Laura sees off Hany in British Open

Defending women's British Open squash champion Laura Massaro is through to the second round of the 2018 Allam British Open.
Laura Massaro in action in her first-round match (photo: PSA)Laura Massaro in action in her first-round match (photo: PSA)
Laura Massaro in action in her first-round match (photo: PSA)

Chorley ace Massaro beat Egyptian qualifier Mayar Hany 3-0 at the PSA World Series tournament taking place in Hull’s Airco Arena.

Massaro, 34, and Hany – 13 years her junior – had met at the second round stage of last year’s British Open, with the Lancashire player taking a comfortable 3-0 win in just 29 minutes.

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And the pair met also last month at the El Gouna International, with Massaro again triumphing in straight games.

While the scoreline was the same this time around, Massaro did not always have it her own way as the two-time British Open champion was forced to overturn three separate game balls in a dramatic 25-minute opener, eventually prevailing 21-19.

She followed that up with 11-6 victories in each of the final two games.

“I haven’t won a World Series event this season but I’ve made the semi-finals in all of them apart from Chicago I think, so my ranking being at seven feels a little bit harsh because I feel like I’m making regular semis,” said Preston-based Massaro when asked about her season so far.

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“Having said that, the tour is as strong as ever and my level just hasn’t been strong enough to win those titles this season.

“We’ve got this event to go and I’ll have to adapt as quickly as I can over the summer ready for next season otherwise my ranking will be even further down.”

Massaro takes on another Egyptian qualifier Yathreb Adel in round two and their match will be shown live on Eurosport Player at 5pm on Wednesday, May 16.

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