The Bermuda Squash Racquets Association Club played host to a thrilling night of quarter-final action at the IQUW Bermuda Open Squash Championships, with four of the matches going the full distance in captivating encounters. However, the evening also saw a significant withdrawal due to injury.
England's Nick Wall, who battled through a five-set thriller in the previous round against Matias Knudsen, was unfortunately forced to withdraw from his quarter-final match due to injury. This meant a direct passage to the semi-finals for India's Veer Chotrani.
In the Women's draw, top seed Aira Azman from Malaysia survived a major scare against Egypt's fifth seed Nour Heikal. After falling two sets behind, Azman showed incredible resilience to claw her way back and clinch a 3-2 victory. The 42-minute contest saw Azman win 6-11, 8-11, 13-11, 11-6, 11-4 in a hard-fought battle.
The second-seeded Egyptian, Hana Moataz, also had to dig deep to secure her place in the semi-finals. She faced her compatriot, the sixth seed Haya Ali, in a tight 36-minute encounter that also went the distance. Moataz eventually prevailed 3-2 with scores of 11-7, 11-4, 7-11, 6-11, 11-4.
The upsets continued in the Women's division as eighth seed Amina El Rihany of Egypt stunned her higher-ranked compatriot, the third seed Salma Eltayeb. Their 45-minute battle was a rollercoaster, eventually seeing El Rihany emerge victorious 3-2 with scores of 5-11, 11-7, 12-10, 5-11, 11-6.
The Men's draw also witnessed an upset as seventh seed Karim El Hammamy of Egypt overcame the third seed Timothy Brownell from the USA in a marathon 69-minute clash. Hammamy battled back after losing the first game convincingly to secure a 3-2 victory with scores of 3-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-9, 11-6.
With several seeds falling and thrilling five-set matches dominating the quarter-finals, the stage is now set for an exciting semi-final day at the IQUW Bermuda Open.
Men’s Division Quarter-Finals
07 11 11 11 Miguel Rodriguez (COL) defeated
11 08 09 08 Simon Herbert (ENG)
11 06 11 11 Karim El Hammamy (EGY) defeated
08 11 09 06 Timothy Brownell (USA)
18 11 11 Mohamad Zakaria (EGY) defeated
16 01 03 Moustafa Elsirty (EGY)
Women’s Division Quarter-Finals
06 08 13 11 11 Aira Azman (MAS) defeated
11 11 11 06 04 Nour Heikal (EGY)
11 11 07 06 11 Hana Moataz (EGY) defeated
07 04 11 11 04 Haya Ali (EGY)
11 11 11 Aifa Azman (MAS) defeated
03 01 05 Alex Haydon (AUS)
05 11 12 05 11 Amina El Rihany (EGY) defeated
11 07 10 11 06 Salma Eltayeb (EGY)
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