Yip Stuns Richards To Make History In Hong Kong; Matthew, Gaultier, David & Serme Advance by Nathan Clarke December 2, 2015
- 22-year-old Tsz Fung Yip became the first local player in over 15
years to reach the second round of the Men’s Cathay Pacific Sun Hung
Kai Financial Hong Kong Open, PSA World Series tournament, after
upsetting the odds to defeat Englishman Tom Richards in a gripping
first round encounter today (Dec 2).
The World No.59 put in the performance of his career as he controlled
the court against Richards, the current No.23 who previously ranked as
high as No.12, dominating proceedings throughout a thrilling five-game
encounter that saw him become the first local player to reach the
second round since Faheem Khan in 1998.
Yip, who earned his place in the main draw after defeating Mahesh
Mangaonkar in the final round of qualification, could easily have taken
the match in straight-games but saw nerves get the better of him as he
squandered commanding leads in the second and fourth games - including
wasting three match balls in the fourth. But he managed to regain his
composure in the fifth to seal the biggest win of his career 11-6,
9-11, 11-1, 10-12, 11-9.
“Of course I am very happy to win today as it wasn’t something I expected to happen,” said Yip.
“To win a match in a big tournament like thais against such a good
player is a huge win for me - iIt’s a great day and I can’t wait to
play in the second round now.
“I had match ball at 10-7 in the fourth and I got very nervous. I
wanted to win as fast as possible and I got too excited. I needed to go
back to the game plan in the fifth and it was very tough to refocus but
I tried to play it one shot at a time and thankfully it worked out for
me.”
Yip will now face Tarek Momen in the second round after the Egyptian
saw off English qualifier Declan James while Hong Kong national
champion Leo Au’s competition came to a close despite impressing in
defeat as he fell to a 3-1 loss to World Champion Gregory Gaultier on a
day that saw all other home hopes crash out of the PSA World Series
tournament.
In the women’s draw all three local representatives were halted out at
the first hurdle, with World No.10 Annie Au the biggest casualty as she
fell to a disappointing 3-1 defeat to New Zealand’s Joelle King, the
former World No.4.
King was composed and controlled throughout the encounter as she
executed a perfect game plan, preventing the dextrous Au from using her
range of drop shots and lobs, hitting with power and precision to
record a 11-6, 11-7, 6-11, 11-6 and move into the second round to face
Indian Joshna Chinappa.
“When you play Annie here you always have to play the crowd as well and that’s tough,” said King.
“She’s so dangerous, especially on this court, but I think my game plan
worked really well. I managed to keep the ball away from her weapons
and I got off pretty unscathed in the end so I’m happy with that, I
think it was a solid performance, and I’m feeling fresh for tomorrow
and looking forward to the second round.
“I had the injury and missed a lot of time on tour but that’s all put
to bed now. I’m trying to get back to where I was, if not better, and I
feel like I’m on the way top doing that and I feel like it’s all
starting to come together.”
Former World No.1 Rachael Grinham defeated another local player, Ho
Tze-Lok, while defending champion Nicol David began her bid to win a
incredible 10th consecutive Hong Kong Open title with a straight
forward victory over wildcard Liu Tsz-Ling.
David, who dropped to a ten year low of World No.3 in the December
rankings, was in sublime form to see off the spirited challenger in
just 35 minutes and will now line up with national compatriot Delia
Arnold for a place in the quarter-finals.
“I have so many memories here in Hong Kong from winning my first World
Championship title here to when I played my first junior event when I
was 11 so I always get a good buzz being here,” said David.
“I always want to bring my best game to the front when I’m here and I
enjoyed the match today, there was a good buzz from the crowd and I
felt like I played well. She upped her game in the third but I managed
to stick to my game plan and get off in three in the end.
“I’m enjoying playing at the moment and I’m trying to work on my
performances. If I feel good and play well then results will come. I’m
happy to be in the second round and I’m looking forward to another good
game tomorrow.”
Results - First Round (Bottom Half) 2015 Men’s Hong Kong Open, PSA World Series:
[3] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [WC] Leo Au (HKG) 3-1: 11-3, 5-11, 11-6, 11-7 (53m)
James Willstrop (ENG) bt Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) 3-1: 13-15, 11-6, 11-4, 11-5 (60m)
Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [Q] Rex Hedrick (AUS) 3-0: 11-2, 11-5, 11-2 (34m)
[5] Simon Rösner (GER) bt [Q] Olli Tuominen (FIN) 3-0: 11-9, 11-9, 11-3 (34m)
[7] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt [Q] Declan James (ENG) 3-1: 12-10, 11-7, 10-12, 11-6 (52m)
[Q] Tsz Fung Yip (HKG) bt Tom Richards (ENG) 3-2: 11-6, 9-11, 11-1, 10-12, 11-9 (63m)
[Q] Zahed Mohamed (EGY) bt Mazen Hesham (EGY) 3-1: 11-9, 11-3, 10-12, 11-8 (49m)
[2] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) 3-0: 11-4, 11-4, 11-9 (38m)
Draw - Second Round: 2015 Men’s Hong Kong Open, PSA World Series:
[1] Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY) v Saurav Ghosal (IND)
Daryl Selby (ENG) v [8] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA)
[6] Omar Mosaad (EGY) v [Q] Lucas Serme (FRA)
Chris Simpson (ENG) v [4] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
[3] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v James Willstrop (ENG)
Cameron Pilley (AUS) v [5] Simon Rösner (GER)
[7] Tarek Momen (EGY) v [Q] Tsz Fung Yip (HKG)
[Q] Zahed Mohamed (EGY) v [2] Nick Matthew (ENG)
Draw - Second Round: 2015 Women’s Hong Kong Open, PSA World Series:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v [9] Low Wee Wern (MAS)
[12] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) v [8] Amanda Sobhy (USA)
[6] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v [13] Emily Whitlock (ENG)
[16] Heba El Torky (EGY) v [3] Laura Massaro (ENG)
[4] Camille Serme (FRA) v [14] Dipika Pallikal (IND)
[11] Rachael Grinham (AUS) v [5] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY)
Joelle King (NZL) v [15] Joshna Chinappa (IND)
[10] Delia Arnold (MAS) v [2] Nicol David (MAS)
