Top seeds Hania El Hammamy and Ali Farag of Egypt cruised through their opening matches in straight games at the VITAGEN Singapore Squash Open on Wednesday. However, the day’s biggest stories belonged to Hungary’s Farkas Balazs and England’s Katie Malliff, who delivered remarkable upsets to reach the quarterfinals.

Balazs, ranked world No. 40, pulled off the upset of the tournament so far, toppling Egypt’s world No. 15 and sixth seed Fares Dessouky in a thrilling five-game battle (6-11, 12-10, 6-11, 11-5, 12-10). Facing a player once ranked in the world’s top eight, Balazs mounted a spirited comeback from 2-1 down to claim a career-defining victory after 72 minutes.

“I can’t wait to go back to the hotel, order a beer and call my girlfriend,” said a jubilant Balazs.

“I’m really happy because Dessouky has great movement and racket skills. He played really well today, but I tried to fight as hard as I could and play as many balls as possible. I’m happy to survive and move through to the next round.”

Katie Malliff also produced a stunning performance, defeating eighth seed Tomato Ho of Hong Kong, China, in four games (11-8, 8-11, 11-7, 11-9). The world No. 47 displayed exceptional poise and determination to overcome Ho, ranked seven places above her, and secure her first PSA World Tour Gold quarterfinal.

“I brought out my A game today and really played my best. So, I’m really happy. I’ve not got this far in a Gold event before. It’s going to be a tough opponent whoever I play, I’m going to try and recover and I’m going to have a rest day,” said Malliff.

Malliff’s run sets up an exciting clash with top seed Hania El Hammamy in the quarterfinals.

El Hammamy defeated Malaysia’s Aira Azman 12-10, 11-2, 11-5 in 25 minutes, while Farag also took the same time to overcome Tsz Kwan Lau of Hong Kong, China, with an impressive 11-3, 11-4, 11-6 scoreline at the OCBC Arena.

“I’m very pleased to get through my first round here in Singapore with a victory. It was crucial I managed to win the first game to ease the nerves. After that, I was just happy to get through the second and third game,” said El Hammamy.

Farag dominated his match against Lau, controlling the tempo and denying his opponent opportunities to dictate play.

“Lau is a very unique player in the way he approaches his game. I had to nullify his strength and I did that well today. I hope to continue with more of the same as I progress through the tournament. Every opponent comes up with a different game plan and I have to continue to prepare myself well and get ready for every match,” said the world no. 1.

In the day’s opening all-Egyptian women’s match, Sana Ibrahim extended her unbeaten record against compatriot Salma Eltayeb to six with a comfortable 3-0 (11-7, 11-4, 11-3) victory.

The opening game was closely contested, with Ibrahim breaking away at 7-7 to take the lead. The No. 7 seed then dominated the remaining games, sealing the match in 27 minutes to reach the quarterfinals.

“I feel so relieved. It’s my first time in Singapore, and I really wanted to get off to a good start, which I managed to do. There were moments in the match where Salma put me under pressure but I’m happy I managed to handle it well,” said Ibrahim.

Fresh off his victory at home last week, Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng continued his fine form, dispatching India’s Velavan Senthilkumar in straight games (11-4, 11-1, 11-5). Ng has now defeated Senthilkumar in all four of their encounters.

“That win in Malaysia was a big confidence booster, but it’s a new week, and I have to reset. I adapted well to the conditions today. My back-court game and finishing at the front were strong. I’m looking forward to a good rest tomorrow before it starts all over again in the quarterfinal,” said the 26-year-old.

Belgium’s Tinne Gilis, who finished runner-up at the VITAGEN Singapore Open last year, also outplayed Egypt’s world no. 28 Zeina Mickawy in straight games 3-0 (11-4, 11-6, 11-6) to set up a quarterfinal clash with Ibrahim.

“The first match is always the hardest, physically and mentally, as you have to get your rhythm back to the court. But I did very well today. I have very good memories of my time in Singapore, and I enjoy every single minute of my time here,” said the third-seed Belgian.

Fourth seed Victor Crouin of France overcame a shaky start to beat England’s Curtis Malik 3-1 (9-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-3). After losing the first game, Crouin regained his composure to dominate the rest of the match.

“I felt like I came into the match quite strongly, so it was a bit frustrating to lose that first game. The last thing I could not afford then was to panic and lose sight of how to play well. I’m happy with the way I responded, and I was about to express myself a bit more in the next three games,” said Crouin.

Photo Credit: VITAGEN Singapore Squash Open

The VITAGEN Singapore Squash Open, with a prize purse of US$220,000, takes place at the OCBC Arena from 19th to 24th November 2024, showcasing 48 of the world’s top men’s and women’s squash players. Tickets and more information available here