Annie Au makes Hong Kong history by reaching last eight of world squash championships

Squash star Annie Au Wing-chi made history by becoming the first Hong Kong player to reach the quarter-finals of the world championships. Now she hopes the Great Hall of Chicago’s Union Station could be her happiest hunting ground as she seeks to go further into the draw.

Au sent former world champion Laura Massaro tumbling out of the US$1 million event as the Hong Kong champion looks to finally make her breakthrough in one of squash’s majors after showing so much promise for years.

Now ranked 12th in the world – she was ranked as high as sixth in 2012 – the 30-year-old has suffered a series of disappointments over the years not least her second-round exit at home at last year’s Hong Kong Squash Open when she lost to American Amanda Sobhy.

But since winning the 2018 Asian Games team gold in Jakarta, the player who was the heir apparent to long-time champion Rebecca Chiu Wing-yin has a new-found confidence to go with her game.

The former prodigy was in total command of the match, unsettling her English opponent with her patented lob and drop game before cruising to a 11-9, 11-8, 11-4 win in just 33 minutes.

Massaro, the 2013 world champion, was never able to get into the match despite boasting a four-match win streak over Au before heading into the fixture.

“I’m feeling really good after today’s performance,” Au told the Professional Squash Association (PSA) website. “Laura is a really experienced and determined player, so I needed to stay concentrated throughout the whole match.

“If I lost my concentration, I knew that she would fight back and give me a hard time.”

Au was proud to have made history in Chicago and was hopeful of reaching the semis if she can overcome world No 4 Nour El Tayeb, of Egypt.

“It’s the first time for me and also for Hong Kong to get into the quarter-finals of the world championships, so I’m really thankful to all the coaches and especially to my brother [Leo Au Chun-ming] … who came out to support me.”

El Tayeb defeated surprise package Melissa Alves, of France, to reach the last eight. Despite boasting a higher ranking, the Egyptian lost to Au when they met in the same tournament in 2010 but the Egyptian reversed the result in the 2013 Greenwich Open when they last met.

Leo Au made it to the last 16 after overcoming two hurdles in the men’s event, but unfortunately world number one and defending champion Mohamed Elshorbagy, of Egypt, proved too strong for the 2018 Asian Games singles gold medallist in the next round.

Elshorbagy showed no mercy with a 11-7, 11-3, 11-6 win over Au in their third-round encounter. Hong Kong’s two other men’s players, Yip Tsz-fung and Max Lee Ho-yin, were both eliminated after losing in five games in their respective first-round matches.

“I’m really happy with my performance today. Leo is a really good player and we know each other’s game very well,” said Elshorbagy.

Hong Kong still has another chance of making it to the last eight as Joey Chan Ho-ling will take on Joelle King, of New Zealand, today.