R1: Satome 2-0 Ana – Nour AK 2-1 Nadia

Satomi Watanabe (JPN) 2-0 [WC] Ana Munos (FRA) 11-3, 11-6 (12m)
Nour Aboulmakarim (EGY) 2-1 Nadia Pfister (SUI) 11-7, 6-11, 11-6 (25m)

If young Ana Munos 18, ranked 196 from France, didn’t offer too much resistance to Japan Satome Watanabe, 23 and WR51, 12m, Nour Aboulmakarim had to battle quite a bit against Tall and Strong Nadia Pfister from Switerland.

Satome

“I feel like the court was quite bouncy, it’s quite warm in here. I was struggling a little bit to adjust my space, and my shots, but I think I found it alright out there,” Watanabe said.

“Anyway, I am playing on the glass tomorrow, so I have to adjust again. I am really happy to get through the first round!”

Nour, just recovering from a bad foot injury that kept her away from the courts since Gouna, couldn’t train properly for weeks and was only able to start her training two weeks ago. Hence a bit of lack of fitness/match fitness.

To be honest, Nadia played a very strong all around game today, taking her chance volleying everything she could – she is pretty tall and very good at it! – and finding some lovely boasts and hold that wrong footed the Egyptian a few times.

Nour dominant in the first, then Nadia imposing her game in the second, but at the start of the third, a huge rally at 1/0 that seem to put a lot of work in the Swiss legs, allowing the Egyptian to take a nice little point cushion, 7/3, 9/5 and finally 11/6, last game being the longest, 8m.

Nour

After El Gouna, I was injured for 3 months, saw a lot of doctors, treatment but not much squash! I was allowed to play only 2 weeks before the event, so today I was a bit nervous because I don’t think I’m that ready.

I was trying to rely on my squash, forgetting the injury, but in the last game, I just realised that it was BO3, and that I HAD to win that game! So, focus point by point, and it worked!