Simmi Chan squashes Tomato at Hong Kong Open
Simmi Chan defeated the territory's number one ranked woman Tomato Ho in an all-SAR affair at the Hong Kong Squash Open on Monday. The 21-year-old swept to a 11-4, 11-8, 11-4 victory with little resistance from Ho, who Chan has now got the better of in their last three meetings. “We have played each other three times this year and we are teammates, so we always watch each other playing and we know each other’s habits and game styles. So it's hard,” said Chan. “But I’m happy I got through.” The pair last faced-off in the Asian Games semi-finals in October, where Chan came out on top on the way to a silver medal, while Ho won bronze. Chan was pleased to get the better of her compatriot again in front of a home crowd. “It’s really nice, they’re really supportive,” she said. “I used to train with a lot of them and it’s nice to play in front of them. It’s exciting.” Ho spent the break between the first two games powering backhand after backhand against the front wall, trying to pump herself up as she sought a way back into the tie. But she admitted after the match that she had struggled mentally. “I wanted to pay back the people who came to support us,” Ho said. “But I think today is a mental problem.” “This is the first time since I turned professional that I’ve felt this.” Chan advanced to the second round to face England’s Jasmine Hutton. Ho next competes at the New Zealand Open on December 5.