I Dig Sports
Many athletes in this weekend’s British Masters Championships will also be aiming for the European event in Venice
The British Masters Championships will see nearly 700 athletes aged 35 and over compete over two days (August 10-11) in Birmingham while also honing their preparations for the European Masters Championships next month.
The Euro event is in Venice from September 5-11 when around 500 Brits will make the trip.
Many world champions from Malaga in 2018 are in action along with others entering new age groups.
One of those is the 1970 Commonwealth discus champion Rosemary Chrimes who, after moving into the W85 age group, makes her first appearance for five years and goes in three throws and the high jump.
Her first major championship was the 1958 Empire Games in Cardiff.
Going further back, 1956 Olympic Games steeplechase eighth-placer Eric Shirley is entered and will seek to retain his M90 title over 400m. He is not the oldest competitor, though, as Dalbir Singh Doel, who is 92, goes in the 100m before clashing with Shirley over 200m.
Another octogenarian, Evaun Williams, who took four W80 throws golds and a clutch of world records in Malaga, will seek to do the same here.
Former senior discus international John Watts should defend his four M80 throws titles, as will M70 Neil Griffin his two.
Some of the older athletes are gluttons for punishment and Tony Bowman is entered in eight M80 events from sprint and hurdles to throws and jumps.
Kathleen Stewart took W75 titles last year and she too moves up into the over-80 group, going in the 200, 400 and 800m events.
Multiple world record-holder Steve Peters returns in the M65 sprints, but one of his British best times could be under threat in the M50 200m as Darren Scott moves up an age group. TJ Ossai looks set for M40 sprint golds.
Michelle Thomas will seek to retain her W45 titles, while the W65 sprints will be keenly contested between Helen Godsell, Caroline Powell and Caroline Marler, all of whom have taken international titles.
The men’s distance races have seen greater participation in recent years and the M50 5000m has Ben Reynolds and Gordon Lee in action, while the M75 group sees Martin Ford and Peter Giles on duty.
Record holders Irie Hill and Mark Johnson go in the over-50s pole vault, while Wendy Laing looks good for W55 high jump retention and is also down for a sprint, long jump and shot tilt.
Double M45 world champion Jason Carty should see off 110m hurdles favourite and title holder Joe Appiah in the 100m, before doubling up with the 200m.
Also in the hurdles, Neil Tunstall defends his M55 title, while double W60 world champion Jane Horder is up for another two golds, as Emily McMahon will look to retain her W65 100m hurdles crown.
Some athletes are keeping their powder dry for Venice but Angela Copson makes an appearance in the W70 1500m before committing to more events at the major championships. Dave Bedwell defends his M65 title.
Kevin Murch spends much of his time coaching these days but took two M55 throws golds last year. After moving up to the M60 group he will challenge holder John Fenton in the javelin as well as tackling the four other throws.
The walks should again see Ian Richards dominate and provided he stays well away from disqualifications he could be on target to set a couple of new records in the M70 age group.
Nadal claims record win to move into Montreal quarter-finals
Rafael Nadal moved one step closer to defending his Rogers Cup title with a straight-set victory over Argentina's Guido Pella in Montreal.
The Spanish top seed, an 18-time Grand Slam champion, won 6-3 6-4 in windy conditions to set up a quarter-final meeting with Italian Fabio Fognini.
Victory was Nadal's 379th ATP Masters 1000 win, giving him the all-time lead having tied with Roger Federer.
Nadal, 33, has already won a record 34 Masters 1000 titles.
"It was a tough day in terms of wind but we are used to playing like this and when we play on outdoor courts, that's part of the game. Of course it is better to play without this kind of wind," Nadal said.
"At the same time, it is beautiful to play under tough conditions because then the player who has different options to play has better chances to survive these kind of days."
Seventh seed Fognini, 32, beat France's Adrian Mannarino 6-2 7-5 and his last-eight tie against Nadal will be their 16th meeting, with the Spaniard having won 11.
"He's having a great season, one of the best of his career, if not the best," Nadal said. "I need to be playing well."
Meanwhile, second seed Dominic Thiem will play Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals after beating Marin Cilic 7-6 (9-7) 6-4.
Germany's Alexander Zverev, who won the Rogers Cup in 2017, beat Nikoloz Basilashvili 7-5 5-7 7-6 (7-5) and will take on Russian Karen Khachanov next after he dispatched Canadian youngster Felix Auger-Aliassime in three sets.
In the other quarter-final, Gael Monfils will play Roberto Bautista Agut after they defeated Hubert Hurkacz and Richard Gasquet respectively in straight sets.
Murray to play first singles match since career-saving operation
Andy Murray will make a return to singles action at the Cincinnati Masters next week - seven months after fearing he might have to retire.
Britain's former world number one has been playing doubles since June as he regains fitness after hip surgery.
Murray, 32, broke down in tears at the Australian Open in January, believing the resurfacing operation he had later that month could end his career.
Now the Scot is pain-free and feels the time is right to return to singles.
Murray's last singles match was a five-set loss to Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round in Melbourne.
Before the match the three-time Grand Slam champion said he planned to retire after this year's Wimbledon and feared the Australian Open could be the final tournament of his career.
But he returned to the doubles court in June after a career-saving operation with renowned hip surgeon Sarah Muirhead-Allwood, whose previous patients have included the Queen Mother.
Murray said the resurfacing of his hip, where the femur head is smoothed down and covered with a metal cap, was "life-changing" and took away the pain which dogged him for a number of years.
He has played five doubles tournaments since his return to competitive action, winning Queen's alongside Spain's Feliciano Lopez in a dream comeback.
Joining Murray in a star-studded draw at the Masters 1,000 event in Cincinnati are Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Serbia's world number one Djokovic and Swiss great Federer return to action for the first time since their historic Wimbledon final, while Nadal will be back in action for the second week running after starting his North American hard-court campaign at this week's Rogers Cup.
Analysis
Jonathan Jurejko, BBC Sport
At Wimbledon, Murray began to get fed up of answering questions about when he would return to the singles court - insisting he did not know himself when his new metal hip would be ready to cope with the added workload.
Patience has been Murray's mantra since his competitive return in the doubles, refusing to commit to a singles event - and therefore not putting himself under the pressure of a timeframe - until he felt completely comfortable.
Hitting the weights in the gym to build up his strength was the focus post-Wimbledon before he headed over to the North American hard courts with a dual purpose: improve match sharpness by playing doubles in Washington and Montreal, and upping the workload on the singles court in public practice sessions.
Those solo outings, he says with a smile, did not leave him "completely embarrassed" as they might have done earlier in his comeback bid.
So, after further practices in Cincinnati with fellow Britons Kyle Edmund and Dan Evans this week, he is confident a return now will not be a mistake as he looks to prolong a glittering career which he felt might have already been over.
The next question is: will he play singles at the US Open? Murray has consistently said he would not want his first tournament back to be over five sets in New York. Playing over three in Cincinnati appears to leave the door ajar for a potential follow-up appearance at Flushing Meadows.
Day One: 2019 ITTF Challenge Plus Nigeria Open
Top seeds power to victory
The mixed association duo of Belgium’s Cedric Nuytinck and France’s Quentin Robinot avoided any moments of drama in their men’s doubles round one meeting with Gedeon Kassa and Christian Mbongia with the top seeds defeating the Congo Democratic combination by a convincing 3-0 scoreline (11-4, 11-5, 11-7).
Russian pair squeeze through
Seeded second for the women’s doubles draw but the Russian partnership of Polina Mikhailova and Yana Noskova struggled to find their footing in their opening round encounter, battling to a narrow 3-2 win at the expense of India’s Sreeja Akula and Diya Parag Chitale (11-4, 4-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-8).
Cristian Pletea departs
Romanian star Cristian Pletea is out of the men’s singles race after losing out to German adversary Kilian Ort across seven games (6-11, 12-14, 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 11-9). In the other 5.35pm fixture second seed Cedric Nuytinck made a slow start but recovered well to beat Eric Glod 4-2 (9-11, 11-1, 11-8, 6-11, 11-9, 11-6).
Huge upset within reaching distance but Saheed Idowu falls short
Spectators in Lagos very nearly witnessed a major upset in the second round of men’s singles action as Congo Brazzaville’s Saheed Idowu marginally missed out on a spot in the last 16.
Holding a three games advantage but Idowu couldn’t quite make it over the finish line as his no.7 seeded opponent from Thailand, Supanut Wisutmaythangkoon fought back with four consecutive game wins to keep his name in the running (9-11, 8-11, 6-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-5, 11-9).
Close shave but Quadri Aruna survives
The big favourite for gold in Lagos but top seed Quadri Aruna came very close to a shock second round exit in the men’s singles event: down 1-3 on the scoreboard Nigeria’s Aruna required a late comeback push to edge a fierce battle against Belgian rival Laurens Devos 4-3 (10-12, 8-11, 12-10, 7-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-5).
Sarah Hanffou negotiates difficult test
Cameroon’s Sarah Hanffou has put her name in the draw from the Round of 16 – seeded 14th in Lagos, Hanffou needed the full seven game distance to see off home competitor Aminat Fashola (7-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 11-3, 5-11, 11-5).
Impressive outing from Dina Meshref
The no.3 seed in Lagos, Dina Meshref showed her class in round two with the Egyptian producing a dominant performance in her meeting with Nigeria’s Cecilia Akpan (14-12, 11-7, 11-5, 11-3). There was another victory for Egypt in the 2.25pm session as Reem El-Eraky came out on top against South Africa’s Simeen Mookrey (12-10, 11-8, 11-4, 7-11, 11-5).
Home star sails through
Nigerian no.15 seed Olufunke Oshonaike is through to the third round of the women’s singles draw in Lagos following a fine display against Egyptian opponent Mariam Alhodaby (11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7).
Also through is top seed Barbora Balazova with the Slovak player cruising to a straight games victory over the host nation’s Rofiat Jimoh (11-3, 11-4, 11-5, 11-5).
Michael Tauber ousts seed
Unseeded for the men’s singles draw but Israel’s Michael Tauber didn’t let that stop him from producing an upset in the opening round of main draw action condemning the no.30 seed from India, Mudit Dani to a six games defeat and an early elimination in the process (11-8, 11-8, 9-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-4).
One step too A-ssar for Fayele
Host nation’s David Fayele had too much of a mountain to climb when he faced Egypt’s Khalid Assar in the first round of the main event here in Lagos.
Playing his first match of the tournament, Assar was full of energy and took down Fayele’s challenge in four games (11-5, 11-7, 11-4, 11-2).
Europeans gather momentum
Alexandre Rabinot and Bastian Steger claimed straight games victories over Nigerian opposition in a strong call of action for the European athletes.
France’s Rabinot took no prisoners versus Akinwale Fagamila as he raced to a 4-0 scoreline. Meanwhile, German Steger faced little resistance going up against Makanjuola Kazeem (11-3, 11-3, 11-9, 11-3).
Ghosh cranks up the tension
They say if you are going to win, win big! Indian Soumyajit Ghosh made sure to keep this saying going after he turned the tables on Nigerian Olajide Omotayo (10-12, 19-17, 11-9, 12-10, 11-8).
Omoyato started the match imperiously, and even had the lead in the decisive second game. But Ghosh had other ideas, as he kept pushing till he found a chink in the Nigerian’s armor. It made for an amazing match, one the fans will appreciate, despite elimination of their nation’s athlete.
Devos wins another thriller
Belgian Laurens Devos is making a habit of getting involved in thrillers, as he had to fight it out against Quentin Rabinot in a 4-3 win (11-3, 5-11, 11-8, 11-8, 8-11, 11-13, 11-7).
The Frenchman Rabinot came back from being 1-3 down but could not push on in the final game. Meanwhile, home favorite Quadri Aruna had a simpler task when he saw off Congo Democratic’s Christian Ntumba Ngeleka in a 4-0 win.
Diya hits Egyptian wall
Diya Parag Chitale had her hands full against Mariam Alhodaby, as the Egyptian attacker managed to see off her Indian opponent in a 3-1 win (5-11, 11-9, 11-8, 13-11).
There was a definite air of pace and power about Alhodaby’s play, and it was a joy to watch for the fans. It was not too entertaining for Diya however, and she will now have her sights set on the women’s senior’s draw against Belgian Lisa Lung – who will be carrying momentum after soundly defeating Nigerian Esther Oribamise in the Under 21 quarter-finals (11-9, 12-14, 12-10, 12-10).
Hodaei outlasts Rembert
At the other table in the Sir Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Sports Hall, Frenchman Bastein Rembert could not follow on from his exploits from qualifying as he was defeated 3-2 by Amir Hossein Hodaei (12-14, 11-7, 2-11, 11-9, 11-5).
Ripos ousts Azeez
Host candidate Azeez Solanke – playing his fourth match of the tournament – could not keep up with the first game intensity of Romanian Rares Sipos in a 3-1 defeat.
Despite taking the first game 11-7, Solanke had no answer when Sipos sped up his shots and took three games in a row (7-11, 12-10, 11-7, 11-6). Solanke will now look to progress in the seniors’ draw as he faces Belgian Robin Devos later today.
Knockout stages begin
Look below for the day’s fixture schedule and make sure to watch along live with itTV:
New table tennis circuit world record officially recognised!
by Kabir Nagpal
Düsseldorf elementary school students in the third and fourth school years played in
the Merkur Spiel-Arena Düsseldorf at the SingPong event for 15 minutes on a circuit of 105 tables. The record set surpassed the previous established only last year of 1,252 players.
The new record for the “largest table tennis merry-go-round on different tables” has now been recognised as a world record and certified with the presentation of an official RID record certificate. The Record Institute for Germany has also published a report on the website www.rekord-institut.org and has added to the RID record archive. In addition, participants can use the RID website to order personalised documents as of now.
Notably, the Record Institute of Germany collects and reviews top achievements of all kinds and recognises world records. An RID record is an effort that is accomplished for the first time or enhances existing performance and is interesting enough to attract public interest and be the subject of a competition.
A RID record requires special skills, must always be measurable and comparable, and reach dimensions above the norm in the evaluation criteria, such as quantity, size, number, speed.
Highly rated but not the best of days for Chile
Represented by Gustavo Gomez, Juan Lamadrid and Manuel Moya, a 3-0 defeat was experienced against the no.8 seeds, the Cuban combination of Jorge Campos, Livan Martinez and Juan Lamadrid, before a 3-1 reverse was the end result in opposition to the no.7 seeds, the Dominican Republic combination of Gustavo Gomez, Juan Lamadrid and Wu Jiaji.
Cuba and the Dominican Republic are both assured of quarter-final places; they now meet to decide first position.
Meanwhile, in the women’s team event, the no.4 seeds, represented by Judith Morales, Daniela Ortega and Paulina Vega, the Chilean trio made the ideal start; they recorded a 3-0 win against the no.12 seeds, the Peruvian outfit comprising Isabel Duffoo, Angela Mori and Francesca Vargas. Success in their opening encounter, on their next visit to the table it was defeat for the Chile; by the same margin as they had beaten the host nation selection earlier in the day, they suffered at the hands of the no.5 seeds, Canada’s Alicia Côté, Ivy Liao and Zhang Mo.
Canada and Peru now meet to determine the group final order.
Otherwise, the top seeded teams all completed the group stage unbeaten and thus is first position; the effect being that in the remaining fixtures on the penultimate day of action, the battle in the majority is for second position and progress to the last eight.
In the men’s team event, the top seeds, Brazil’s Hugo Calderano, Eric Jouti and Gustavo Tsuboi secured first place in their group, as did the no.3 seeds, the United States combination of Kanak Jha, Nikhil Kumar and Nicholas Tio.
Likewise, it was top spot for the no.4 seeds, the Argentine formation of Gaston Alto, Horacio Cifuentes and Pablo Tabachnik but not without moments of trepidation. They needed the full five matches to beat the no.5 seeds, the Paraguayan combination of Marcelo Aguirre, Alejandro Toranzos and Santiago Osorio. The player to cause the problems being Marcelo Aguirre; he accounted for both Pablo Tabachnik (11-5, 11-7, 11-13, 11-4) and Horacio Cifuentes (12-10, 3-11, 11-8, 11-6).
Meanwhile, in the women’s team events, the top three seeded outfits responded, first group places being secured without the need for a deciding fifth match. Top seeds, the United States combination of Amy Wang, Wu Yue and Lily Zhang, secured first place in their group, as did the no.2 seeds, the Puerto Rican trio of Adriana Diaz, Melanie Diaz and Daniely Rios. Similarly, not to be upstaged, the no.3 seeds, Brazil’s Caroline Kumahara, Bruna Takahashi and Jessica Yamada duly reserved pole position.
The concluding group stages and quarter-finals of the men’s team and women’s team events form the schedule for Friday 9th August, the penultimate day of play in Lima.
Phisit Wangphonphathanasiri balances the scales
Furthermore, he compensated for the defeat experienced by colleague, Rungroj Thainiyom. The top seed in class 6, he was the victim of Jon Ju Hyon at the final hurdle (11-7, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5), a player very much in form. In the penultimate round he had ousted Great Britain’s Martin Perry, the no.2 seed (11-7, 8-11, 11-2, 11-1), a player acclimatised to the time difference having the previous week competed in Tokyo.
“I don’t feel I played particularly badly in the semi-final I was just outplayed and he went on to win the gold. The last two weeks in Asia have been a massive learning curve for me. I’ve never been to this part of the world and it was a big culture shock. I’ve had a really good season and I’ve a few more tournaments left so I need to pick myself up and look to improve and push on for the rest of the season.” Martin Perry
Balancing the scales, competing in men’s singles class 8, Phisit Wangphonphathanasiri, the no.2 seed, accounted for Great Britain’s Billy Shilton, the top seed (11-4, 11-9, 12-10) at the final hurdle to secure the top prize.
“I’m happy to have got to the final but disappointed for it to have gone the wrong way. I felt that it took me too long to get into it and that is what cost me the match.” Billy Shilton
A silver medal for Billy Shilton, it was the same for colleagues Jack Hunter-Spivey and for Kim Daybell; each experienced defeat in the final when facing the top seed. Competing in men’s singles class 5, Jack Hunter-Spivey suffered at the hands of Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Ming-Chih (19-17, 11-7, 11-7),
“I feel I’ve played well this competition. I’m pleased to have got to the final with a good win in the semi-finals against Lin Yen-Hung, a tough opponent. I’m disappointed with the result in the final but I fought as hard as I could and left it all on the table and that’s all I can do.” Jack Hunter-Spivey
So near yet so far, it was even closer for Kim Daybell; he was beaten in the men’s singles class 10 final in a full distance five games contest against the Czech Republic’s Ivan Karabec (11-9, 9-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-7).
“I feel my level was better but still not where I need it to be at this point of the season. He played well and I congratulate him. I needed to take my chances when I was leading in a few of the games; then the result could have been different. Hopefully I can play better in the team event.” Kim Daybell
Success for Ivan Karabec and Cheng Ming-Chih as status advised; in the men’s singles events; on the second day of play it was the same for Korea Republic’s Joo Youngdae (class 1-2), Lee Kyeonghun (class 4) and Jeong Kyuyoung (class 11), as it was for Thailand’s Anurak Laowong (class 3) and Jean-Paul Montanus of the Netherlands (class 7).
Two surprise winners on the second day of play in the men’s singles events, it was the same in the women’s singles competitions; India’s Bhavina Patel and Turkey’s Ebru Acer emerged the players to cause the upsets.
Competing in class 4, a group organised event, Bhavina Patel beat Chinese Taipei’s Lu Pi-Chun, the top seed (11-4, 11-6, 11-8) in her concluding group phase contest to maintain her unbeaten record. The silver medal the end result for Lu Pi-Chun, it was the same colour for the top seed in class 11; at the final hurdle Japan’s Nanako Hazeyama was beaten by Turkey’s Ebru Acer (8-11, 11-3, 9-11, 13-11, 11-2).
Otherwise in the women’s singles events that came to a conclusion on the penultimate day of action, it was success for the top seeds and success for the host nation. Thailand’s Chilchitraryak Bootwansirina (class 2) claimed gold as did Korea Republic’s Yoon Jiyu (class 3) and Kang Oejeong (class 5). Likewise there was gold for Iraq’s Najlam Al-Dayyeni (class 6) and for Josephine Medina of the Philippines (class 7-8).
Success, the wins added to the previous day when occupying the top seeded positions, in the men’s singles events, Malaysia’s Chee Chao Ming (class 9) had emerged victorious; a situation that applied in the women’s singles events to Thailand’s Chayanan Settisrikoedkun (class 9) and Chinese Taipei’s Tian Shiau (class 10).
The individual events concluded; attention now turns to the team competitions; play in Bangkok concludes on Saturday 10th August.
2019 Para Bangkok Open: Draws and Latest Results
At the double Nicholas Lum and Finn Luu add to collection
In the junior boys’ doubles event, after accounting for New Zealand’s Jack Chen and Maxwell Henderson (11-5, 11-6, 11-3), Nicholas Lum and Finn Luu overcame colleagues, Hayden Green and Lee Yonghun (11-8, 10-12, 11-9, 14-12) to seal the title. In the corresponding half of the draw, in the penultimate round Hayden Green and Lee Yonghun ended the hopes of New Zealand’s Park Sang-Yong and Nathan Xu (9-11, 11-4, 11-13, 13-11, 11-5).
Success against fellow Australians, it was the same in the cadet boys’ doubles competition; a four games win was recorded against Isaiah Lee and Raymond Zhang (11-5, 11-2, 8-11, 11-5). One round prior, Nicholas Lum and Finn Luu had overcome New Zealand’s Jack Chen and Joseph Zhang (11-1, 11-8, 11-4); Isaiah Lee and Raymond Zhang had ended the progress of New Caledonia’s Mathis Viper and Emile Wapae (11-4, 11-5, 11-5).
Further titles for Australia, it was the same in both the junior girls’ doubles and cadet girls’ doubles events. Matilda Alexandersson and Parleen Kaur secured the former; the latter finished in the hands of Constantina Psihogios and Chermaine Quah.
Following success against New Zealand’s Maia Cavanagh and Minette Whitehead (11-6, 11-6, 11-9), Matilda Alexandersson and Parleen Kaur reserved the top step of the podium by overcoming New Zealand’s Sophie Low and Zhou Jiayi (6-11, 11-8, 11-3, 13-11), the somewhat surprise semi-final winners when facing Australia’s Oh Sue Bin and Michelle Wu, the no.2 seeds (9-11, 11-6, 13-15, 11-8, 11-6).
Success against New Zealand opposition; it was the same in the cadet girls’ doubles final. Constantina Psihogios and Chermaine Quah overcame Takaimaania Ngata-Henare and Minette Whitehead to secure gold (6-11, 12-14, 11-3, 11-4, 11-2), after having recorded a semi-final success in opposition to Fiji’s Filomena Duncan and Nerean Rotan (11-2, 11-3, 11-6). In the adjacent penultimate round contest, Takaimaania Ngata-Henare and Minette Whitehead halted the aspirations of Casonya Bates and Marenga Tua from the Cook Islands (11-2, 11-4, 11-4).
The names of Chermaine Quah and Takaimaania Ngata-Henare prominent, they face each other in the cadet girls’ singles final; the latter name somewhat of a surprise. She beat Constantina Psihogios, the no.2 seed (6-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5) to top her group, before at the semi-final stage ousting colleague, Minette Whitehead (11-4, 11-7, 11-7). In the counterpart semi-final, Chermaine Quah ended the hopes of Constantina Psihogios (11-7, 11-2, 11-9).
A surprise finalist, not in the cadet boys’ singles event, Finn Luu and Nicholas Lum meet; in the penultimate round both beat New Zealanders; Finn Luu accounted for Joseph Zhang (11-5, 11-5, 11-0), Nicholas Lum ended the hopes of Jack Chen (12-10, 12-10, 11-7).
Finalists as anticipated; in the junior girls’ singles event it is semi-finalists as expected with Australia providing three of the four names, the exception being New Zealand’s Zhou Jiayi. The no.2 seed, she faces Michelle Wu, the no.3 seed; in the opposite half of the draw Parleen Kaur, the top seed, opposes Matilda Alexandersson, the no.4 seed.
At the quarter-final stage Parleen Kaur beat Fiji’s Grace Rosi Yee (11-7, 11-6, 11-7, 11-2), Zhou Jiayi accounted for New Zealand’s Maia Cavanagh (11-7, 11-1, 11-5, 11-6); similarly in impressive fashion, Michelle Wu defeated Sophie Low, also from New Zealand (11-7, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9), Matilda Alexandersson ended the hopes of colleague Oh Sue Bin (11-6, 11-3, 12-10, 11-4).
The top four names through to the penultimate round as predicted; in the junior boys’ singles event there was one surprise name and like the junior girls’ singles line up, one name not from Australia. The surprise name was Isaiah Lee; the interloper, New Zealand’s Nathan Xu. Isaiah Lee beat Park Sang-Yong (11-4, 11-8, 8-11, 11-4) to secure first place in his group, before at the quarter-final stage ousting Maxwell Henderson (4-11, 11-1, 11-3, 3-11, 11-6, 11-5). He now faces Nathan Xu, the top seed and quarter-final winner in opposition to Australia’s Raymond Zhang (11-4, 11-3, 11-2, 7-11, 11-7).
Meanwhile, in the opposite half of the draw, Lee Yonghun, the no.2 seed, confronts Hayden Green, the no.4 seed; in the round of the last eight Lee Yonghun beat New Caledonia’s Adrien Perrot (11-6, 11-4, 11-2, 11-3), Hayden Green ended the hopes of Park Sang-Yong (11-1, 11-2, 11-8, 11-7).
Play in Nuku’alofa concludes on Saturday 10th August.
England Squash lead the way with Karakal partnership
By HOWARD HARDING – Squash Mad International Correspondent
World Squash Day returns on Saturday October 12th with ambitious plans to attract one million new players to the game over the next decade.
The theme for 2019 is for every club on the planet to open their doors and hold a free taster session called The Big Hit.
Clubs and federations will be supported by social media campaigns and a new WSD website www.worldsquashday.net has been set up to provide further ideas and promotional material which can be downloaded for free.
World Squash Day founder Alan Thatcher said: “Our aim is to attract 100,000 new players to the game this year.
“Every club and squash facility is invited to host a Big Hit taster session to promote the health benefits that squash has to offer, alongside the fun and friendly social atmosphere that is a universal part of our great game.
“Each club can create their own pathways to look after those newcomers, including weekly group sessions, mentors to help them on their way, and social evenings to complement the huge fitness buzz that squash is guaranteed to deliver.”
World Squash Day is endorsed by the World Squash Federation, PSA, and national federations across the globe.
“World Squash Day is a wonderful annual initiative,” said World Squash Federation president Jacques Fontaine. “It provides such a great opportunity for clubs everywhere to show the public who have not yet experienced it just what makes our sport so popular around the globe.”
Many nations are already planning campaigns to support the push to attract a new generation of players.
England Squash have launched one of the biggest development initiatives in the history of World Squash Day. In partnership with racket brand Karakal, they are offering equipment bags including 18 rackets, plus a grant of £250, to the first 100 clubs to sign up. To date, 76 clubs have signed up to support the initiative.
Mark Williams, Director of Sport at England Squash. said: “World Squash Day serves as a springboard to inspire the nation to pick up a racket and we are thrilled to have Karakal’s support to grow the game in England.
“This year, we’ve set the ambitious target of engaging 5,000 players through World Squash Day events in England and we are encouraging clubs to sign up and help showcase our fantastic sport to their local communities. Delivery partners will receive a host of incentives including the Karakal kit bag and a £250 grant to grow their programmes.”
Thatcher added: “We hope this fantastic event will capture the imagination of the wider public and attract new people to the game. To make it a huge success, we need the support of every squash club and federation.
“Next year on World Squash Day we plan to launch Squash: Project 200 as we begin the 10-year countdown to the 200th anniversary of the birth of squash.
“If we can attract 100,000 new players to the game every year over the next decade, that’s one million new players, all buying rackets and equipment, spending money on hiring courts, supporting their local clubs and federations, and helping to create stars of the future.”
Further information from Alan Thatcher: [email protected]
World Squash Day Toolkit for clubs and federations: www.worldsquashday.net/world-squash-day-toolkit/
Egypt stops Malaysian comeback to win for the seventh straight time
By KNG ZHWNG GUAN, HOWARD HARDING and ALEX WAN – Squash Mad International Correspondents
It is seven in a row for Egypt as they denied Malaysia a fierce comeback in the final of the CIMB Foundation WSF World Junior Team Squash Championships.
It was no walk in the park as the defending champions needed every bit of firepower in their arsenal, and a bit of luck as they rode the strong resistance of Malaysia for a 2-0 win at the National Squash Centre, Bukit Jalil on Friday.
With a 1-3-2 order of play, recently crowned world junior champion Hania El Hammamy gave the Egyptians the start they needed when she overcame Aifa Azman 6-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-3.
It didn’t always go Egypt’s way as Aifa gave the home crowd something to dream about by taking the first game 11-6.
Hania El Hamammy did not want to be the reason if her team loses, and stepped up to give the Egyptians the lead after dropping the opening game.
Hania, however, proved her mettle by storming back to take the second 11-6 and then came from behind to take the third 11-9.
That swung the momentum as Aifa had the wind knocked out of her with Hania eventually romping home for the win.
“I never wanted to be the reason why the team loses so I went in there and I wanted to push hard for my teammates,” said Hania.
“Winning the third game was big for me as it certainly gave me a lot more confidence and I’m really pleased to finish my junior career this way.”
Hania El Hamammy and Aifa Azman congratulate each other for a match well played.
Trailing 1-0, Malaysia then turned to 17-year-old world junior debutant Noor Ainaa Amani Ampandi to save their title hopes.
And the KL girl played the match of her life as she had individual bronze medallist Farida Mohamed by the throat several times.
After a shaky start, Ainaa had the crowd on the edge of their seats as she led 2-1 and was 8-6 up in the fourth.
Ainaa Ampandi played well above herself today and very nearly upstaged Farida Mohamed.
Unfortunately, a cracked racquet forced her to change equipment and that seemed to have ruined her momentum.
And Farida duly seized the initiative to nail the game, before stepping it up in the deciding fifth for an 11-9, 8-11, 4-11, 11-9, 11-4 win.
“I looked to my team and coaches and I knew they needed me to win and I badly didn’t want to lose too, since it’s my first team event,” said a jubilant Farida.
“Even when I was 2-1 down and trailing 8-6 in the fourth, I somehow managed to dig in and I’m happy that I managed to come back to win.
Farida Mohamed takes her position after hitting a shot that forces Ainaa Ampandi to scramble around her.
“This win certainly meant a lot to me. It’s really great that I delivered the winning point because if I had lost, it would have meant more pressure for Jana.”
Egypt’s success means they have sealed their ninth world team and have lived up to their status as the world’s best.
It is however full credit to the gutsy Malaysian team who left everything on court with this final being one of the closest contested one in recent years.
Aifa Azman prepares to attack a loose shot against Hania El Hamammy.
“I think I played really well today. I won the first but Hania changed her game after that. I tried to keep up to her pace but she was way better on the day,” said Aifa.
Said Ainaa, “I really had nothing to lose since this is my first world juniors and my first team event. I think Aifa played really well and that gave me confidence going into my game.
“All I was thinking today was that I wanted to win. I was nervous at the start but I played well in the second and third. I also tried really hard in a tough fourth game but unfortunately, luck wasn’t on my side.”
Farida Mohamed screams in delight after her opponent’s ball was called down by the referee to give Egypt the title.
The loss means Malaysia finish as bridesmaids for the second straight edition.
Meanwhile in the playoff for fifth, India finished strongly by beating the higher ranked USA 2-1. Switzerland finished seventh after edging Australia 2-0 while Canada finished ninth, ahead of New Zealand, South Africa and France.
Further down, Japan finished 13th after beating Sweden 2-0, South Korea took 15th after beating Ireland 2-1, and Singapore beat debutants Chinese Taipei to finish 17th.
The WSF World Junior Squash Championships will next take place next year in Gold Coast, Australia.
CIMB Foundation WSF Women’s World Junior Team Squash Championship, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
FINAL
[1] EGYPT bt [2] MALAYSIA 2/0
Hania El Hammamy bt Aifa Azman 6-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-3
Farida Mohamed bt Ainaa Ampandi 11-9, 8-11, 4-11, 11-9, 11-4
Pictures courtesy of #WSFWorldJuniors2019 and Regina Ho
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