Seeds Suffer In Macau Open

The first Macau Open Squash Championships for seven years produced a flurry of upsets when three seeds fell in the first round of the men's $52,500 5-star PSA Tour event and one women's seed failed to survive the first hurdle in the $16,000 WISPA World Tour championship in Macau, the first European colony in China.

Pakistan qualifier Aamir Atlas Khan scored the biggest scalp after defeating Malaysia's Mohd Azlan Iskandar, the fifth seed, 11-7, 10-12, 11-1, 7-11, 11-7.

Later, fellow qualifier Julien Balbo beat Finland's sixth seed Olli Tuominen 7-11, 11-8, 11-9, 12-10 to set up an all-French quarter-final clash with Thierry Lincou, the fourth seed who had already ousted fellow Frenchman Renan Lavigne 11-9, 11-7, 11-6.

Australia's seed Cameron Pilley also failed to survive the opening men's round. The seventh seed from New South Wales took the opening game against Chris Ryder - but the unseeded Englishman fought back to win 6-11, 12-10, 11-8, 5-11, 11-5 to earn a surprise place in the last eight.

It was a disappointing visit to Macau for near local Elise Ng when the seventh seed from Hong Kong went down 11-7, 11-9, 11-8 in the women's event to English qualifier Lauren Selby.

Selby, from Essex, will now face second seed Samantha Teran after the Mexican beat Japan's Mami Nishio 11-6, 11-5, 11-4.

Men's 1st round:
[1] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [Q] Julian Illingworth (USA) 11-8, 11-3, 11-5
[8] Alister Walker (ENG) bt Jonathan Kemp (ENG) 9-11, 11-9, 11-4, 11-5
[3] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt Armando Amante (MAC) 11-4, 11-4, 11-6
[Q] Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) bt [5] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) 11-7, 10-12, 11-1, 7-11, 11-7
[Q] Julien Balbo (FRA) bt [6] Olli Tuominen (FIN) 7-11, 11-8, 11-9, 12-10
[4] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt Renan Lavigne (FRA) 11-9, 11-7, 11-6
Chris Ryder (ENG) bt [7] Cameron Pilley (AUS) 6-11, 12-10, 11-8, 5-11, 11-5
[2] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt [Q] Saurav Ghosal (IND) 11-3, 11-8, 11-5

Women's 1st round:
[1] Rebecca Chiu (HKG) bt [Q] Ahn Eun Chan (KOR) 11-4, 11-5, 11-4
[8] Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt Song Sun-Mi (KOR) 12-10, 11-8, 8-11, 4-11, 11-5
[3] Line Hansen (DEN) bt Kylie Lindsay (NZL) 12-10, 12-10, 11-7
[6] Suzie Pierrepont (ENG) bt [Q] Melody Francis (AUS) 11-4, 10-12, 12-10, 11-7
[5] Christina Mak (HKG) bt [Q] Birgit Coufal (AUT) 9-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-8
[4] Latasha Khan (USA) bt Cheryl Vong (MAC) 11-3, 11-5, 11-2
[Q] Lauren Selby (ENG) bt [7] Elise Ng (HKG) 11-7, 11-9, 11-8
[2] Samantha Teran (MEX) bt Mami Nishio (JPN) 11-6, 11-5, 11-4