5:36 am
16 Feb 2025

Tinne Holds Off Tesni To Make Toc Quarters

26 Jan 2025

World No.5 Tinne Gilis held off a stirring fightback from Tesni Murphy to reach the JP Morgan Tournament of Champions quarter-finals for the first time in her career, winning 3/2 in 70 minutes in the PSA Squash Tour Platinum event at Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

Gilis, the No.5 seed this week and a close friend of the Welsh star away from the court, looked well set for a straight games victory after taking two well-contested opening games.

The momentum of the match, though, switched hands dramatically early in the third after the Belgian rolled her ankle when lunging towards the front right corner, with the physio subsequently called onto the court.

Murphy took full advantage by piling on the pressure with some terrific squash after the resumption of play and forcing a deciding game to the delight of those within the packed-out Grand Central Terminal.

But it would ultimately be Gilis who progressed to the last eight of the Platinum-level event, moving away from 7-6 in the fifth to take the match after 70 minutes of pulsating action.

"There was not one second where I felt confident in this match," Gilis admitted after the match.

"Every time I play Tesni you never know what's going to happen. I've played her so many times and not once was I confident that I was going to win, not once.

"All credit to her, I couldn't get into my game because I was under pressure the whole time and that's because she's been playing such good squash, such good quality. I'm so happy that I managed to win though."

Elsewhere on day three in New York, world No.4 Paul Coll avenged his shock defeat to Victor Crouin at last year's event, delivering a high-quality performance to battle past the Frenchman in three games.

Coll, who fell to an inspired Crouin in the 2024 quarter-finals, turned the tables on the world No.12 to seal an 11-8, 11-8, 12-10 victory and set up a last-eight tie with Gregoire Marche, the unseeded Frenchman who will be competing at this stage of a Platinum event for the first time since 2021.