Top Seeds Storm Into Macau Open Semis by Nathan Clarke
photos PSA
September 16, 2016
- All eight top seeds across the Men's and Women's draws at the 2016
Macau Open came through their last eight encounters in style today to
secure their place in the semi-finals of the PSA M50 and W50
tournaments and earn the right to compete on the stunning all-glass
court situated beside the Macau Tower.
Fresh from the tournament of his life on home soil at the Hong Kong
Open last month - the first PSA World Series event of the season -
defending Macau Men's champion Max Lee kept his defence alive with an
impressive 3-1 victory over Ivan Yuen of Malaysia - who had taken out
another of Hong Kong's top player Tsz Fung Yip yesterday - to set up a
semi-final match with top seeded Marwan ElShorbagy.
"He just tries for winners from everywhere, so I just had to play a
patient game and pick up whatever he threw at me," said Lee afterwards.
"I’m looking forward to another match now. I’ll be playing Marwan, he’s a top ten player so I don’t have any expectations.”
In the bottom half of the Men's draw Saurav Ghosal emerged triumphant
in an all-Indian battle with best friend Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu,
coming through a close 3-1 encounter after 64 minutes.
Ghosal will now play England's Daryl Selby in the last four while
another domestic battle in the Women's event saw Annie Au produce an
emphatic win over fellow Hong Kong star Joey Chan to move through to
face England's Emily Whitlock.
Women's top seed Joelle King then came from behind to down Danish star
Line Hansen in a hard fought four games to meet Delia Arnold in the
semis.
“I thought Line played very well," said King. "It’s probably the best she’s played against me.
"I struggled to see the ball in the first and couldn’t judge the timing
so well but I’m looking forward to the glass courts tomorrow.”
