Samuel Osborne-Wylde beats Adrian Waller (Photo PSA)
Samuel Osborne-Wylde earned a place in the British Open squash championships after eliminating the No.1 seed Adrian Waller in a thrilling five-game qualifying battle 8-11, 11-4, 8-11, 14-12, 11-8.
At the start of the week, 64 players arrived at Solihull Arden with the hope of earning a spot in the main draw of the Diamond-level event, which will take place at ‘the Rep’ Theatre in Birmingham.
And after three days of qualifying rounds, eight players have now booked their places in the main draw, which will begin on Saturday.
Amongst the names to qualify was hometown hero Samuel Osborne-Wylde, who toppled the No.1 seed Adrian Waller in a brutal 67-minute match, earning a place in the prestigious event for the first time in his career.
The England squash star, who lives in Birmingham, was pushed to his limits by Waller, who refused to give him any opportunity to build a sizeable lead. And with Waller taking the first game, 8-11, the 22-year-old was forced to dig deep and win the second game 11-4.
With the duo then sharing another two games, including a testing 14-12 winner for Osborne-Wylde, the contest would go down to a deciding fifth, which saw the No.8 seed claim the victory.
Booking his spot in Saturday’s first round draw, Osborne-Wylde shared his excitement and pride in competing in the British Open for the first time.
“I grew up watching this tournament, as English player it is probably the biggest tournament of the year. The fact that it is in Birmingham and I live two minutes down the road, makes it a lot more special for me. I feel very privileged to have made it through to the main draw.”
He continued: “I am feeling relieved, as Waller made the game so uncomfortable, and he can hit a winner from anywhere. But it was a mental battle more than a physical one. So I am proud to have got through it.”
In the women’s draw, French squash star Lauren Baltayan continued her winning form with an impressive straight-games 11-9, 11-8, 11-9 victory over Joelle King.
The 19-year-old, who has been in strong form all week, beating England’s Emily Coulcher-Porter and Millie Tomlinson, continued to show her dominance against an opponent 18 years her senior, with the young Frenchwoman taking a commanding 2-0 lead against the former World No.4, winning the opening two games.
Despite taking a two-game lead, the French squash stars’ dominance was put to the test in the third, with King taking an 8-0 lead and threatening a potential fourth game.
However, Baltayan seemed to remain confident in her attack, as she was able to round off her strong performance with an incredible comeback in the third, wrestling the scoreline back from 8-0 down to win 11-9.
After winning 11 of the last 12 points of the match, the 19-year-old French star said: “Joelle [King] is a very experienced player, and was a World No.4 for a reason, and I knew it was going to be very tough and tricky to play her today, so I am very happy to have got the win.
“In the final game, when I was 8-0 down, I knew that I had to stick to my game plan and focus more on playing a deep game, and not rush it.
“I stayed focused point-by-point, I told myself there was always the next game, but I am happy that I was able to do it in three.”
Baltayan will now turn her attention to her first round match on Saturday, 30th May, as she prepares to make her debut against her compatriot Melissa Alves.
With Baltayan set to make her debut at the British Open, she will also be joined by a strong group of Egyptian players who will also be making their first appearances at the prestigious event.
Amongst the qualifiers was 17-year-old Farida Walid, who continued her streak of winning all of her qualifying matches in straight games after defeating Noa Romero, 11-8, 11-7, 11-5 in 35 minutes.
Walid will also be joined in the main draw by her compatriots, 17-year-old Ruqayya Salem, who progressed after beating Hong Kong, China’s Toby Tse in four games, and 18-year-old Adam Hawal, who advanced into the first round after beating the No.16 seed, Emyr Evans, winning 3-0.
Elsewhere, Mohamed Gohar advanced into the British Open for the first time in his career after a brutal 71-minute five-game match against Perry Malik, after coming from behind to progress into the main draw.
Gohar, who had already become quite familiar with five-game matches, besting both Mohamed Sharaf and Balazs Farkas en route to the final, continued his winning momentum and collected yet another five-game victory.
Joining Gohar in making a tournament debut is David Bernet, who advanced into the British Open for the first time by beating Dewald Van Niekerk in straight games.
Additionally, Alina Bushma reached the British Open for the first time after fighting back against Jana Swaify to win a thrilling five-game contest, which sets up a round-of-64 clash against Lucy Turmel.
RESULTS
Qualifying Final (Men’s): [10] David Bernet (SUI) bt. [14] Dewald van Niekerk (RSA) 3-0: 11-9, 11-7, 11-6 (55m); [8] Samuel Osborne – Wylde (ENG) bt. [1] Adrian Waller (ENG) 3-2: 8-11, 11-4, 8-11, 14-12, 11-8 (67m); Adam Hawal (EGY) bt. [16] Emyr Evans (WAL)3-0: 13-11, 11-6, 11-7 (50m); Mohamed Gohar (EGY) bt. [9] Perry Malik (ENG) 3-2: 13-11, 2-11, 8-11, 11-7, 12-10 (71m)
Qualifying Round Two (Women’s): Farida Walid (EGY) bt. Noa Romero (ESP) 3-0: 11-8, 11-7, 11-5 (34m); [4] Lauren Baltayan (FRA) bt. [5] Joelle King (NZL) 3-0: 11-9, 11-8, 11-9 (42m); [15] Ruqayya Salem (EGY) bt. [11] Toby Tse (HKG) 3-1: 11-9, 9-11, 11-4, 11-7 (35m); [6] Alina Bushma (UKR) bt. [2] Jana Swaify (EGY) 3-2: 3-11, 11-6, 11-3, 6-11, 11-5 (54m)
