [Sivasangari Subramaniam] win in London this year. I told myself I could do the same.”

Semis

[1] Hania El Hammamy  3-0 [3] Tinne Gilis (BEL) 11-7, 11-5, 11-7 (34m)

[1] Ali Farag 3-1 [5] Eain Yow Ng (MAS) 3-1 13-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6 (52m)

Orfi repeats Malaysian win over Siva

[5] Amina Orfi (Egy) 3-1 [4] Siva Subramaniam (Mas) 11-5, 11-6, 10-12, 11-8 (64m)

World Junior Champion Amina Orfi repeated her Malaysia Cup final win over Siva Subramaniam – this time in four games – to reach her biggest final to date.

Orfi had beaten Sivasangari in the final of the ACE Malaysia Squash Cup last week, with that match going all the way to five games. This time around Orfi required four games as she recorded an 11-5, 11-6, 10-12, 11-8 victory, moving into the biggest final of her career so far.

It’s the latest chapter in Orfi’s burgeoning career, with her win over Sivasangari being added to a triumph over second2 seed Nele Coll in the previous round and victory over Scotland’s Georgia Adderley in round two.

Orfi hit the ground running and found the back corners to perfection to nullify Sivasangari’s attacking potential. The Malaysian troubled her at the outset of the second game, but Orfi powered through to double her lead and swiftly took a 5-1 lead in the third.

Sivasangari showcased her tenacity and played some well-crafted rallies to fight back and halve the deficit. Orfi found her length again in the fourth as she pushed ahead from 8-8 to complete the win.

The World #10 will now appear in her ninth PSA final and will aim to lift the sixth PSA trophy of her career. Her opponent will be top seed and World No.3 Hania El Hammamy. Orfi will look to beat El Hammamy for the first time after two previous defeats.

“I knew it was going to be a tough match because Siva was here to take revenge,” said Orfi afterwards.

“We played literally five days ago, so I had to be ready. I knew we would both be tired as she played two events before this and I played the last one.

“My dad told me to close my eyes and focus on how I was going to play my game. I was leading in the third but she came back like she did yesterday in the quarters. He told me to trust my game and I think that paid off pretty well.

“I want to showcase my squash as one of the best in the world.”

Go to top

Farag reaches second Singapore final

[1] Ali Farag (Egy) 3-1 [5] Eain Yow Ng (Mas) 13-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6 (52m)

Top seed and defending champion Ali Farag overcame Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng in four games to reach a second successive Singapore final.

Ng came through a mammoth 107-minute battle against France’s Victor Crouin yesterday, contrasting with the 26-minute quarter-final match that Farag had with Hungary’s Balasz Farkas.

Despite a spirited display from the World #14, Farag fought through a wrist injury to complete a 52-minute victory to reach his 75th PSA final.

Farag’s game plan was evident right from the off as he looked to test the movement of his opponent with long, attritional rallies and the Egyptian was always trying to twist and turn Ng whenever he could.

Ng battled hard to force a tie-break in the opening game, at which point Farag went through the gears to close it out. The opening exchanges of the second game were closely-contested, until Farag once again found another level to push ahead, doubling his advantage.

Ng looked like he was struggling physically at the back end of the second but found a second wind at the outset of the third, initially taking a 7-5 lead. Farag then required treatment after complaining of a wrist injury, but his return to the court initially saw him take four unanswered points to put him on the verge of a place in the title decider.

The momentum then shifted in Ng’s favour though, and it was the fifth seed’s turn to take four points in a row as he clawed a game back.

Farag refocused in the fourth and made the most of a strong start to finish the match off in four games.

“I feel like I got sucked into his pace today,” said Farag afterwards.

“He plays at a metronomic pace and he is so good at it. He moves the ball around well and he is very light on his feet. I tried to match him, it would have been better to play a different game plan, but kudos to him.

“You try to play the shot that limits your opponent’s options so you can read the next one, but I don’t think that I did that very well today.

“He dominated the pace for most of the first three games. In the fourth he got a little tired from his match yesterday and from his tournament last week, where he had a great win. I felt like I wasn’t firing enough and I should have.

“It’s not because I didn’t want to, he contained me, so I give him a lot of credit and hopefully next time I come up with a better plan.”

Go to top

Hania storms into the final

[1] Hania El Hammamy (Egy) 3-0 [3] Tinne Gilis (Bel) 11-7, 11-5, 11-7 (34m)

A tremendous performance from top seed Hania El Hammamy as the Egyptian made it 13 wins out of 13 against Belgium’s Tinne Gilis to reach her first Singapore final.

El Hammamy came into the match boasting a 12-0 record against Gilis and was in the zone as she outmatched the World #5, winning 11-7, 11-5, 11-7 after 34 minutes to reach her 28th PSA final.

Hania started off a bit scrappily with some unforced tins at the beginning of the match but soon found her groove and started finding her corners against an increasingly frustrated Gilis.

After dropping seven points in the opening game, El Hammamy then got that down to five points in the second, despite Gilis’s best efforts. The third seed threw in some attacking shots that would have been winners against most other players, but the explosive movement of El Hammamy saw the Egyptian equal to the task time and time again.

El Hammamy’s brilliance was exemplified by the shot she hit to go to match ball up – Gilis had come back to within two points at 9-7, but El Hammamy immediately quelled any chance of a fightback as she slammed the ball into the nick off her opponent’s serve.

El Hammamy will now look to win a 14th PSA title – and her first of 2024 in tomorrow’s final.

“I finally found my length on this court,” said El Hammamy.

“It’s been a tricky couple of days. I’ve been soloing, I’ve been hitting a lot on the glass court and trying to find my targets. I couldn’t be any happier with how I played today.

“We’ve played a lot already this season and in our careers so far. We played in the last event, so we both knew how to approach the match today. I didn’t change much in my game plan from the last event because I was happy with how I played, so it was all about the targets on the court.

“I don’t play that crosscourt nick very often, so it’s a bonus and it gives you confidence in your short game. I had to give her one back after a lucky shot she played in the first game.”

Go to top

Quarters

[3] Tinne Gilis (Bel) 3-1 [7] Sana Ibrahim  11-5, 11-13, 11-3, 11-5 (56m)
[4] Siva Subramaniam (Mas) 3-2 [6] Fayrouz Aboelkheir 9-11, 11-3, 7-11, 11-8, 11-2 (46m)
[1] Hania El Hammamy3-1 Katie Malliff (ENG)  11-5, 9-11, 11-8, 11-3 (51m)
[5] Amina Orfi3-0 [2] Nele Coll (BEL) 3-0 Scores: 11-5, 11-5, 11-3 (42m)

[3] Diego Elias (PER) 3-0 Mohamad Zakaria  11-2, 11-7, 11-4 (38m)
[2] Paul Coll (NZL) 3-1 [7] Youssef Ibrahim 11-5, 11-2, 8-11, 14-12 (60m)
[1] Ali Farag bt Farkas Balazs (HUN) 11-5, 11-4, 12-10 (26m)

Egypt’s World Junior Champion Amina Orfi has ended the title defence of Belgian No.2 seed Nele Coll after a comprehensive victory on quarter-finals day at the 2024 VITAGEN Singapore Squash Open.

It was the pair’s second meeting on the PSA Squash Tour after Coll prevailed in their match at last year’s Paris Squash event. Orfi got her revenge though at the OCBC Arena today as she stormed to an 11-5, 11-5, 11-3 victory to send Coll out.

“I’m so happy with my performance,” said Orfi afterwards.

“She’s a former World No.4, so I knew I had to be prepared. She is very physical, so even if it was going to be 3-0 it would have taken some time. I’m so happy with my performance.

“My father is my biggest supporter together with my mum. He’s always there for me, even when I’m not playing very well. He’s been with me through every step of the way and I’m so grateful for him.”

The 17-year-old will play No.4 seed Sivasangari Subramaniam for a place in the title decider. That match will be a repeat of last week’s ACE Malaysia Squash Cup final, with Orfi winning that match in five games to secure her fifth PSA title.

Women’s top seed Hania El Hammamy came through a testing battle against England’s World No.33 Katie Malliff to earn her place in the last four. A one-sided first game gave the impression that this would be a routine victory for the World No.3, but it was anything but as Malliff came storming back to take the second.

The 21-year-old from Wendover gave El Hammamy as good as she got and produced some magnificent squash to draw level.

Malliff continued to make life difficult for the Egyptian in the third and did hold an early 6-4 lead, but El Hammamy extended the rallies to sap the energy from the younger player’s legs.

After conceding the third, Malliff showed signs of fatigue in the fourth game as El Hammamy ran away with things, winning 11-5, 9-11, 11-8, 11-3. She will take on last year’s runner-up Tinne Gilis for a place in the title decider.

What El Hammamy Had to Say…

“I didn’t know what to expect and it’s different when you’re on court with someone new,” said El Hammamy afterwards.

“Every time the ball went short she had great hands. It was a great match, for sure. It was tough for me to find my length on that court, I needed time to adjust.”

Men’s defending champion Ali Farag powered into the semi-finals after a routine win over Hungary’s Farkas Balazs at the OBCB Arena.

Balazs was appearing in his first Gold quarter-final after upsetting No.6 seed Fares Dessouky in the previous round but wasn’t able to replicate that performance as Farag surged to an 11-5, 11-4, 12-10 victory.

Farag did squander five game balls in the third game as Balazs threatened a comeback, but the Egyptian soon steadied the ship to complete the win in straight games. Next up for Farag is a semi-final match against Malaysia’s No.5 seed Eain Yow Ng.

What Farag Had to Say…
“He’s so talented. From the same upswing he can play any shot in the book. It’s quite hard and I had to cut him off at the source. I couldn’t give him any loose shots in the midcourse area and, apart from the first few points of every game, I think I did that well.

“I had to accept that it would be tough at the start of games and hopefully I would run away with it. I’ve had two great matches so far, so I can’t complain. I’m coming up against a great man in form, with Eain Yow winning the bronze event last week and upsetting the seedings here.

“I know I’m up for a tough task, but I’m in good form as well, so it should be a good match.”

Round Two

[3] Tinne Gilis (BEL) 3-0 Zeina Mickawy  11-4, 11-6, 11-6 (28m)
[7] Sana Ibrahim 3-0 Salma Eltayeb  11-7, 11-4, 11-3 (27m)
[1] Hania El Hammamy v [9/16] Aira Azman (Mas)  12-10, 11-2, 11-5 (25m)
[6] Fayrouz Aboelkheir 3-0 Grace Gear (ENG)  11-8, 11-7, 11-8 (26m)
[5] Amina Orfi 3-0 Georgia Adderley (SCO)  11-9, 13-11, 11-8 (51m)

[9/16] Balasz Farkas (Hun) 3-2 [6] Fares Dessouky
[1] Ali Farag 3-0 Tsz Lau (HKG) 3-0 11-3, 11-4, 11-6 (25m)
Mohamad Zakaria 3-0 [8] Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA)  11-9, 11-9, 11-6 (52m)
[7] Youssef Ibrahim 3-1 Omar Mosaad  11-8, 11-3, 10-12, 11-2 (41m)

 

Round One

Karim El Hammamy 3-1 [9/16] Balasz Farkas (Hun)  11-8, 12-10, 5-11, 11-9 (63m)
[9/16] Mohamed Zakaria 3-0 [wc] Samuel Kang (Sgp)  11-2, 11-3, 11-3 (23m)
[9/16] Curtis Malik (Eng)  3-0 Yahya Elnawasany 11-2, 11-8, 11-4 (36m)
[9/16] Omar Mosaad 3-0 [wc] Jerome Aw (Sgp)  11-9, 11-6, 11-6 (29m)

Kenzy Ayman 3-0 [9/16] Aira Azman (Mas)  11-5, 11-6, 12-10 (28m)
[9/16] Salma Eltayeb 3-0 Tong Tsz-Wing (Hkg)  11-7, 11-6, 11-5 (26m)
Salma Eltayeb 3-0 Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG) 11-7, 11-6, 11-5 (26m)
[9/16] Zeina Mickawy 3-0 [wc] Cassandra Ong (Sgp)  11-4, 11-4, 11-6 (19m)
Grace Gear (Eng) 3-2[9/16] Nadine Shahin  9-11, 10-12, 13-11, 11-8, 11-8 (50m)

Egypt’s Mohamad Zakaria got the better of local stars Samuel Kang as play began at the 2024 VITAGEN Singapore Squash Open. Rising star Zakaria – the 17-year-old who won the Nash Cup in September – got the better of Kang by an 11-2, 11-3, 11-3 scoreline.

Kang is a multiple Singapore National Champion, but was unable to halt the crisp hitting and accuracy of the Egyptian, who moves on to play Frenchman Sebastien Bonmalais for a place in the quarter-finals.

“It’s my first time in Singapore and I love it already, it’s quite different from other countries in Asia,” said Zakaria afterwards.

“He has done a lot in his life already, he went to Princeton, and I watched a couple of his matches before I came here because I needed to know how he plays. He has good length and I think he has won the nationals here eight times, so he’s doing some good work here. I played a good match, I was focused on trying to make him move and I think I did well.

“I need to use these years when people are too nervy playing against a younger player because I’m not going to be the younger one forever, so I need to go on court and hunt for every win. These are the best years because I always have a bit of a relief when I play because I am the young player, but I also want to win, so it balances out.

“I watched Bonmalais about 20 times before I came here. I have my notes written down and I’ve prepared well. It’s going to be a good match, but I’ll give it my all and I think I’m prepared.”

Zeina Mickawy reaches round two after a comfortable victory against local player Cassandra Ong. Mickawy won 11-4, 11-4, 11-6 in just 19 minutes and will play Nele’s younger sister Tinne in the next round.

“There is something about this event which is really special, which makes me want to come again,” Mickawy said. “I’m really happy to be back and to be playing here in front of you guys. I was a little bit nervous to play her and I couldn’t find any matches of her. I was surprised because she has really good hands.

“I think she was nervous, it was her first PSA tournament, and I’m sure she will play more tournaments in the future.

“All I’m thinking about is to play better and better, and not to think about the result. I’m playing good squash and hopefully the result will come.”

The final match on the glass court saw local man Jerome Aw come up against former World No.3 Omar Mosaad. Aw fared well against ‘The Hammer of Thor’ in the opening exchanges – narrowly missing out on taking the opening game by two points.

Mosaad moved through the gears though and matched his thunderous hitting with accuracy as he closed out the next two games to secure a 3-0 win. Mosaad’s opponent in the last 16 will be fellow Egyptian Youssef Ibrahim.

“Jerome played really w-ell today, especially in the first game,” said Mosaad. “I had to push back and pick up his shots, and I think I did a good job and I’m really happy with the win. I usually train with Youssef in Egypt, but I’ve never played him on the PSA.

“I’m going to give it 100 per cent in every match, I’m trying to win but I want to play good squash as well.”

 

Related News