Top Seeds Crash Out As Windy City Open Qualification Closes

Number one and two seeds Gregoire Marche and Nafiizwan Adnan, along with number two seeded woman's qualifier Coline Aumard, crashed out of the 2017 Windy City Open presented by Guggenheim Partners & EquiTrust Life Insurance Company as qualification at the PSA World Series tournament reached a conclusion today (Feb 22).


Top seeded Frenchman Marche was in total control as he moved into a seemingly unassailable 2-0 / 5-2 lead over Egyptian Karim Ali Fathi. But the World No.26 lost his focus, allowing Fathi to steal a game, and subsequently the match. Fathi, World No.41, will now face Marwan ElShorbagy in the first round.


Adnan meanwhile fell 3-2 as Finland's Olli Tuominen rolled back the years, with the 37-year-old twice going ahead before keeping his nerve to seal the decider and set up a first round encounter with Ramy Ashour - the maverick Egyptian who returns to action for the first time in 2017.


Leo Au, Lucas Serme, Campbell Grayson, Joe Lee, Alan Clyne and Nicolas Mueller also secured their places in the main draw while in the Women's event, unseeded Canadian Samantha Cornett claimed the headlines with an impressive 3-1 win over Aumard - the Frenchwoman who sits almost 20 places above her on the World Rankings.


Cornett will now face World No.11 Joelle King in a compelling first round encounter while there were hard fought five game victories for Mayar Hany, Samantha Teran, Fiona Moverley and Nele Gillis.


Egyptian trio Hania El Hammamy, Nadine Shahin and Salma Hany Ibrahim completed the list of winners as qualification ended ahead of the main draw which starts tomorrow (Feb 23) at the University Club of Chicago.


Results: Men's Qualification Finals - 2017 Windy City Open

[7] Lucas Serme (FRA) bt [12] Farhan Zaman (PAK) 3-0: 11-8, 11-2, 11-9 (33m)

[3] Leo Au (HKG) bt [10] Raphael Kandra (GER) 11-3 retired

[8] Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt [16] Todd Harrity (USA) 3-1: 11-9, 10-12, 11-5, 11-5 (56m)

[13] Olli Tuominen (FIN) bt [2] Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) 3-2: 11-3, 12-14, 11-6, 7-11, 11-8 (71m)

[4] Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt Arturo Salazar (MEX) 3-1: 8-11, 12-10, 11-7, 11-7 (52m)

[11] Joe Lee (ENG) bt Alister Walker (BOT) 3-0: 12-10, 11-3, 11-8 (43m)

[9] Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) bt [1] Gregoire Marche (FRA) 3-2: 9-11, 5-11, 11-6, 11-2, 11-3 (61m)

[5] Alan Clyne (SCO) bt [14] Ben Coleman (ENG) 3-0: 11-2, 11-2, 11-4 (33m)


Men's First Round Draw:

[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) v Paul Coll (NZL)

Cesar Salazar (MEX) v [Q] Campbell Grayson (NZL)

Cameron Pilley (AUS) v Stephen Coppinger (RSA)

[Q] Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) v [5] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY)

[6] Ali Farag (EGY) v Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)

Diego Elias (PER) v Ryan Cuskelly (AUS)

Simon Rösner (GER) v [WC] Chris Hanson (USA)

[Q] Olli Tuominen (FIN) v [4] Ramy Ashour (EGY)

[3] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v [Q] Joe Lee (ENG)

Daryl Selby (ENG) v [Q] Lucas Serme (FRA)

Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) v Mathieu Castagnet (FRA)

James Willstrop (ENG) v [8] Omar Mosaad (EGY)

[7] Tarek Momen (EGY) v [Q] Leo Au (HKG)

Borja Golan (ESP) v Max Lee (HKG)

Fares Dessouky (EGY) v [Q] Nicolas Mueller (SUI)

[Q] Alan Clyne (SCO) v [2] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)


Results: Women's Qualification Finals - 2017 Windy City Open

[8] Mayar Hany (EGY) bt [10] Kanzy Emad El Defrawy (EGY) 3-2: 6-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-5, 11-3 (49m)

[7] Samantha Teran (MEX) bt [12] Milou van der Heijden (NED) 3-2: 11-7, 8-11, 11-13, 11-8, 11-7 (61m)

[14] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt [6] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-7, 11-7 (34m)

Samantha Cornett (CAN) bt [2] Coline Aumard (FRA) 3-1: 4-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-6 (48m)

[5] Fiona Moverley (ENG) bt [13] Hollie Naughton (CAN) 3-2: 11-3, 11-7, 7-11, 12-14, 11-7 (49m)

[9] Nele Gilis (BEL) bt [4] Rachael Grinham (AUS) 3-2: 7-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-5 (71m)

[3] Nadine Shahin (EGY) bt [15] Tong Tsz-Wing (HKG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-8, 12-10 (34m)

[1] Salma Hany Ibrahim (EGY) bt [11] Misaki Kobayashi (JPN) 3-0: 11-9, 11-7, 11-2 (24m)


Women's First Round Draw:

[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) v [Q] Nadine Shahin (EGY)

[Q] Samantha Terna (MEX) v [15] Victoria Lust (ENG)

[13] Emily Whitlock (ENG) v Line Hansen (DEN)

[Q] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) v [7] Nicol David (MAS)

[8] Alison Waters (ENG) v Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG)

[Q] Salma Hany Ibrahim (EGY) v [16] Joey Chan (HKG)

[14] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) v Tesni Evans (WAL)

Heba El Torky (EGY) v [4] Camille Serme (FRA)

[3] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v Jenny Duncalf (ENG)

[Q] Mayar Hany (EGY) v [11] Annie Au (HKG)

[12] Joshna Chinappa (IND) v [WC] Olivia Blatchford (USA)

[Q] Nele Gillis (BEL) v [6] Amanda Sobhy (USA)

[5] Laura Massaro (ENG) v Mariam Metwally (EGY)

[Q] Samantha Cornett (CAN) v [9] Joelle King (NZL)

[10] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) v Donna Urquhart (AUS)

[Q] Fiona Moverley (ENG) v [2] Nouran Gohar (EGY)