What to Look for in Today’s Matches by Matt Lombardi

Noon: Camille Serme (France, age 29, rank 5) vs. Milou van der Heijden (Netherlands, age 28, rank 34). Serme’s up-tempo style has gotten her to at least the quarterfinals in each of the last five ToCs, and earned her the title in 2017. Van der Heijden will need to emulate the scrappy tenacity of her coach, former ToC champ Natalie Grinham, if she’s going to pull off the upset.

12:45: Karim Abdel Gawad (Egypt, age 27, rank 5) vs. Fares Dessouky (Egypt, age 24, rank 475). Dessouky is arguably the most athletic and disciplined of the younger Egyptians, and judging by his opening match he’s fully recovered from the knee injury that kept him out for all of 2018. He’s likely to pose a tough test for Gawad, a transcendent talent with a laidback attitude who at times has concentration lapses in the early rounds.

2:00: Nouran Gohar (Egypt, age 21, rank 7) vs. Wee Wern Low (Malaysia, age 28, rank 45). Low, a former world no. 5, is mounting a comeback after 21 months sidelined with an ACL tear. Her smooth court coverage and distinctive, metronome-like swing are a sharp contrast to Gohar’s intense, high-powered game.

2:45: Diego Elias (Peru, age 22, rank 11) vs. Cameron Pilley (Australia, age 36, rank 29). Pilley has built his career on fast-paced, attacking play, and he’ll need to be hitting on all cylinders against Elias, one of the game’s rising stars. The tall Peruvian uses long, languid strides to cover the court with uncommon efficiency and grace.

5:00: Raneem El Welily (Egypt, age 30, rank 1) vs. Mariam Metwally (Egypt, age 22, rank 23). El Welily’s cool but commanding court presence and consummate racquet skills have drawn comparisons to the great Egyptian men’s player Amr Shabana. In December she returned to the no. 1 ranking after a strong 2018 that saw her winner or runner up in 12 of the 14 tournaments she entered. At 22, Metwally is already a tour veteran. She’s been ranked in the top 30 for the past two years, but has yet to crack the top 20.

7:30: Joelle King (New Zealand, age 30, rank 4) vs. Zeina Mickawy (Egypt, age 20, rank 29). King has always been one of the tour’s best athletes, but after a ruptured Achilles tendon took her out in 2014, she returned with a more nuanced game. She’s coming off her first platinum-level win at November’s Hong Kong Open—the first time since March of 2017 that a major women’s title has gone to a non-Egyptian. She’ll be contending with one of the hard-hitting, fiercely competitive Egyptian youth brigade in Mickawy.

8:15: Mohamed ElShorbagy (Egypt, age 28, rank 1) vs. Zahed Salem (Egypt, age 26, rank 25). The powerfully built Salem is a tenacious fighter, but he’ll be hard-pressed to match the skill and athleticism of ElShorbagy. The world no. 1 looked in top form in his opening-round win.

9:00: Nicol David (Malaysia, age 35, rank 13) vs. Rowan Elaraby (Egypt, age 18, rank 32). After nearly a decade positioned at no. 1 in the world, David is spending the latter part of her career battling with a new generation for whom she’s served as an idol and role model. Elaraby, the reigning world junior champion, is a slight, speedy figure cut from much the same mold as David, and like David she varies her pace and tactics more than most of her young peers.

ThursdayJANUARY 17, 2019

NOON SESSION (WR2, MR3)[5] Camille Serme (FRA) vs. Milou v.d. Heijden (NED)[8] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) vs. Fares Dessouky (EGY)

5 PM SESSION (WR2, MR3)[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) vs. Mariam Metwally (EGY)[3] Simon Rösner (GER) vs. Max Lee (HKG)

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SaturdayJANUARY 19, 2019

2 PM SESSION (WR2, MR3)[6] Nouran Gohar (EGY) vs. Low Wee Wern (MAS)Cameron Pilley (AUS) vs. Diego Elias (PER)

7:30 PM SESSION (WR2, MR3)[4] Joelle King (NZL) vs. Zeina Mickawy (EGY)[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) vs. Zahed Salem (EGY)[11] Nicol David (MAS) vs. Rowan Elaraby (EGY)

Omar Mosaad, the ‘Hammer of Thor’, made a thunderous statement with a top-ten-ranked upset over six seed Miguel

Angel Rodriguez Friday. Tarek Momen, the 2018 finalist, overcame world No. 10 Mohamed Abouelghar in his five-

game ToC opener.

Fri. 1/18 – 4:45pm HC: Sat.1/19 – 5:00pm GCT:

Ho Tze-Lok (HKG) [1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) Mariam Metwally (EGY) Metwally 5,9,3 Fri. 1/18 – 5:30pm HC: Sat. 1/19 – 1:45pm HC: Mon. 1/21 12:30pm Coline Aumard (FRA) T. Gilis 7,9,5 Tinne Gilis (BEL) [14] Joshna Chinappa (IND) Fri. 1/18 – 2:15pm HC: Sat. 1/19 – 12:15pm HC: Tue. Jan. 22 Satomi Watanabe (JAP) [10] Annie Au (HKG) 1:30pm Joey Chan (HKG) Chan 6,8,6 Fri. 1/18 – 12:45pm HC: Sat. 1/20 – 2:00pm GCT: Mon. 1/21 11:00am Mayar Hany (EGY) Wee Wern 10,3,(6),6 Low Wee Wern (MAS) [6] Nouran Gohar (EGY) Fri. 1/18 – 12:00pm HC: Sat. 1/19 – 12:00pm GCT: Wed. Jan. 23 Haley Mendez (USA) [5] Camille Serme (FRA) 5:00pm Milou v. der Heijden (NED) van der Heijden 9,13,(6),9 Fri. 1/18 – 1:30pm HC: Sat. 1/19 – 1:00pm HC: Mon. 1/21 11:45am Rachael Grinham (AUS) Tsz-Ling (8),5,3,1 Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) [13] Victoria Lust (ENG) Fri. 1/18 – 7:00pm HC: Sat. 1/19 – 9:00pm GCT: Tue. Jan. 22 Alexandra Fuller (RSA) [11] Nicol David (MAS) 2:15pm Rowan Elaraby (EGY) Elaraby (3),9,7,7 Sat. 1/20 – 6:15pm HC: Sat 1/19 – 7:30pm GCT: Mon. 1/21 2:30pm Zeina Mickawy (EGY) Mickawy 10,(3),6,12 Marina Stefanoni (USA) [4] Joelle King (NZL) Thurs. Jan. 24

Fri. 1/18 – 4:45pm PC: Sun. 1/20 – 9:00 GCT: 7:00pm Nada Abbas (EGY) [3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) Lisa Aitken (SCO) Aitken 11,(5),(4),13,5 Fri. 1/18 – 5:30pm PC: Sun. 1/20 – 7:30pm GCT: Mon. 1/21 3:15pm Samantha Cornett (CAN) Letourneau (0),7,10,11 Danielle Letourneau (CAN) [10] Amanda Sobhy (USA) Fri. 1/18 – 6:15pm PC: Sun. 1/20 – 1:00pm HC: Tue. Jan. 22 Hollie Naughton (CAN) [9] Alison Waters (ENG) 5:00pm Emily Whitlock (ENG) Whitlock (8),6,8,8 Fri. 1/18 – 7:00pm PC: Sun. 1/20 – 2:45pm GCT: Mon. 1/21 5:00pm Millie Tomlinson (ENG) Tomlinson 7,7,3 A. Landers-Murphy (NZL) [8] Tesni Evans (WAL) Fri. 1/20– 4:45pm NYAC: Sun. 1/20 – 12:00pm GCT: Wed. Jan. 23 Julianne Courtice (ENG) [7] Laura Massaro (ENG) 6:00pm Yathreb Adel (IND) Adel 8,10,5 Fri. 1/18 – 5:30pm NYAC: Sun. 1/20 – 12:15pm HC: Mon. 1/21 6:00pm Fiona Moverley (ENG) Subramaniam 2,7,8 S. Subramaniam (MAS) [15] Salma Hany (EGY) Fri. 1/18 – 6:15pm NYAC: Sun. 1/20 – 1:45pm HC: Tue. Jan.22 Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG) [16] Olivia Blatchford Clyne 7:30pm Nele Gilis (BEL) N. Gilis 10,7,6 Fri. 1/18 – 7:00pm NYAC: Sun. 1/20- 8:15pm GCT: Mon. 1/21 7:30pm Hania El Hammamy (EGY) El Hammamy 4,2,3 Emilia Soini (FIN) [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY)

WOMENMEN

Wed. 1/16 – 4:15pm: Thurs. 1/17 - 7:30pm:

Mazen Hesham (EGY) [1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) ElShorbagy Nicolas Müller (SUI) Müller 11,5,8 3,10,4 Wed. 1/16 – 4:30pm HC: Thurs. 1/17 – 2:00pm: Sat. 1/19 8:15pm

Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) Eain 8,8,3 Salem Eain Yow Ng (MAS) Salem (8),3,8,7 (9),5,7,8 Wed. 1/16 – 6:15pm HC: Thurs. 1/17 – 3:00pm:

Mon Jan. 21

Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) Pilley 10,9,6 Pilley 5:45pm Zahed Salem (EGY) Richards (7),9,9,4 3,7,5 Wed. 1/16 – 3:30pm: Thurs. 1/17 – 8:30pm: Sat. 1/19 2:45pm Cameron Pilley (AUS) Diego Elias (PER) Elias

Nathan Lake (ENG) [5] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) 8,6,(0),10

Wed. 1/16 – 4:00pm HC: Thurs. 1/17 – 5:00pm:

Wed. Jan. 23

Ben Coleman (ENG) [8] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) Gawad

8:00pm Tom Richards (ENG) Makin 3,2,(8),10 (4),(11),4, rtd.

Wed. 1/16 – 12:45pm: Thurs. 1/17 - 12:00pm: Sat. 1/19 12:45pm Joshua Masters (ENG) Fares Dessouky (EGY Dessouky Joel Makin (WAL) Castagnet (9),13,10,(6),10 8,(5),6,6 Wed. 1/16 – 12:00pm: Thurs. 1/17 - 1:00pm:

Mon Jan. 21

George Parker (ENG) Salazar 8,9,9 Lee 8:15pm Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) Max Lee (HKG) (8),3,4,2

Wed. 1/16 – 4:45pm HC: Thurs. 1/17 - 6:00pm: Sat. 1/19 5:45pm

Cesar Salazar (MEX) Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) Rösner

Alan Clyne (SCO) [3] Simon Rösner (GER) 4,8,9

Thurs. Jan. 24

Wed. 1/16 – 1:30pm: Fri. 1/18 - 6:00pm:

7:45pm

Raphael Kandra (GER) [4] Tarek Momen (EGY) Momen

Gregoire Marche (FRA) Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) (10),4,(4),7,6

Wed. 1/16 – 7:00pm NYAC: Fri. 1/18 – 1:00pm: Sun. 1/20 5:00pm

Lucas Serme (FRA) Marche (10),5,9,4 Marche

Declan James (ENG) Serme 9,(5),(4),11,3 7,7,4

Wed. 1/16 – 4:45pm NYAC: Fri. 1/18 – 12:00pm:

Tue. Jan. 22

Greg Lobban (SCO) Lobban 3,7,(9),6 Lobban 5:45pm Arturo Salazar (MEX) Simpson 4,4,(4),9 9,4,6 Wed. 1/16 – 6:15pm NYAC: Fri. 1/18 – 5:00pm: Sun. 1/20 2:00pm Chris Simpson (ENG) Mosaad 8,10,8 Mosaad

Borja Golan (ESP) [6] Miguel Rodriquez (COL) (7),15,6,9

Wed. 1/16 – 4:30pm: Fri. 1/18 – 2:00pm:

Wed. Jan. 23

Omar Mosaad (EGY) [7] Paul Coll (NZL) Coll

8:45pm Chris Hanson (USA) Harrity (6),7,10,7 3,3,(9),8

Wed. 1/16 – 8:00pm: Fri. 1/18 - 3:00pm: Sun. 1/20 12:45pm Todd Harrity (USA) Saurav Ghosal (IND) Ghosal Tsz Fung Yip (HKG) Grayson 6,8,(9),(4),5 7,5,8 Wed. 1/16 – 5:30pm NYAC: Fri. 1/18 – 8:30pm:

Tue. Jan.22

Campbell Grayson (NZL) Daryl Selby (ENG) Selby 8:15pm Leo Au (HKG) Soliman (6),6,5,10 9,7,6

Wed. 1/16 – 5:15pm: Fri. 1/18 - 7:30pm: Sun. 1/20 5:45pm Timmy Brownell (USA) James Willstrop (ENG) Farag

Youssef Soliman (EGY) [2] Ali Farag (EGY) 4,9,(8),4