The second season of the Afghanistan Premier League (APL) has been postponed to 2020 after the Afghanistan Cricket Board terminated the league's Sanction and Commercial Rights Agreement with Snixer Sports over failure to pay the complete rights fees and "risks for the integrity of the league posed by people connected to Snixer Sports". The tournament had been scheduled for October this year.

"The failure by Snixer Sports to pay the complete rights fees of the first edition as per the fees and payment schedule of the agreement, and concerns about risks for integrity of the league posed by people connected to Snixer Sports are the reasons for termination that form material breaches of the agreement," the ACB said in a statement.

The board also said that it had written to the Attorney General's Office of the Government of Afghanistan to "fully investigate the administrative allegations of corruption in the league" and that it remained committed to "ensuring transparency in all its affairs and is accountable to all stakeholders."

A tender for sanction and commercial rights to the second season of the league will be issued in due course.

Following the signing of the tournament's MoU in January last year, the first edition of the league was held between October 5 and 21 in Sharjah, UAE and featured a host of international names. Chris Gayle, Shahid Afridi, Andre Russell, Brendon McCullum and Rashid Khan were picked as icon players by the five franchises, representing Paktia, Kabul, Balkh, Nangarhar and Kandahar

The Afghanistan league is the second T20 league to run into problems in as many months. In August, the inaugural season of the Euro T20 Slam was cancelled, only two weeks prior to its scheduled start. The Euro T20 Slam organisers, led by Gurmeet Singh's Bombay Sports Limited and Woods Entertainment, the same group in charge of the Global T20 Canada, had run into increasing financial difficulties. The Global T20 Canada, too, faced issues, with player protests over unpaid wages.

The Live Report will bring you all the analysis, stats, news and reaction from the final Ashes Test. You can follow our ball-by-ball commentary by clicking here. If the blog doesn't load, please refresh your page.

The British team for the IAAF World Championships will now be 73-strong

Britain will field four athletes in the women’s 100m at the IAAF World Championships for the first time following the addition of Imani-Lara Lansiquot for the individual event in Doha, while Jazmin Sawyers has been selected for the long jump.

The team changes come after British Athletics accepted an IAAF invite for Sawyers based on her world ranking, while Lansiquot has been added to the 100m field as a result of the GB squad being granted a fourth spot following the already-selected Dina Asher-Smith’s Diamond League win in Brussels.

Diamond League winners receive a wildcard entry, meaning a fourth athlete could be picked and Lansiquot, who reached the European 100m final on her senior individual GB debut last summer and also won 4x100m gold, has been called up.

A previous team change sees Harry Aikines-Aryeetey replace CJ Ujah in the men’s 4x100m squad after world relay gold medallist Ujah was forced to withdraw with a back injury.

BRITISH TEAM SELECTED FOR THE IAAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS DOHA 2019

MEN
100m: Ojie Edoburun, Adam Gemili, Zharnel Hughes
200m: Miguel Francis, Adam Gemili, Zharnel Hughes
400m: Matthew Hudson-Smith, Rabah Yousif
800m: Elliot Giles, Kyle Langford, Jamie Webb
1500m: Neil Gourley, Josh Kerr, Jake Wightman
5000m: Andrew Butchart, Ben Connor, Marc Scott
3000m steeplechase: Zak Seddon
110m hurdles: Andrew Pozzi
400m hurdles: Chris McAlister
Pole vault: Harry Coppell
Triple jump: Ben Williams
Hammer: Nick Miller
Decathlon: Tim Duckworth
Marathon: Callum Hawkins
20km race walk: Tom Bosworth, Callum Wilkinson
50km race walk: Cameron Corbishley, Dominic King
4x100m:Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Ojie Edoburun, Miguel Francis, Adam Gemili, Zharnel Hughes, Richard Kilty, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake
4x400m: Cameron Chalmers, Dwayne Cowan, Toby Harries, Matthew Hudson-Smith, Martyn Rooney, Lee Thompson, Rabah Yousif

WOMEN
100m: Dina Asher-Smith, Imani-Lara Lansiquot, Daryll Neita, Asha Philip
200m: Dina Asher-Smith, Beth Dobbin, Jodie Williams
400m: Emily Diamond, Laviai Nielsen
800m: Alexandra Bell, Shelayna Oskan-Clarke, Lynsey Sharp
1500m: Sarah McDonald, Laura Muir, Jemma Reekie
5000m: Jessica Judd, Eilish McColgan, Laura Weightman
10,000m: Eilish McColgan, Steph Twell
3000m steeplechase: Elizabeth Bird, Rosie Clarke, Aimee Pratt
100m hurdles: Cindy Ofili
400m hurdles: Meghan Beesley, Jessica Turner
High jump: Morgan Lake
Pole vault: Holly Bradshaw
Long jump: Abigail Irozuru, Shara Proctor, Jazmin Sawyers
Shot put: Sophie McKinna
Heptathlon: Katarina Johnson-Thompson
Marathon: Tish Jones, Charlotte Purdue
4x100m: Dina Asher-Smith, Kristal Awuah, Imani-Lara Lansiquot, Daryll Neita, Ashleigh Nelson, Asha Philip
4x400m: Finette Agyapong, Amy Allcock, Zoey Clark, Emily Diamond, Beth Dobbin, Laviai Nielsen, Jessica Turner, Jodie Williams

Move to attract more female coaches
By DONNA HELMER – Squash Mad Correspondent

Women’s Squash Week returns from September 23-29 to raise the profile of women’s squash across England and the world.

The week-long campaign will celebrate and showcase women’s squash at every level from playing to coaching and highlight the contribution women make to the sport.

England Squash, US Squash and the PSA Foundation have collaborated on this year’s campaign to encourage squash federations and players from around the world to get involved and engage more females.

England Squash is calling on everyone in squash and beyond to use this occasion to organise events and show their support to help women reach their full potential, whatever their involvement in the sport.

Building on the success of the Squash Girls Can campaign which has seen thousands of women and girls step on court, the week marks the launch of England Squash’s female coach development initiative, Squash Girls Can Coach which aims to advance and empower aspiring and existing female coaches.

In squash, women are under-represented in coaching with one in four being female. Squash Girls Can Coach is a 12-month structured initiative which will enable women to develop and excel in coaching, and benefit from the knowledge, experience and wisdom gained by some of England’s leading coaches, headed up by High Performance Coach Tania Bailey, the former World No.4.

To find out more about Women’s Squash Week, visit englandsquash.com/womenssquashweek 

Report by DONNA HELMER (England Squash). Edited by ALAN THATCHER.

Pictures courtesy of England Squash

Australia women 182 for 2 (Healy 61, Lanning 58*) beat West Indies women 180 (Knight 40, Schutt 3-24) by eight wickets

The final ODI of the three-match series between West Indies women and Australia women in Antigua played out in the much same way as the previous two games, with a dominant Australian performance sweeping aside the hosts, this time by eight wickets. Megan Schutt made history, becoming the first Australian to take an ODI hat-trick in women's cricket, before opener Alyssa Healy's blitz decisively shut West Indies out of the match. The 3-0 result helped Australia women surge past England women on the ICC Women's Championship table, and open up a four-point lead.

West Indies opted to bat, but their innings was defined by the batting slumps that usually followed promising partnerships. Kyshona Knight anchored the top order with a knock of 40, helping the side rebuild after the early loss of opener Reniece Boyce. But once she fell, West Indies lurched from 73 for 2 to 104 for 6 in the middle overs. A 64-run seventh-wicket partnership between Chinelle Henry and Sheneta Grimmond lifted them past 150 but only to lose their last four wickets in 12 runs. That slump included Schutt's last-over hat-trick, where she claimed the wickets of Henry, Karishma Ramharack and Afy Fletcher. Schutt, incidentally, was also the first Australia bowler to claim a women's T20I hat-trick.

Healy, coming into the match with scores of 122 and 58 in her last two innings, played another match-defining knock, smacking 11 fours and a six in a 32-ball 61. By the time she fell in the eighth over, Australia were scoring at nine an over and the experienced Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry then took charge of the chase and saw the side through with more than 18 overs to spare. Lanning, who had scored 121 in the first ODI, compiled an unbeaten 58 off 70 balls while Perry contributed 33 in their unbroken stand of 85. Earlier, Perry had dismissed Boyce to become only the third bowler to take 150 wickets in women's ODIs.

This was only the third time in 16 years that West Indies women failed to win a single match in a home ODI series: they had been swept 6-0 by Sri Lanka in 2003 and lost a three-match series 2-0 to England in 2013 when one game was washed out. It also followed a 3-0 loss they suffered on the tour of England in June, and the two whitewashes have kept them at the seventh place on the ODI Championship table.

India A 303 (Gill 90, Saxena 61*, Ngidi 3-50, Piedt 3-84) and 49 for 3 (Bhui 20*, Ngidi 2-22) beat South Africa A 164 (Jansen 45*, Thakur 3-29, Gowtham 3-64) and 186 (Klaasen 48, Mulder 46, Nadeem 3-21, Saxena 2-22) by seven wickets

India A routed South Africa A by seven wickets in the first unofficial Test in Thiruvananthapuram, chasing down a target of 48 in 9.4 overs after having bowled out the visitors for 186 in the second innings.

Resuming day four on 179 for 9, South Africa A's innings didn't last long as Shardul Thakur bowled Lutho Sipamla in the fourth over of the day. Shahbaz Nadeem was the most successful bowler for India A, picking up 3 for 21, while Jalaj Saxena and Thakur bagged two wickets each.

India A stuttered in their chase, but there were not enough runs for South Africa A's bowlers to make a match out of it. Lungi Ngidi dismissed Shubman Gill and Ankit Bawne cheaply. KS Bharat didn't last long either and was caught off Dane Piedt, leaving India A 37 for 3. Shivam Dube though hit the next two balls for two straight sixes to wrap up the game. Ricky Bhui, who was promoted to open the batting, remained unbeaten on 20.

Saxena, who was a last-minute inclusion in the squad, was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 61 in the first innings and 2 for 22 with the ball.

The second four-day match will begin on September 17 in Mysore.

HOUSTON -- Two players key to Oakland's future helped lead the Athletics to an important victory.

Sean Murphy and Marcus Semien homered, hyped pitching prospect Jesus Luzardo looked sharp in his major league debut, and the Athletics beat the Houston Astros 5-3.

"What we are seeing from [Luzardo] and Murph and what we feel like is going to be a bright future is coming along pretty quickly here," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said.

Oakland won for the fourth time in five games. The A's closed within a half-game of Tampa Bay for the top American League wild card and stand a half-game ahead of Cleveland for the second spot.

Houston fell a half-game back of the New York Yankees for the best record in the majors. New York's scheduled game with Detroit was postponed.

Luzardo, the first Peruvian-born pitcher in major league history, was promoted from Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday. He allowed one hit in three innings -- a solo homer to Martin Maldonado -- and struck out two.

"It's a tough spot to put him in," Melvin said. "He knew today he was coming in in the sixth and wasn't sure how long he'd pitch, but our plan was to try to get him through the eighth. He gives up a solo home run and other than that, gives up swings and misses, bad swings, used all his pitches, throws 97 [mph]. Didn't look like he was afraid of the moment. It was pretty cool."

The hard-throwing left-hander retired nine of the 10 batters he faced, including his final seven, a promising sign that the starting pitching prospect could make an October impact as a reliever.

"Once I went back out for the second, I got into a groove, and all my pitches were working," Luzardo said. "I was happy that I was able to get all three of them over the plate."

Astros starter Jose Urquidy struck out 10 and pitched one-hit, one-run ball over five innings before the A's got to the bullpen.

"I felt really good with all my pitches," Urquidy said. "I think I was good with my breaking balls and my fastballs, too, and that's what worked for me."

Semien hit his career-high 28th home run leading off the fourth, and Murphy homered leading off a four-run sixth inning before Matt Olson hit a two-run double, all off Josh James (5-1). Khris Davis capped the sixth with an RBI single to up the lead to 5-2.

"I was just looking for something over the plate," Murphy said. "I saw his slider on the first pitch, so I kind of had a read on it. I was just wanting him to throw it more toward the middle for me. He did. I was able to get the barrel on it."

James said he got out of his delivery and got a bit long, and by the time he realized it, it was too late.

Houston manager AJ Hinch said the bad inning started with the homer to Murphy.

"The inning unraveled with the two-strike homer to Murphy on a breaking ball that wasn't really executed," Hinch said. "I think if he throws a good one, he's got a chance. He's punched out a lot of guys since he's come off the injured list but tonight that inning got away from us a little bit."

Aledmys Diaz gave Houston a 2-1 lead in the fourth with an RBI double, but after loading the bases, Oakland starter Brett Anderson got out of further trouble by inducing an inning-ending double play from Myles Straw.

Astros star George Springer matched a career high with his 34th home run, a solo shot in the third.

Anderson (12-9) yielded two runs and seven hits with four strikeouts in five innings.

Liam Hendriks pitched the ninth for his 20th save.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Athletics: OF Ramon Laureano returned to the lineup after missing the previous three games with cramps in his right leg. He went 0-for-3 with a walk and made a nice throw from right field to get Jose Altuve at the plate in the fifth.

Astros: 1B Yuli Gurriel, who left Friday's game with a sore left hamstring, could return to the lineup as soon as Friday, Hinch said.

HE SAID IT

"It's really impressive. The command, the poise for how young he is. The overall stuff is phenomenal. Anytime you can have a lefty throw 98 [mph] and throw strikes, it's always a plus," Anderson said of Luzardo.

UP NEXT

Athletics: RHP Homer Bailey (12-8, 4.87 ERA) starts the finale of the four-game series on Thursday looking to continue his recent success after going 3-0 with a 2.35 ERA over his past five starts.

Astros: RHP Justin Verlander (18-5, 2.52) has won three consecutive starts, allowing one run over 21⅓ innings during that span.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

For about 90 minutes on Wednesday night, I fully grasped the essence of the 2019 season. With the leaguewide single-season home run record ready to be broken early in the evening, several of us -- me, two editors, members of ESPN's Stats & Information group -- were tracking the countdown to 6,106 home runs. Whoever hit the 22nd home run of the night would set the mark.

The action began with Trent Grisham hitting a leadoff home run for the Brewers in Miami. Todd Frazier and Brandon Nimmo soon went back-to-back for the Mets. Mike Moustakas, back in the lineup for the Brewers, hit one out. Jeff McNeil hit one for the Mets. Then the pace really picked up. Did Rowdy Tellez hit his before Jorge Soler? There goes Frazier again, about the same time Tyler Flowers cranked a three-run shot for the Braves.

By 8:10 p.m. ET, there were 10 games going on. It was impossible to follow all the action, even with multiple screens at the home office. Francisco Lindor ... Jorge Polanco ... Teoscar Hernandez. Isan Diaz went yard for the Marlins as George Springer homered for the Astros, then Garrett Cooper followed Diaz in the Marlins' lineup and belted one out too. We were three from the record. Adalberto Mondesi homered for the Royals just before the A's Marcus Semien hit the record-tying shot, a huge blast over the train tracks in Houston.

Then we paused. For six or seven minutes, nobody even scored a run. Bryce Harper came up with the bases loaded and it felt like the perfect Bryce moment, even though he obviously didn't know history was on the line. He bounced into a double play.

Jonathan Villar came up for the Orioles in the bottom of the seventh inning of a 2-2 game and two runners on, facing Dodgers reliever Caleb Ferguson. Villar jumped all over a first-pitch fastball and crushed it 443 feet into the left-field seats -- a popular landing spot for home runs in 2019 given the Orioles have set the record for most homers allowed.

"Unbelievable," Villar told the Orioles TV crew after the game. "After I hit the home run and go into the clubhouse, somebody told me we set the new record. That's awesome. It's not just for me, it's for the team."

So, yes, there have been a lot of home runs hit in 2019 and when you're paying eagle-eyed attention, you realize how rapid-fire they arrive across the majors. I joked on Twitter that I was going to rank the top 1,000 home runs of the season. Then I realized you actually could rank all the home runs using win probability added at the time each home run was hit. Via Baseball-Reference and a little work in Excel, I sorted all the home runs from most valuable to least valuable given the game situation.

Let's pull out 10 random home runs from our win probability added list -- of the more than 6,100 hit this season. (Villar's record-breaking blast, by the way, ranked about 950th.)

No. 1: Rio Ruiz, Orioles -- Aug. 11 vs. Astros (0.90 WPA)

Hey, so the Orioles hit the record-breaking home run and hit the most valuable home run of the season. Ruiz came up in the bottom of the ninth against Astros closer Roberto Osuna with two outs, a runner on first base and Baltimore trailing 7-6. He battled Osuna for seven pitches, Osuna throwing six changeups. He threw one too many and Ruiz gave the Orioles their best moment of the season:

No. 10: Kurt Suzuki, Nationals -- Sept. 3 vs. Mets (0.69 WPA)

As you would guess, the most valuable home runs are walk-offs or come-from-behind shots late in the game. Suzuki's three-run walk-off was also one of the most memorable home runs of the season as it capped a remarkable seven-run rally in the bottom of the ninth. Suzuki's home run off Edwin Diaz isn't quite as valuable as Ruiz's since it came with one out and both runners in scoring position. Even if Suzuki made an out, the Nationals would have had a chance. But it was pretty damn amazing:

The radio call of Kurt Suzuki's #WALKOFF home run is the song of the summer.@CharlieSlowes // @DaveJageler pic.twitter.com/bOavak1BxI

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 4, 2019

No. 100: Cavan Biggio, Blue Jays -- June 29 vs. Royals (0.43 WPA)

Biggio is kind of the third wheel in the Blue Jays' rookie sons-of-major-leaguers trio, but he has a chance to be an interesting player. He draws a ton of walks, so even though he's hitting .213, he has a .350 OBP. How valuable is the 100th most valuable home run of the season? Biggio came up in the bottom of the fifth with the bases loaded and two outs and the Royals leading 4-1. His grand slam off Homer Bailey turned the Blue Jays' odds of winning the game from 23% to 67%. Indeed, Toronto would hold on for a 7-5 victory. But the coolest thing about this home run: Craig Biggio actually faced Bailey three times in his career and went 0-for-1 with a walk, strikeout and sacrifice fly.

No. 500: Charlie Blackmon, Rockies -- May 11 vs. Padres (0.27 WPA)

The 500th most valuable home run is still pretty valuable. Blackmon came up in the bottom of the eighth against Craig Stammen with the Rockies trailing 3-2. Stammen threw a 2-2 slider into Blackmon's sweet spot and he crushed it to right field to tie the score. Alas, the Padres scored in the top of the ninth off Wade Davis, and Kirby Yates fanned the side in the bottom of the ninth for the save.

No. 1,000: Derek Dietrich, Reds -- April 13 vs. Cardinals (0.19 WPA)

Remember Dietrich's hot start? Filling in for the injured Scooter Gennett, he hit five home runs in April, then tied for the MLB lead with 12 home runs in May. By the end of May, he was hitting .260/.366/.707. Some were suggesting he should make the All-Star team. His home run off Adam Wainwright was a towering fly ball into the Cincinnati bullpen that gave the Reds a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning (they would win 5-2). Dietrich did not make the All-Star team and he is now hitting .194 with 19 home runs. May was a long time ago.

No. 2,500: Scott Kingery, Phillies -- Sept. 10 vs. Phillies (0.12 WPA)

This one just happened and was one of the craziest home runs of this crazy home run season. It came off Max Fried with the score tied and two outs in the bottom of the third. This is still in the 60th percentile of most valuable, so a home run in the top half of the list for the season is still going to come in a close game, although it might come early. What made Kingery's home run so unusual is it was an inside-the-parker after Ronald Acuna Jr. almost robbed him:

It may be September, but it's STILL a Scott boy summer! #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/vhHnscHLMH

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 11, 2019

No. 3,073: Pete Alonso, Mets -- May 17 vs. Marlins (0.10 WPA)

This is about the halfway point of the list for the season. Alonso has hit many memorable home runs among his 47, but this wasn't really one of them. It was No. 13 of the season for him, off a 1-0 cutter from Trevor Richards in the top of the second inning. Actually, Richards made a pretty good pitch as Alonso reached for it and, well, this swing produced a 418-foot home run:

pic.twitter.com/vkeouWz7q7

— David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield) September 12, 2019

No. 4,000: Thairo Estrada, Yankees -- May 6 vs. Mariners (0.08 WPA)

The Yankees have hit 276 home runs, one behind the Twins as they battle for the all-time record. Estrada has only three of those, but this was the first home run of his major league career and had to be a huge thrill -- it came off fellow Venezuelan Felix Hernandez. This one makes me kind of sad though. It came in the second inning and the two-run shot gave the Yankees a 5-0 lead and was already the third home run Hernandez had given up in the game. In his Cy Young season in 2010, Hernandez gave up more than one home run in a game only once all season.

No. 5,000: Yandy Diaz, Rays -- April 17 vs. Orioles (0.03 WPA)

We're into the 10th percentile of home runs and, as you would expect, these aren't exactly game-changing moments. Diaz's solo home run in the bottom of the third inning off David Hess extended Tampa's lead to 6-0. It also knocked Hess from the game as the Rays hit three off him in two-plus innings. For the season, Hess has given up 28 home runs in only 77 innings. A quick search reveals that among pitchers with at least 50 innings, that's the highest rate of home runs per nine innings in MLB history. Three of the top four have come in 2019. Did we mention a lot of home runs have been hit this year?

No. 6,125: Rio Ruiz, Orioles -- Aug. 10 vs. Astros (0.00 WPA)

So, this is kind of remarkable. Rio Ruiz has hit the most clutch home run of the 2019 season ... and the least clutch. Baseball-Reference only goes to two decimal points, so a lot of home runs grade out as having 0.00 win probability added. To break the tie, I picked the home run that came with the widest gap in the score at the time of the home run.

This home run -- a day before Ruiz hit his walk-off -- came in the seventh inning with the Astros leading the Orioles 20-1. I went back and watched the highlight and Astros announcer Todd Kalas delivered the deadpan line of the year: "Orioles fans have something to cheer for."

What happens when the least valuable home run of the season is hit? Well, it's not much different than a lot of the other home runs. The fans above the scoreboard in right field scrambled for the ball. Ruiz did sprint pretty fast around the bases and his teammates greeted him in the dugout with high-fives and chest bumps. Even a home run with a 19-run deficit feels pretty good:

pic.twitter.com/o8oo2dkIgx

— David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield) September 12, 2019

Now, to confess, I could have picked another home run from this same game. Yordan Alvarez hit a home run in the top of the ninth with the Astros leading 21-2. You could argue that was the least valuable home run of 2019 since it came later in the game and increased the score margin.

But it seems more fitting to end it with Ruiz. In the year of the home run, it all comes back to the Orioles.

Top seed Rosner is out as Hammamy halts Waters
By MATT COLES – Squash Mad Correspondent in Nantes

France’s Gregoire Marche is through to the semi finals of the Open de France – Nantes 2019 presented by Tailor Capital after a spectacular victory over Germany’s top seed Simon Rösner at the glorious Chateau des ducs de Bretagne. In the sem-finals, Marche meets Joel Makin, who fought back from one game down to overcome Egyptian Fares Dessouky.

World No.16 Marche came out of the blocks firing, allowing the German to score just three points in the first game. The pair then produced some enthralling squash in the second game, which the ‘Tree Chopper’ took 11-9 to take the match into a third.

The three-time champion of the Open International de Squash de Nantes then took control of the third game, with some wonderful line drives, as he overpowered the World No.5.

Marche will advance to the semi-finals on Friday evening, where he will face Wales’ Joel Makin, who overcame Egypt’s Fares Dessouky in the first men’s quarter-final clash of the evening.

“There are no words to describe the feeling I have. I said earlier that this is the only place that I have ever had goosebumps on court. That was two years ago when I beat Mazen [Hesham] in the semis and that time, it was a big win for me,” Marche admitted.

“Today, to beat Simon, the No.1 seed, on that court and in these conditions, as well as it being the first time I have beaten Simon on the Tour, it is unreal. I just feel great and I am definitely going to enjoy my rest day tomorrow and then get ready for Friday.

“It was a tough battle mentally, so it is good to have a day off tomorrow. Joel is a really strong player. He had a really good season last year. I lost twice [to him]. He is really strong, he is tough to beat because he is really patient and he has good structure to his game. I will have to find some solutions to make him work differently.

“It is going to be best-of-five so it will be a different feeling, but there are no words for this crowd. For our sport, this is big, and it is the only time you can find it during the season, for us in France, and the audience are just spectacular.”

After losing the first game, Welshman Joel Makin battled back to take the victory over Fares Dessouky to reach the semi finals.

The World No.12 ran out into a big lead in the first, but Dessouky reeled off nine points out of 11 to come back from 9-3 down to win it 12-10.

However, Makin would not be denied the victory, as he fought back to take the second game 11-5. As the match got scrappy towards the end, the Welshman showed his mental strength to take the win in the third, booking his spot in the last four.

“I knew I had to take the middle back away from him because towards the end of the first game, he made himself big and he played a lot of flat kills which were effective, making me work around him,” Makin admitted.

“I enjoyed it three years ago when I last came and it has just got bigger. There are a lot of good players here, which is great. All the players enjoyed it from the very start, especially with a good crowd and a great atmosphere.”

There was more home glory, as Camille Serme made it through to the semi-finals after a convincing victory over England’s Millie Tomlinson, which took just 19 minutes.

The World No.3, and top seed of the tournament, wasted no time in sealing the first game, as she restricted Tomlinson to just three points. The second game was tighter, with the Englishwoman holding an early lead. However, Serme came fighting back to take the game, and the match, to the delight of the partisan crowd.

The Frenchwoman will play Hania El Hammamy in the semi finals at the Chateau des ducs de Bretagne on Friday evening, after the Egyptian overcame England’s Alison Waters in the first match of the night.

“I am happy and relieved because when you are the No.1 seeded, you want to go all the way through to the final but obviously, you have tough opponents before that,” Serme said.

“I am just happy that this is another step closer. We have had some good matches together and she has had some good matches against Raneem [El Welily] and Laura [Massaro] before so I always take her seriously because she is very talented.

“I use the pressure as more of a boost. I am more nervous about being No.1 seed rather than playing at home. That is an advantage for me because they are very supportive, so it is very positive for me.”

Young Egyptian Hammamy showed complete control throughout the match against Waters, and completed her victory in less than 20 minutes.

Hammamy, the World No.15, ran out into a big lead in the first game, one she would not relinquish as she took the first 11-3. She then took the second game 11-6 to secure a first victory over the Englishwoman on the PSA World Tour.

“Last two times we played, we played at a fast pace, and I was trying to match her but she is much better at it, so this time, I tried to keep the rallies at a mid pace, find my lines and not rush for volleys,” El Hammamy explained.

“I was a bit worried to have to play during daylight, but it didn’t bother me one bit today.”

“During summer training, I worked a lot with my coaches Haitham Effat and Ahmed AbdelKhalek on my back of court game, and they gave me a lot of confidence, and I find now that I can play better shots at the front.

“I think I have played some good squash over the past few weeks, and I’m over the moon with that victory over somebody as experienced as Alison, who beat me twice last year. It was nice to take my revenge, and I’m very happy with my performance tonight.”
 
Open de France – Nantes, Chateau de Ducs de Bretagne, Nantes, France.

Men’s Quarter Finals (Top Half):
[3] Joel Makin (WAL) bt [5] Fares Dessouky (EGY) 2-1: 10-12, 11-5, 11-8 (57m)
[6] Gregoire Marche (FRA) bt [1] Simon Rösner (GER) 2-1: 11-5, 9-11, 11-3 (47m)

Women’s Quarter Finals (Top Half): 
[5] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt [4] Alison Waters (ENG) 2-0: 11-3, 11-6 (19m)
[1] Camille Serme (FRA) bt [8] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) 2-0: 11-3, 11-6 (19m)

Men’s Quarter Finals (Bottom Half, Thursday September 12):
[4] Zahed Salem (EGY) v [8] James Willstrop (ENG)
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) v [2] Paul Coll (NZL)
Men’s Semi Finals: Open de France – Nantes (Friday September 13):
[6] Gregoire Marche (FRA) v [3] Joel Makin (WAL)

Women’s Quarter Finals (Bottom Half, Thursday September 12):
[3] Amanda Sobhy (USA) v [7] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA)
Emily Whitlock (ENG) v [2] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
Women’s Semi Finals: (Friday September 13):
[1] Camille Serme (FRA) v [5] Hania el Hammamy (EGY)
 

Report by MATT COLES (PSA). Edited by ALAN THATCHER.

Pictures courtesy of PSA