Qatar’s World No.42 Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi caused the only major upset in the final qualifying round of the 2017 Oracle NetSuite Open after he overcame World No.23 Gregoire Marche to reach the main draw of the men’s PSA M100 tournament in San Francisco.
The duo were meeting for the first time on the PSA World Tour, with Marche the man in form after his title triumph at the Open International de Squash de Nantes earlier this month.
But it was Al Tamimi who prevailed in San Francisco as the 22-year-old from Doha rose to the win by an 11-8, 3-11, 11-9, 11-6 margin to set up a main draw meeting with last year’s runner-up James Willstrop in round one.
Al Tamimi will be joined in the main draw by Colombia’s former World No.4 Miguel Angel Rodriguez, who came through a nail-biting five-game encounter with Egyptian maverick Mazen Hesham.
Hesham, the 23-year-old World No.70, twice went a game ahead but the experience of Rodriguez paid off as he held his nerve to come back into the clash, winning it 7-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9, 11-4 to ensure he will take on World No.3 Mohamed ElShorbagy in a mouthwatering first round encounter.
World No.27 Alan Clyne is also through after coming out on top in an all-Scottish fixture with Greg Lobban, while Campbell Grayson beat Frenchman Lucas Serme in straight games to book his main draw berth. They will play Tarek Momen and Daryl Selby, respectively in the first round.
The women’s final round of qualifying saw the matches go to seeding as 2007 World Champion Rachael Grinham joined Canadian trio Samantha Cornett, Hollie Naughton and Nikki Todd in the main draw of the PSA W50 event.
Grinham dispatched Japan’s Misaki Kobayashi in three games to set up a first round clash with Victoria Lust, while Naughton was forced all the way to five games by Kiwi Amanda Landers-Murphy.
After going 2-1 up, Naughton looked to be up against it after taking just two points from a one-sided fourth game as Landers-Murphy drew level. But the World No.40 prevailed in the fifth game to take it 11-5, 4-11, 11-9, 2-11, 11-9 and she will face World No.6 Sarah-Jane Perry in the main draw.
Cornett defeated fellow Canadian Danielle Letourneau to earn her place in the next round, while Todd ousted Egypt’s Nouran El Torky, who was unable to back up her surprise win over top qualifying seed Coline Aumard in the opening round of qualifying.
First round action from the Oracle NetSuite Open will take place on September 26 at local clubs. Matches from the quarter-finals onwards will take place on the Oracle NetSuite Challenge court on Justin Herman Plaza and will be shown live on SQUASHTV (Rest of World) and Eurosport Player (Europe only) between September 27-30.
Tickets start from $20 and can be purchased atwww.netsuiteopensquash.tix.com
Results - Final Qualifying Round: 2017 Men’s Oracle NetSuite Open
[4] Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt [6] Lucas Serme (FRA) 3-0: 11-2, 11-8, 11-6 (45m)
[2] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) bt [8] Mazen Hesham (EGY) 3-2: 7-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9, 11-4 (70m)
[5] Abdulla Al Tamimi (QAT) bt [1] Gregoire Marche (FRA) 3-1: 11-8, 3-11, 11-9, 11-6 (49m)
[3] Alan Clyne (SCO) bt [7] Greg Lobban (SCO) 3-1: 11-13, 11-3, 11-5, 14-12 (71m)
Draw - First Round: To Be Played September 26th
[2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) v [Q] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
[Q] Campbell Grayson (NZL) v [7] Daryl Selby (ENG)
[8] Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) v Cesar Salazar (MEX)
[Q] Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) v [4] James Willstrop (ENG)
[3] Nick Matthew (ENG) v Borja Golan (ESP)
Diego Elias (PER) v [6] Fares Dessouky (EGY)
[5] Tarek Momen (EGY) v [Q] Alan Clyne (SCO)
[WC] Faraz Khan (USA) v [1] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Results - Final Qualifying Round: 2017 Women’s Oracle NetSuite Open
Nikki Todd (CAN) bt Nouran El Torky (EGY) 3-1: 6-11, 11-4, 11-7, 11-8 (35m)
[3] Samantha Cornett (CAN) bt [8] Danielle Letourneau (CAN) 3-0: 11-7, 11-7, 11-7 (33m)
[4] Hollie Naughton (CAN) bt Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL) 3-2: 11-5, 4-11, 11-9, 2-11, 11-9 (46m)
[2] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt Misaki Kobayashi 3-0: 11-9, 11-9, 11-5 (27m)
Draw - First Round: To Be Played September 26th
[1] Laura Massaro (ENG) v [WC] Aisling Blake (IRL)
[Q] Nikki Todd (CAN) v [8] Salma Hany Ibrahim (EGY)
[7] Donna Urquhart (AUS) v [Q] Samantha Cornett (CAN)
[Q] Hollie Naughton (CAN) v [3] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
[4] Emily Whitlock (ENG) v Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND)
Millie Tomlinson (ENG) v [6] Olivia Blatchford (USA)
[5] Victoria Lust (ENG) v [Q] Rachael Grinham (AUS)
Heba El Torky (EGY) v [2] Nicol David (MAS)
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