Yasshmita fights back from 2-0 down to stun Farida Mohamed as three Malaysians reach Egyptian Open last 16

Malaysia's Yasshmita Jadishkumar pulled off the biggest win of her career so far at the CIB Egyptian Open in Giza, coming from two games down to beat Egypt's 15th seed Farida Mohamed. She joins Sivasangari Subramaniam and Ng Eain Yow in the last 16 of the PSA World Tour Platinum event. This follows on from the qualifying stage, when seven Malaysians made the main draws. Qualifier Joachim Chuah's run ended against world No. 1 seed Mostafa Asal.

Yasshmita's comeback

Yasshmita had already been knocked out once this week. She lost an all-Malaysian qualifying final to Xin Ying Yee, then got into the main draw as a lucky loser.

She made the most of it. After beating Egypt's Mariam Metwally 11-9, 12-10, 11-7 in the first round, she faced Farida Mohamed in round two. The Egyptian took the first two games 11-3, 11-9. Yasshmita then won three straight games, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9, to complete a 53-minute win.

Her reward is a last-16 meeting with Japan's fifth seed Satomi Watanabe.

Sivasangari and Eain Yow advance

Fourth seed Sivasangari had a first-round bye. She lost the opening game to Egyptian wildcard Nadia Mahmoud 9-11, then took control to win 11-5, 11-6, 11-5 in 36 minutes. Her next opponent is Belgium's 11th seed Nele Gilis.

In the men's draw, 16th seed Ng Eain Yow also had a bye before beating Scotland's Greg Lobban 11-8, 11-7, 11-7 in 48 minutes. He now faces New Zealand's second seed Paul Coll.

The last-16 round was scheduled for Monday 12 October in Giza. Egypt is five hours behind Malaysia, so those matches fall in the Malaysian evening and late night.

Joachim stopped by Asal

Joachim Chuah came through three qualifying rounds, including a four-game win over compatriot Sanjay Jeeva in the qualifying final. He then beat Switzerland's Nicolas Mueller 11-3, 11-6, 11-4 in the first round.

That set up a second-round match with top seed Mostafa Asal. Joachim won a game, but Asal took the match 3-1 in 46 minutes.

Early exits for the rest

The other three Malaysian women in the main draw went out in round one. Xin Ying Yee lost to England's Lucy Turmel in four games. Aira Azman lost to Hong Kong's Tomato Ho in five games, and Rachel Arnold was beaten in four by Egyptian qualifier Ruqayya Salem.

The tournament, staged at the Great Pyramids of Giza, runs until 16 October.

Key takeaways

• Lucky loser Yasshmita Jadishkumar beat 15th seed Farida Mohamed 3-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9.
• Sivasangari Subramaniam and Ng Eain Yow also reached the last 16 with wins over Nadia Mahmoud and Greg Lobban.
• Next up: Yasshmita v Satomi Watanabe, Sivasangari v Nele Gilis, Eain Yow v Paul Coll.
• Qualifier Joachim Chuah lost 3-1 to top seed Mostafa Asal after winning his first-round match.

FAQ

What is a lucky loser? A player who loses in the final qualifying round but gets into the main draw when a place opens up, for example after a withdrawal.

How many Malaysians are left at the Egyptian Open? Three: Sivasangari Subramaniam and Yasshmita Jadishkumar in the women's draw, and Ng Eain Yow in the men's draw.

When does the Egyptian Open end? Both finals are scheduled for 16 October in Giza.

Sources: Squashinfo, PSA Squash Tour, Infinity Sport Asia