Fantasy British Open : Nicol & Jahangir triumph

Fantasy British Open 2020

The iconic British Open is the second – and hopefully last – PSA Platinum event to be sidelined by the Coronavirus crisis, so we’re making the Fantasy British Open one to remember, with the great champions from the past included in the draw! 

Men’s and Women’s draws both comprised 32 players, with the top 16 seeds being the last 16 British Open Champions, and you can vote for your winners in each round.

FINALS : Nicol and Jahangir win close encounters

Nicol David and Jahangir Khan are the Fantasy British Open champions after narrow victories in the final poll.

Malaysia’s David, who won the last of her five BO titles in 2014, edged past sixteen-time champion Heather McKay in five games, while ten-time champion Jahangir overcame Ramy Ashour with a 53% vote.

Thanks to everyone who voted, hope you enjoyed it …

Semis : Two generational finals in prospect

Both Fantasy British Open finals will be clashes between different generations as Heather McKay, Nicol David, Jahangir Khan and Ramy Ashour emerged triumphant from the semi-finals.

Sixteen-time champion McKay beat fellow Aussie Michelle Martin, while ten-time men’s champion Jahangir Khan ended home hopes as he beat Nick Matthew with the most comprehensive verdict of the round. Flying the flag for the modern generations, David and Ashour scored 3-2 verdicts over Sarah Fitz-Gerald and Jansher Khan.

SEMI-FINALS – VOTING CLOSED …

Quarter-Finals : Semi-finals are settled

Malaysia’s Nicol David is joined by three Australians in the women’s last four after quaretert-final voting concluded. Five-time champion David overcame France’s Camille Serme in a repeat of their 2017 quarter-final, and meets Heather McKay in the semis after the 16-time champion eased past last year’s winner Nouran Gohar.

In the other semi Michelle Martin and Sarah Fitz-Gerald – six and two-time champions – will renew their rivalry after victories over current Egyptian stars Nour El Tayeb and Nour El Sherbini.

The men’s semis will see Pakistan’s Jahangir and Jansher Khan – winners of 16 titles between them – take on recent champions Nick Matthew and Ramy Ashour.  Matthew deposed last year’s winner Mohamed ElShorbagy in the closest of the polls. while Ashour kept Egyptian hopes alive as he beat Peter Nicol. Jahangir denied Australia a place in the men’s last four as he eased past Anthony Ricketts in straight games while Jansher took out Canada’s Jonathon Power in four.

SEMI-FINALS – VOTING CLOSED …

Men’s Round TWO : 8 BO Champions through to the quarters

The quarter-finals are set, with a good mix of ‘old and new’ faces – defending champion Mohamed ElShorbagy saw off Hashim Khan and now meets Nick Matthew, who edged through against fellow English legend Jonah Barrington.

Pakistan greats Jahangir and Jansher Khan both triumphed, Jahangir berating Gregory Gaultier to set up a quarter-final against Anthony Ricketts, while Jansher ousted four-time champion David Palmer and now meets Canada’s Jonathon Power.

Ramy Ashour is still in contention after victory over Geoff Hunt and now meets two time champion Peter Nicol for a place in the semis.

26-May: Women’s Round One, Current and Past stars shine

Women’s Round One produced a good mix of winners from the current and past generation, producing some enticing second round matchups.

With the last sixteen champions designated the seeds, twelve of them were victorious, the exceptions being wildcard Jenny Duncalf‘s win over Leilani Joyce, Nour El Tayeb‘s victory over Lisa Opie, Joelle King‘s win over Fran Marshall (the 16th seed and the last player to beat Heather McKay) and and current world #1 Raneem El Welily‘s triumph over 1979 champion Barbara Wall.

Recent champions Nouran Gohar, Nour El Sherbini, Laura Massaro, Camille Serme,  Nicol David and Rachael Grinham added to the 22nd century tally, while legendary players Heather McKay, Michelle Martin, Susan Devoy and Sarah Fitz-Gerald all eased through.

The closest match was four-time champion Vicki Cardwell‘s 54% edge over Sarah-Jane Perry, while Gohar, Serme, David and El Welily all polled into the 90s.

MENS ROUND TWO – VOTING CLOSED

25-May: Men’s Round One, BO greats make their mark

Round One of the Fantasy British Open saw many of the sport’s legends return to action, mostly taking on today’s top players with a good degree of success as 12 past champions recorded victories.

Top seed Mohamed ElShorbagy, the reigning champion, eased past compatriot Zahed Salem with a thumping 97% verdict, and he’s joined in round two by younger brother Marwan, who enjoyed a 57% verdict over three-time champion AA Abou Taleb (1964-66).

Miguel Rodriguez and Gregory Gaultier – the 2018 and 2017 champions – are the other current players left in contention after wins over Mohamed Abouelghar and Karim Abdel Gawad.

Three-time runner-up James Willstrop suffered another BO disappointment as he lost out to six-time champion Jonah Barrington in an agonising 51% verdict, while in a clash of two former champions Wales’ David Evans lost out to Hashim Khan with a 61% verdict.

as current top ten players Ali Farag, Tarek Momen, Paul Coll, Diego Elias, Simon Rosner and Joel Makin all lost out to great champions from the past in Jahangir Khan, David Palmer, Geoff Hunt, Nick Matthew, Ramy Ashour and Jonathon Power.

Preview : Enter the Champions

The iconic British Open is the second – and hopefully last – PSA Platinum event to be sidelined by the Coronavirus crisis, so we’re making the Fantasy British Open one to remember, with the great champions from the past included in the draw!

Men’s and Women’s draws will both comprise 32 players, with the top 16 seeds being the last 16 British Open Champions.

Nicol & Nick, 8 titles

For the men that means that current World #1 Mohamed ElShorbagy is top seed, with multiple champions Nick Matthew, Gregory Gaultier, David Palmer, Jansher and Jahangir Khan, Geoff Hunt and Jonah Barrington all included in the seeds.

The remaining places in the draw are allocated based on the current world rankings, with Egyptians Ali Farag, Tarek Momen and Karim Abdel Gawad included in this group, with World #17 Zahed Salem taking the last by-right place.

Rachael & David, 8 titles

The two wildcard places have been awarded to England’s three-time runner up James Willstrop, and Pakistani legend Hashim Khan, whose seven wins were just too early to make the seedings.

The women’s seeds are headed by current champion Nouran Gohar, with multiple winners Nicol David, Rachael Grinham, Michelle Martin, Susan Devoy, Vicki Cardwell and Heather McKay amongst the seeds.

World #1 Raneem El Welily heads the list of 17-32 places, with Sarah-Jane Perry, Tesni Evans and Alison Waters boosting British interest.

The two wildcard spots have been allocated to two English players, 2008 runner-up and British Open MC Jenny Duncalf and ten-time winner Janet Morgan.

Heather & Hashim, 26 titles

The draws are now avaiulable, with the tournament taking place from 25th to 31st. On each day you’ll be able to cast your votes for the results of each match, with the Fantasy British Open champions crowned as May comes to a close.

British Open Minisite