The squash just seems to get better & better as the week moves onto Day 4 with 4 matches in the main draws going to 5 games.
In the PSA Men’s main draw, notable 1st round results were: SA no 5 Thoboki Mohohlo seeing off promising Egyptian Hoosam Nasser 3-2, Amaad Fareed overcoming his countryman fellow Pakistani Ahsan Ayaz 3-2, Egyptian Shehab Hosney continued his progress through the draw not having dropped a game so far and will come up against Englishman Oliver Pett in tomorrows quarter finals which arguably could be the match of the day to watch.
SA No 7 Rodney Durbach showed that he still has what it takes at this level beating the no 6 seed Pakistan Mohammed Yousaf 13-11 in the 5th game and he will come up against another Pakistan player the no 2 seed Tayyab Aslam in tomorrows other quarter final.
In the WSA main draw South African qualifiers Sacha West and Lume Landman progressed into the next round over coming international players both winning in 4 games. The no 2 seed Milnay Louw had to work hard to keep out UJ student Elani Landman in 5 grueling games. The no 3 seed Egyptian Salma Nassar made her intentions clear with a confident display dispatching South African Alexa Pienaar in 3 games and will come up against South African Lume Landman in the quarter finals.
PREVIOUS ROUNDS:
Day 1 didn’t disappoint with much drama and a few upsets. Notably, youngster Owen de Jager sneaking in a hard fought win over World Masters Champion Pierr Roodt and SA no 78 Lawrence Kuhn beating SA no 25 Ruan Olivier also in 5 gruelling games.
International players Ahsan Ayaz (PAK) and Hossam Nasser (EGY) dispatched South African locals with ease and Richard Gore overcame English player Brad Gallivan. Rudi Willemse showed us glimpses of his best beating no 2 seed Ahmed Effat Ashoush (EGY) in 4 entertaining games. With 8 spots up for grabs in the Main draw, the players have everything to play for with the winner of next rounds matches going through.
Day 2 produced another day of sensational squash. In the PSA Men’s qualifying draw, Paul Atkinson managed to hold off exciting youngster Lawrence Kuhn in 5 epic games that saw Kuhn come from 2-0 down throwing his body all over the court to narrowly loose in the 5th game. Aaron Fuchs, local Cape Townian also gave the local crowd something to cheer about when he took out PSA player Tom Bamford from England in 5 games. 8 qualifiers (1 Egyptian, 1 Pakistanian, 1 English and 5 South Africans) now progress into the main draw.
In the Women’s WSA qualifying draw, the only tight match was between Mikaila Westmorland (Gauteng) who beat the no 7 seed local player Gill Van Vlaanderen in the 5th game.
At the opening function, after a few words of welcome from UCT Club Chairperson Angela Helm, Just in Time Sports CEO Leon Gelderbloem thanked players for making the effort to play in the event and commended them on the spirit in which they have played matches so far. UCT Alumni Zuko Kubukeli gave a heart warming story of his interaction with Keith Grainger and conveyed the spirit that Keith played the game in and what he and his squash mad family have meant to the game of squash globally.
Players that didn’t make it into the main PSA draw filter into the R2000 UCT Open event.
Day 3 produced the 4 qualifying ladies into the main WSA draw, all South Africans, Danielle Van Niekerk, Sacha West, Lume Landman and Alexa Pienaar.
In the PSA Men’s main draw, notable 1st round results were: South African Rudi Willemse beating Pakistani Haseeb Gul in 3 games, Ahsan Ayaz (PSA 381 from Pakistan) taking out no 8 seed Englishman Anthony Graham in 3 games, Gary Wheadon (RSA) beating England based South African Tristan Eysele (PSA 203) 3-1. Egyptian Shehab Hosny (PSA 191, Egypt) taking out the no 3 seed Tom Ford (England, PSA 115), qualifier Oliver Pett (England) continuing his impressive come back trail with a dominating 3-0 win and South African Rodney Durbach grounding out Nigerian no 1 Baba Ajagbe in 4 grueling games.
Kerr Rogers
