With quarter-final places on the all-glass court at the Curve shopping mall the prize, the last day’s play at the National Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil saw some fierce battles in the last sixteen rounds of the CIMB Malaysian Open.

Notable upsets were from Abdullah Al Mezayen and Nafiizwan Adnan in the men’s draw as they took out the third and fourth seeds, and a first win for Low Wee Wern over fifth seed Madeline Perry to boost home representation in the women’s draw.

Wee Wern and Waters Upset Seedings

Malaysian Low Wee Wern made use of the home advantage against Madeline Perry in round two of the CIMB Malaysian Squash Open Championships 2012.

The eleventh seed took just over an hour infront of a home crowd to see off the experienced Irishwoman in four games to book her quarter-final slot and record her best World Series progression so far in 2012. Wee Wern will next face Jenny Duncalf of England who came through a strong three-game win against Camille Serme.

Recently welcomed back into the WSA World Tour’s Top10, Alison Waters kept up the pressure on those still ahead of her, as she defeated eighth seed Natalie Grinham in four games. Waters will face newly appointed world No.2 Raneem El Weleily in the next stage of the competition, but with the added incentive of having never lost to the young Egyptian in seven previous WSA World Tour clashes.

Other players will be buoyed by the fact that Donna Urquhart was able to take a game from top seed and home favourite Nicol Davidduring her 3-1 defeat. Showing a less than infallible display, David took the first game from the Australian, but Urquhart dug in to claim the second before succumbing in four games.

David will next face Annie Au of Hong Kong, who dispatched Australian Kasey Brown in straight games.

Laura Massaro ensured complete attendance among the top four seeds after beating Dipika Pallikal in four games. The Englishwoman led after the first two games despite being forced to a 14-12 tiebreak in the second, but dropped the third game to the young Indian No.1. She regained her composure however to claim a place in the quarters where she will play sixteen-year-old Egyptian prodigy Nour El Sherbini.

El Sherbini booked second consecutive World Series quarter-final slot after dispatching fellow teenage Emily Whitlock of England in four games.2nd round:

WSA World Series 70 CIMB Malaysian Open

[1] Nicol David (MAS) vs [16] Donna Urquhart (AUS) 11-6, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7 (50m)
[6] Annie Au (HKG) vs [10] Kasey Brown (AUS) 11-7, 11-8, 11-8 (37m)
[4] Laura Massaro (ENG) vs [14] Dipika Pallikal (IND) 11-5, 14-12, 8-11, 11-7 (52m)
[7] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) vs Emily Whitlock (ENG) 11-7, 5-11, 11-7, 11-8 (40m)
[11] Low Wee Wern (MAS) vs [5] Madeline Perry (IRL) 11-3, 9-11, 11-4, 11-8 (62m)
[3] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt [12] Camille Serme (FRA) 11-5, 11-4, 11-7 (37m)
[15] Alison Waters (ENG) vs [8] Natalie Grinham (NED) 11-6, 9-11, 12-10, 11-5 (45m)
[2] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) 6-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-2 (39m)

1st round:

[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [Q] Joshna Chinappa (IND) 11-3, 12-10, 11-9 (30m)
[16] Donna Urquhart (AUS) v Lucie Fialova (CZE) 11-4, 11-6, 11-4 (32m)
[6] Annie Au (HKG) bt [Q] Milou van der Heijden (NED) 11-2, 11-0, 11-4 (14m)
[10] Kasey Brown (AUS) bt Heba El Torky (EGY) 4-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-6 (53m)
[4] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt [Q] Tong Tsz-Wing (HKG) 11-7, 11-5, 11-1 (28m)
[14] Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt [Q] Kylie Lindsay (NZL) 11-6, 11-6, 12-10 (30m)
[7] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt Gaby Huber (SUI) 11-7, 11-1, 11-4 (15m)
Emily Whitlock (ENG) bt [13] Samantha Teran (MEX) 11-3, 11-4, 9-11, 12-10 (50)
[11] Low Wee Wern (MAS) bt [Q] Salma Hany (EGY) 11-5, 11-3, 11-7 (22m)
[5] Madeline Perry (IRL) bt Delia Arnold (MAS) 11-2, 11-5, 11-4 (26m)
[12] Camille Serme (FRA) bt Siti Munirah Jusoh (MAS) 11-8, 11-4, 11-4 (27m)
[3] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt Line Hansen (DEN) 11-4, 11-4, 11-8 (35m)
[15] Alison Waters (ENG) bt [Q] Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) 11-6, 11-4, 11-2 (17m)
[8] Natalie Grinham (NED) bt [Q] Lisa Aitken (SCO) 11-5, 11-6, 11-3 (23m)
Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt [9] Rachael Grinham (AUS) 11-7, 11-7, 10-12 (34m)
[2] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt [Q] Vanessa Raj (MAS) 11-3, 11-5, 11-4 (25m)

‘Smooth Dude’ Al Muzayen Makes Malaysian Quarters

Kuwaiti qualifier Abdullah Al Muzayen stole the headlines on the opening day of the CIMB Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur when he defeated third-seeded Egyptian Omar Mosaad to claim an unexpected place in the quarter-finals of thePSA World Tour International 50 squash event at the city’s National Squash Centre.

Winner of the KL Open in March this year, world No10 Mosaad was looking for back-to-back titles in Malaysia. The 24-year-old from Cairo started well against the gifted Al Muzayen and was looking to dominate from the outset.

“But the Kuwaiti had different ideas and started firing in shots from everywhere,” said event spokesman Andrew Cross. “He came back to win the second, holding the ball and flicking the ball – and all of a sudden he was two games to one up.”

In the fourth, Al Muzayen was on fire, going quickly from love-all to five-love. Mosaad was not going to give up though and came back to five-all. The 24-year-old world No51 – the lowest-ranked player in the draw – recovered the advantage and soon closed out the match 6-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-8 in 39 minutes.

The win immediately prompted a rave review by Australian number one Cameron Pilley on Twitter: “Kuwaiti dude Abdullah is one of the most naturally gifted players I’ve ever seen!! Easily one of the smoothest movers on tour!!”

Naturally Al Muzayen was delighted with his breakthrough win: “Sooo happy 2 beat world no.10 omar mosaad 3/1 looking forward to play well tomorrow against mueller switzerland player world no.20,” tweeted the left-hander from Kuwait City.

Pilley himself was unable to reproduce the Kuwaiti dude’s winning ways later when the world No16 from New South Wales went down 11-9, 4-11, 11-6, 11-7 in 73 minutes to Spain’s Borja Golan, ranked just a single place lower.

Golan progresses to face top seed Karim Darwish, the world No4 from Egypt competing in his first Tour event since the birth of his first-born son Omar in May.

Darwish defeated Indian qualifier Siddharth Suchde 11-3, 11-4, 11-6.

Another seed fell later in the day when local star Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan fought back from two games down against England’s world No15 Adrian Grant to beat the fourth seed and 2006 champion 9-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-4, 13-11 in a 96-minute marathon.

The London-based Malaysian now faces Egypt’s Tarek Momen, the 2010 runner-up who beat Hong Kong qualifier Max Lee 11-4, 11-8, 4-11, 13-11.

But there was big disappointment for veteran Malaysian Ong Beng Hee when the former world No7 suffered his earliest exit in the event since 2004. Champion in 2000, 2005 and 2008, Beng Hee bowed out to Nicolas Mueller, losing 11-2, 11-5, 11-2 to the rising Swiss star.

PSA International 50 CIMB Malaysian Open

1st round:
[1] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt [Q] Siddharth Suchde (IND) 11-3, 11-4, 11-6 (32m)
Borja Golan (ESP) bt Cameron Pilley (AUS) 11-9, 4-11, 11-6, 11-7 (73m)
Tarek Momen (EGY) bt [Q] Max Lee (HKG) 11-4, 11-8, 4-11, 13-11 (43m)
Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) bt [4] Adrian Grant (ENG) 9-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-4, 13-11 (96m)
[Q] Abdullah Al Muzayen (KUW) bt [3] Omar Mosaad (EGY) 6-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-8 (39m)
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt Ong Beng Hee (MAS) 11-2, 11-5, 11-2 (25m)
Olli Tuominen (FIN) bt Saurav Ghosal (IND) 8-11, 11-6, 12-10, 10-12, 11-5 (74m)
[2] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) bt [Q] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 11-6, 6-1 ret. (17m)