Boston Open 2023 report
DAY ONE
WOMEN'S QUALIFIER
Chloe Foster bt Vahbiz Bulsara 11/7, 11/7, 11/5 (23m)
MEN'S ROUND OF 16
William Henden [5/8] bt Ross Oliver 11/5, 11/7, 11/7 (25m)
Bailey Malik [5/8] bt Thomas Ramsay 11/8, 11/4, 11/7 (22m)
Rory Richmond [3/4] by Stanley Sykes 11/5, 11/2, 11/9 (14m)
Oliver Ramsay bt Shamiel Haeyzad [3/4] W/O
Yusuf Sheikh [5/8] bt Toby Ponting 11/8, 11/4, 11/6 (30m)
Michael Tallentire [5/8] bt Sam Henden 8/11, 11/4, 11/8, 8/11, 11/4 (47m)
The 26th annual Boston Open kicked off on Friday evening with one qualifying match for the women's quarter-finals which saw Chloe Foster beat Vahbiz Bulsara. It was a victory that actually earned Chloe a place in the semi-finals due to the late withdrawal of original top seed Millie Tomlinson, who the winner of the qualifier had been due to play in the quarters. Millie's was one of a number of withdrawals in the lead-up to this year's tournament, with various players pulling out due to injury or illness, including original men's top seed Lewis Doughty.
Following the women's qualifier, the men's event began with a round of 16. Most of the matches were straightforward straight-set affairs which went according to seeding, although the last match of the night proved to be the most entertaining. 5/8 seed Michael Tallentire recovered from a first set defeat to lead 2-1 before being pegged back in the fourth, eventually overcoming his opponent Sam Henden in the fifth set of a cracking match which lasted over three-quarters of an hour.
DAY TWO
WOMEN'S QUARTER-FINALS
Chloe Foster bt Millie Tomlinson [1] W/O
Katie Wells [3/4] bt Bronte Wright 11/1, 11/7, 11/4 (17m)
Mariam Eissa bt Isabel McCullough [3/4] 11/5, 7/11, 15/13, 8/11, 12/10 (55m)
Savannah Ingledew [2] bt Jasmine Thirst 11/3, 11/8, 11/3 (22m)
MEN'S QUARTER-FINALS
Heston Malik [2] bt William Henden [5/8] 11/8, 9/11, 11/8, 11/6 (39m)
Rory Richmond [3/4] bt Bailey Malik [5/8] 11/9, 11/9, 11/5 (40m)
Yusuf Sheikh [5/8] bt Oliver Ramsay 11/3, 11/7, 11/8 (24m)
AbdAllah Eissa [1] bt Michael Tallentire [5/8] 11/6, 11/8, 11/8 (29m)
WOMEN'S SEMI-FINALS
Katie Wells [3/4] bt Chloe Foster 11/8, 11/7, 11/2 (21m)
Savannah Ingledew [2] bt Mariam Eissa 11/4, 11/7, 11/6 (32m)
MEN'S SEMI-FINALS
Heston Malik [2] bt Rory Richmond [3/4] 11/8, 13/11, 9/11, 11/6 (51m)
AbdAllah Eissa [1] bt Yusuf Sheikh [5/8] 8/11, 13/11, 11/7, 12/10 (57m)
Saturday's quarter-finals saw 14-year-old Mariam Eissa knock out 3/4 seed Isabel McCullough in the best women's match of the day. After Mariam edged an enthralling third set 15/13, Isabel hit back to level the score at 2-2, only for Mariam to win the deciding game via another tiebreak. As in the previous round, the men's quarters all went to seeding and all but one of the ties were over in three sets - with Heston Malik dropping one game during his victory over William Henden.
Lincolnshire's own Katie Wells beat Chloe Foster in the first women's semi-final, setting up a final against South African champion Savannah Ingledew. Both men's semi-finals were competitive four-setters between well-matched opponents. Rory Richmond saved multiple gameballs in the second set of his match against Heston Malik but a no let decision ultimately saw him lose it 13/11, leaving him with a 2-0 deficit that proved too much to overturn. The last match of the night saw AbdAllah Eissa defeat Yusuf Sheikh, and although a fifth set wasn't required, two of the four games went to a tiebreak - meaning it ended up being the longest match of the Boston Open 2023, at just three minutes shy of an hour.
DAY THREE
WOMEN'S FINAL
Savannah Ingledew [2] bt Katie Wells [3/4] 11/3, 11/5, 12/10 (40m)
MEN'S FINAL
AbdAllah Eissa [1] bt Heston Malik [2] 11/2, 11/4, 9/11, 11/8 (42m)
Finals day began with the women's showpiece - a rematch of last year's quarter-final in which Katie Wells had come from 2-0 down to win 3-2. Savannah started as she meant to go on, racing into a 4/0 lead in the first game and winning both that and the second set pretty comfortably. The third game was closer with Savannah consistently maintaining a slim lead of one or two points until a no let decision saw Katie draw level at 10/10. However, a tight drop shot by Savannah followed by a tinned backhand by Katie ensured there would be no comeback to match that seen a year previously, with Savannah Ingledew winning the final 11/3, 11/5, 12/10.
Sunday's finals were similar in length, with the women's lasting 40 minutes and the men's taking 42. AbdAllah already led 8/0 in the first set before conceding his first point. The top seed also won the second game comfortably before Heston got going and responded by winning the third. It was too little too late for the second seed though - AbdAllah Eissa winning the 2023 Boston Open's men's crown 11/2, 11/4, 9/11, 11/8.
