Welshman Joel Makin, the World No. 10, ensured there was no upset at the end of the last-16 match against France’s World No.38 Lucas Serme as he claimed victory in straight games (11-7, 11-9, 11-7) to book a place among the last-eight of the $175,000 total prize money tournament on Wednesday.
“You know how mobile Lucas is. A couple of two wall boasts I put in and he was just jumping all over them. To play him, you have to really get your tactics right and be deliberate when you go in short,” Makin, who faces the winner of the match between World Champion Tarek Momen and former World No.1 James Willstrop in the quarter-finals, said.
“You’ve to make sure you’re not chucking them out there easily because he’s so fluid and light and a great mover on court. You have to be really sensible and stick to your plan. Otherwise, you can open up too much, and that’s not the way you want to play,” he added.
The result, notwithstanding, the match was a keenly contested one with Serme ensuring that the 26-year-old Makin didn’t have it easy as he made him sweat for every point. In the end, it was the Welshman who showed supremacy with his accurate shot-making and incredible retrievals.
