Ghosal Gains Revenge in Hong Kong Opener by Nathan Clarke 28TH MAY 2015
- Top ranked Indian Saurav Ghosal made amends for losing his Indian
national squash championship title to compatriot Harinder Pal Singh
Sandhu by taking out his younger opponent 3-0 in the opening round of
the HKFC Opener, PSA International 25 tournament taking place in Hong
Kong.
28-year-old Ghosal, the tournament’s number two seed, fell to a tough
3-2 loss in the national final in November but continued to build on a
recent return to form as he utilised his speed and delicate touch
around the court to secure a comfortable victory that sees him through
to the quarter-finals.
“I felt I played pretty well today to overcome a tough opponent and a very good friend,” said Ghosal.
“I’m happy to be through to the quarter-finals and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Elsewhere on the opening day of action there were straightforward 3-0
wins for local hopes Max Lee, the top seed, and Leo Au as they battled
past qualifiers while Tom Richards, Rex Hedrick and Nafiizwan Adnan
also progressed without the loss of a game.
Egyptian Omar Abdel Meguid, the number three seed, was given a stern
test by England’s Jaymie Haycocks, taking over an hour to eventually
secure a 3-2 win that keeps his tournament alive while Dutchman Lauren
Jan Anjema continued to build on his recent return from injury with a
3-1 win over England’s Declan James.
Results – First Round:
[1] Max Lee (HKG) bt [Q] James Huang (TPE) 3-0: 11-3, 11-9, 18-16 (50m)
[6] Tom Richards (ENG) bt [WC] Dick Lau (HKG) 3-0: 11-5, 11-7, 11-9 (25m)
Rex Hedrick (AUS) bt [8] Joe Lee (ENG) 3-0: 11-8, 11-4, 11-6 (40m)
[3] Omar Abdel Meguid (EGY) bt Jaymie Haycocks (ENG) 3-2: 3-11, 11-8, 11-9, 5-11, 11-5 (65m)
[4] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) bt [Q] Declan James (ENG) 3-1; 11-9, 13-11, 9-11, 11-5 (65m)
[5] Leo Au (HKG) bt [Q] Tsz Fung Yip (HKG) 3-0: 11-7, 13-11, 11-6 (47m)
[7] Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) bt [Q] Tayyab Aslam (PAK) 3-0: 11-5, 11-9, 11-6 (40m)
[2] Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu (IND) 3-0: 11-3, 11-7, 11-5 (38m)
Draw – Quarter-finals:
[1] Max Lee (HKG) v [6] Tom Richards (ENG)
Rex Hedrick (AUS) v [3] Omar Abdel Meguid (EGY)
[4] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) v [5] Leo Au (HKG)
[7] Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) v [2] Saurav Ghosal (IND)
