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Mon 13th, Day THREE:
Men's Round One:
[8] Nick Matthew
(Eng) bt [Q] Shahid Zaman (Pak)
11/9, 11/7, 11/5 (34m)
Stewart Boswell (Aus) bt Tarek
Momen (Egy)
11/7, 12/14, 11/3, 11/3 (58m)
[15] Laurens Jan Anjema
(Ned) bt Rafael Alarcon (Bra)
11/4, 11/3, 11/7 (34m)
Farhan Mehboob (Pak) bt Julien
Balbo (Fra)
9/11, 11/1, 11/9,
11/7 (51m)
[4] Ramy Ashour (Egy) bt [Q]
Yann Perrin (Fra)
11/5, 11/6, 12/10 (29m)
Cameron Pilley (Aus) bt [Q]
Scott Arnold (Aus)
11/8, 11/8, 11/6 (42m)
[12] Peter Barker (Eng) bt Eric
Galvez (Mex)
11/4, 11/5, 11/1
(41m)
Joey Barrington (Eng) bt Aaron
Frankcomb (Aus)
11/3, 11/3, 12/10
(100m)
[6] Thierry Lincou (Fra) bt Amr Swelim (Egy)
6/11, 11/3, 11/1,
11/1 (36m)
[Q] Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy)
bt Renan Lavigne (Fra)
10/12, 11/6, 7/11,
11/6, 11/8 (68m)
[10] Ong Beng Hee (Mas) bt Tom
Richards (Eng)
11/8, 9/11, 11/6,
7/11, 11/8 (70m)
Hisham Ashour (Egy) bt Chris
Ryder (Eng)
11/9, 11/8, 11/5
(26m)
[1] Amr Shabana (Egy) bt [Q] Simon Rosner (Ger)
6/11, 11/5, 11/3,
11/5 (34m)
Borja Golan (Esp) bt Shawn Delierre (Can)
11/4, 11/0, 11/1
(20m)
[9] Wael El Hindi (Egy) bt [Q] Liam Kenny (Irl)
12/10, 11/5,
13/11 (58m)
Omar Mosaad (Egy) bt [Q] Arturo Salazar (Mex)
11/4, 11/4 rtd
(22m)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (Col) bt [Q] Ryan Cuskelly (Aus)
14/12, 12/10, 6/11, 11/7
(75m)
Daryl Selby (Eng) bt [16] Olli
Tuominen (Fin)
11/8, 11/3, 11/4 (50m)
Jonathan Kemp (Eng) bt Jan
Koukal (Cze)
14/12, 11/1, 11/3 (31m)
[5] David Palmer (Aus) bt [Q]
Mark Krajcsak (Hun)
11/2, 11/8, 11/2 (23m)
Davide Bianchetti (Ita) bt
[Q] David Phillips (Can)
11/7, 9/11, 11/9, 11/1
(56m)
[13] Lee Beachill (Eng) bt [Q] Robbie Temple (Eng)
11/6, 11/3, 11/1 (27m)
John White (Sco) bt Mansoor Zaman (Pak)
13/11, 11/6, 11/2 (30m)
[3] James Willstrop (Eng) bt [Q] Ben Ford (Eng)
11/4, 11/7, 11/5 (24m)
[Q] Jorge Ferreira
(Mex) bt Mohammed Abbas (Egy)
11/13, 11/7, 5/11, 12/10,
11/9 (75m)
[14] Adrian Grant (Eng) bt Omar
Abdel Aziz (Egy)
11/9, 12/14, 11/5,
11/7 (63m)
Shahier Razik (Can) bt Saurav Ghosal (Ind)
12/10, 12/10, 11/4
(56m)
[2] Gregory Gaultier
(Fra) bt [Q] Nicolas Mueller (Sui)
11/6, 12/10, 11/9 (32m)
Alister Walker (Eng) bt Julian Illingworth (Usa)
11/5, 8/11, 11/3, 11/4
(56m)
Kashif Shuja (Nzl) bt [11] Azlan
Iskandar (Mas)
12/14, 7/11, 11/9, 11/6, 11/9
(59m)
Aamir Atlas Khan (Pak) bt [Q] Mathieu Castagnet (Fra)
11/5, 9/11, 11/9, 10/12, 11/7
(76m)
[7] Karim Darwish (Egy) bt [Q] Dylan Bennett (Ned)
11/5, 11/0, 11/3
(22m)
Women's Qualifying Finals:
Latasha Khan (Usa) bt Lauren
Siddall (Eng) v
Waters
12/10, 11/9, 11/5 (37m)
Sarah Kippax (Eng) bt Laura Hill
(Eng)
v Stoehr
11/9, 11/5, 11/3
(27m)
Annie Au (Hkg) bt Camille Serme
(Fra)
v Teran
11/5, 11/5, 11/6
(26m)
Low Wee Wern (Mas) bt Suzie Pierrepont (Eng) v
Brown
8/11, 7/11, 11/9,
11/5, 11/3 (52m)
Alana Miller (Can) bt Aisling
Blake (Irl)
v Grainger
12/10, 4/11, 11/3,
3/11, 11/9 (48m)
Manuela Manetta (Ita) bt Orla
Noom (Ned) v
Botwright
11/5, 4/11, 12/10,
12/10 (42m)
Delia Arnold (Mas) bt Joshna
Chinappa (Ind) v Kitchen
4/11, 12/14, 11/9,
11/9, 12/10 (67m)
Line Hansen (Den) bt Elise Ng (Hkg)
v Kawy
11/5, 11/5, 11/3
(23m)
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En Bref #1
Galleries
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 WHAT
I MISSED….
Well, yes, although I was trying my best, I had a little trouble
following four men's matches at the same time, so I only managed
to glance at a few, and to get a few impressions from the
players…
…Cameron and Scott, they
know each other’s game pretty well, similar kind of game too,
maybe Cameron that much better and it, and probably more self
confidence too…. Joey,
that match against Aaron is just incredible, 100minute for 11/3,
11/3, 12/10. Aren’t I happy that we are not playing traditional
scoring…. Peter Barker was
just too accurate and confident against Eric, he moved him all
around the court, and despite the Mexican great fitness, the
Englishman was just too strong…
I never had a chance to see Arturo Salazar, one of the Mexican
twins, he got injured against Omar Mossad… Hisham
played with his head, he is fit, and it was a bit of a surprise
really, I thought that Chris Ryder would threaten him, and maybe
win, maybe too much pressure for the Englishman at home?....
Borja had a little promenade against Canadian Shawn Delierre,
while Wael wins in three against Liam, tough first and
third though, that could have gone either way…
Good match and victory for Miguel, he’ll be happy with
that victory, I came to appreciate the boy in Paris, but Ryan
gave it everything he had, till the last rally…
Daryl is one of the big upset of
the day, Olli didn’t seem at his best, not that Daryl didn’t
push him hard though, it was a great performance from the steady
Englishman…
Omar Abdel Aziz, the man who
can make Davide look plain and contained, played his completely
unorthodox style against a solid Adrian. Omar's squash is just
completely different from anybody else I know, he is just a
great fighter, keeps on running, and returning weird shots, a
hard opponent for anybody…. The heartbreak of the day for me -
sorry, Jorge, I know it’s a
great achievement, and probably one of the best days of your
squash life - but Gentleman Abbas losing in five in the first
round of the World Open… Abbas has been injured on his Achilles
tendon, and would require a surgery that would stop his career
for at least 9 months, so he just won’t have it… It just breaks
my heart to see that splendid athlete crippled with injury upon
injury for the past 18 months… Sue me…. |
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Farhan Mehboob (Pak) bt Julien
Balbo (Fra)
9/11, 11/1, 11/9,
11/7 (51m)
FARHAN’S
IN FORM
Framboise reports
If the silly Golden Racquet Boy made seven unforced errors in
the first game, he only did one in the second, and the score
reflects perfectly what was going on at the time… But all was
decided somehow in the third, a game that was closed and
extremely disputed.
Julien will be proud of his performance, he played extremely
well indeed, and placed several shots per rally that could have
been winners against anybody else, but the speed of Fahran took
care of that… On the other hand, the Frenchman saved some
stunning winners from the Pakistani, even offering us a splendid
full split at 8/8 in the 3rd that actually damaged his ankle,
although it didn’t have any incidence on the match, as he didn’t
feel the damage at the time…
Farham is, in my book, one of the coming up threats to the top
people. Considered by Ramy as “the player I really fear as he
plays like I play in my mind, and I just don’t know what he’s
going to do”, the Pakistani has got to realise that he is the
one that will win, or lose his matches. If he can stay focused
and cut the unforced and silly errors, he’ll be zooming up the
rankings very soon, and veeeeeery fast…
 "In
the first game, I was just too relaxed, my mind was not on the
match, on the court, it was outside, wondering around the
people! So after I lost the first game, I slapped my face, and
decided to wake up!
"I actually played my best squash in the second, all my shots
were going in. But overall, we had played a great match, Julien
is a great player, and a good friend of mine. And in the third,
he took a good lead, but I was able to find some good nicks to
come back.
"I’m looking forward to play against LJ tomorrow, he is a great
player, and that should be a good match."
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"If the ankle didn’t hurt during
the match at all, now it does! I think it’s the ligament that’s
gone…
"I never played Farhan before, but I saw him play, what a
talent, huge one. And if you are not tactically at your best….
"I didn’t play too badly I thought, but the end of games, the
crucial points, I didn’t handle them well enough. Still, it was
a good match.
"There you go, no upset…"
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Stewart Boswell (Aus) bt Tarek
Momen (Egy)
11/7, 12/14, 11/3, 11/3 (58m)
TAREK SLOWS DOWN BOZZA
Framboise reports
 I
don’t think poor Bozza expected such a tough first round,
actually, such a tough first two games. I was keeping an eye on
them while watching Farham/Julien, and the rallies were very
very long, and the lets numerous…
Tarek wasn’t fit enough to handle the Australian all the way to
the finishing post, but he stretched Bozza physically and
mentally, especially in the second game, when Tarek was 7/2 down
to finally take the game 14/12. But after that, the Egyptian’s
legs just gave up.
"I didn’t train
physically since the first day of Ramadam, back in the beginning
of September, and I’m far away from being fit. I still played
good squash, as much as I actually could, as in during the first
two games, keeping the ball tight, and finding good drop shots.
"All credit to him, he played a wonderful match, and volleyed
particularly well…"
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[15]
Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) bt
Rafael Alarcon (Bra)
11/4, 11/3, 11/7 (34m)
 "It
felt annoying to be on first - Abbas joked to me that it was
ideal, play at 12 fly home at 4! - but it feels great to be the
first one through, you just have to deal with playing early.
"I felt in good shape, but didn't know what to expect since I'd
never played Rafa before. I know he's a good player, especially
in his own country, so I didn't take him lightly, maybe that's
why I played well ..."
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[4]
Ramy Ashour (Egy) bt [Q] Yann
Perrin (Fra)
11/5, 11/6, 12/10 (29m)
"I really want to
win the World Open - but more important to me is to reach the
end of the tournament injury-free. All I can remember is that
when I was last in England, I suffered with injury at the
British Open in Liverpool. I felt I was young and invincible -
and could win everything - but realised that I was abusing my
body.
"So when I landed in England a few days ago, I said to myself,
'please let me be OK this time'. But this event is fantastic -
it's so well organised. Yesterday's qualifying finals were
amazing - people were killing themselves to get into the first
round. But now I need to think about my brother - I just hope
Hisham wins his first match!"
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 "This
was a good match, it was good to play Ramy. The court was a bit
dead, and he was trying to shorten the rallies as much as
possible. As soon as the ball is a bit loose, you’ve got two out
of three chances that he’ll find a nick. Before you get into the
rally, he’s won the point…
"On the glass court, I just didn’t have any marks, I couldn’t
put the ball in the back at all. But in the third, I played a
bit better, he made a few errors, I don’t know, maybe I could
take a game of him, maybe a bit too much respect today…"
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"I was really nervous in the first game, he took a good lead,
he's very experienced. I came back to 10-all but made silly
errors to lose the game.
"I relaxed in the second, was more patient and started taking it
to his backhand, using the volley drop. At the end of the game,
my shoes broke, I needed to finish that game off quickly and
managed to win it, I was very lucky there.
"The only shoes that my coach was able to find in the venue
between the second and third game were size 11 and I'm size 13,
so in the third game my head was in my legs and I just couldn't
play. But at 7/2, I said to myself, I can’t win, but I’m just
going to make it hard for him…
"Then I relaxed in the fourth, and in the fifth I would be
patient then make a silly error, be patient, make a silly error.
I was very nervous but wanted to win that match very badly. At
6-all I started to play safe, waiting for him to make the error,
which is an unusual game for me, but it worked.
"Now I just need to chill out and prepare for my match with
Lincou tomorrow, which I'm really looking forward to …"
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[Q]
Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy)
bt Renan Lavigne (Fra)
10/12, 11/6, 7/11, 11/6, 11/8 (68m)
MAKING IT TOUGH…
Framboise
reports
“Even in the games I knew/thought I was going to lose, I tried
to make it tough for him”… Those words from World Junior
Champion Mohamed El Shorbagy reminded me what Ross Norman told
me about his numerous encounters with Jahangir. “I just tried to
make it tough for him, not to give him anything easy, and to
make him work to get each point”. Like I told you yesterday,
Shorbagy is a clever boy…
 What
a perfect setting for a match, one hell of an attacker, the
Egyptian, and one of the best retrievers in the world, Renan,
and all that played on a warm bouncy court. We were not
disappointed, as after a slow nervous start from Shorbagy, most
of the rallies were so long, so tough, so lively, great shots
from the Egyptian, stunning saves from the Frenchman. The crowd,
numerous and appreciative, made a lot of noise…
There was a funny moment of course, when poor Shorbagy split the
bottom of his shoe in the third. His coach Wagih rushed to the
Asics stand, and as the central ref was calling “15 seconds”, we
could see Shorbagy struggling with the paper padding of the new
shoe - he only changed one! It obviously troubled him, but not
enough to lose his head for more than half a game…
The whole match was pretty balanced, and it all came down to the
fifth… At 4/4, we got stuck for a while, something like 4, 5
lets, massive rallies every time. Then 5/5, 7/7, 8/8. A harsh no
let from two of the refs, the player having given a let – we are
operating on a three refs system – then a crosscourt backhand
that finds a lucky nick at the back, match ball for the World
Junior Champion. A stunning trickle boast, and a happy boy will
be playing Frenchman Thierry Lincou tomorrow…
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 "At
the moment, nothing works squash wise, I keep on getting harder
draws, I truly believe that Shorbagy was the toughest of the
qualifiers, and of course, I’m the one that has to draw him! Not
funny, but it doesn’t end there, does it, as I’m playing Greg in
the first round in Qatar!
"More generally, I’m not focused 100% on squash, my “joie de
vivre” and my priorities are elsewhere I must say, and as top
sport stands on commitment, I’m paying cash my the compulsory
maximal implication. Still, as my girlfriend often says, I
should be able to multi task, surely… I just do not succeed to
do so.
"Now, coming back to the match, I took two bad starts in the two
games I that lost, and that is not acceptable, as I gave him his
confidence back…
"In the fifth, it’s a bit of a lottery really, and as I said
previously, luck doesn’t seem on my side, he gets two rolling
nicks at 7/7 and 8/8, plus a no let at 9/8 whereas I got a let
every time for the same situation the whole match, and that made
the match go his way…
"He’s got a great potential, that’s for sure, but it’s a shame
that at 17, he seems to take a bit too much space voluntarily,
and that the refs don’t sanction it from the word go…"
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[12]
Peter Barker (Eng) bt Eric Galvez
(Mex)
11/4, 11/5, 11/1
(41m)
"I moved well
today, I managed to contain him in the back corners, my length
was well in place, and allowing me to take him off when I needed
to.
"He is tricky, pretty fit, and if you are not on the top of him,
he can make your life difficult, and drag the match on. Whereas
that way, three love, and I’ve got the rest of the day free!
That’s so good when you actually can play first… And now, I’m
going to enjoy watching good matches…
"I’ve always been a slow learner, I take my time to improve… My
foundations are good and solid, and I would be happy to creep
out on everybody, hopefully, they won’t notice…"
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Cameron Pilley (Aus) bt [Q]
Scott Arnold (Aus)
11/8, 11/8, 11/6 (42m)
"We used to train
all together, so we’ve got a pretty good idea of what our games
look like, and Scott and I have a pretty similar game…
If you open the court a bit, crosscourting too much for example,
he can really put you under a lot of pressure. Also, Scott
possesses a good basic game, tight length, that again can put
you under pressure there….
"Today I tried to stay in front of him, I was feeling good
physically, and I just tried to hang in there, and make it tough
for him."
 "I
went through patches where I was able to do what I set out to
do, keep it straight, not giving up too much, , and if he can
put his racquet on the ball, he can do something quite decent
with it! He really stretched me today, he is so good with the
racquet, he kept punishing me…
"Physically, there was nothing wrong with the lungs, but when we
were playing long rallies, or tough ones, I could feel the acid
lactic in the legs, I just couldn’t keep up with the pace, legs
just couldn’t move fast enough…"
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[10]
Ong Beng Hee (Mas) bt Tom
Richards (Eng)
11/8, 9/11, 11/6,
7/11, 11/8 (70m)
ALL THAT CRAFT
Framboise reports
… or “Delaying, Deceptions, and long rallies”…
While Shorbagy and Renan were teaching each other a few tricks,
Tom and Beng Hee were giving an exhibition of front court
battles, lobs, clever game, precision and accuracy, on the next
court…
Of course it was a physical battle out there, as they tried to
grind each other's nerves and resistance point after point, each
their turn invented angles, surprising, wrong footing each
other. What a pleasure to the eye that match was, what a
stunning encounter, all what squash should be, a great show play
by two fair gentlemen.
We needed a winner, and although Beng Hee looked pretty tired in
the fourth, his experienced prevailed in the end in the fifth,
Tom, whose performance was faultless in all departments today,
just made THE silly error at 8/9, setting a match ball for the
Malaysian, that he took with gratitude on a stroke. Tom will
kick himself from here to Dolphin Square, London, where he
trains, and Bengy will celebrate his victory by a good massage
and sleep, I’m sure.
Stunningly well done to both of them.
 "The
court is so tough, it bounces a lot, and if you are not hitting
it well, it just goes off…
"We played very hard rallies in the first two games, there was a
lot of movement, we had to work pretty hard in the third too, so
in the 4th, I just was exhausted, both mentally and physically.
At the end, I think we were just trying too hard at the front,
the ball was so spongy we couldn’t get it to the back anymore.
"Tom is a very very strong boy, especially in the middle, and
the work he is doing with Peter Genever and Peter Nicol is
paying off.
"Oh well, one down, five more to go. I would like to add for the
record that next year, it would be much better if the Worlds was
played only between the top 10 (I’m number 10), it would be much
more convenient, instead of having 6 matches to
play!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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 "Tough,
very tough…
"I think we played short both quite well, and I didn’t make too
many errors, which is good… Beng Hee is such a fantastic player,
and he’s got more experience that I, and it showed in the end
probably…
"I think that I got a bit excited in the third. I just was too
keen to play at the front, forgetting that if I was comfortable
playing short the rest of the match, it was because I was doing
the work at the back…
"In the fifth I was always scrambling two points behind, always
having to try and come back, and the pressure was on me all the
time..
"I’m gutted. I’ve played really well, but I still lost…"
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Jonathan Kemp (Eng) bt Jan
Koukal (Cze)
14/12, 11/1, 11/3 (31m)
"He was moving
fine in the first game, which was really tight, it could have
gone either way and I was a bit lucky to win it.
"But he just didn't try in the second, he was obviously injured
in some way. He took an injury break before the third but still
couldn't move.
"It's a pity for him, but it's a good start for me, especially
with David Palmer coming up next ..."
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"I got a great start, and I think
he was a bit lost on the glass court. In the second, he played
better, we had a few good rallies, and I made a few errors. I’m
happy I was able to finish the match off the way I started it.
"Happy to get through without too much trouble…"
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[5]
David Palmer (Aus) bt [Q] Mark
Krajcsak (Hun)
11/2, 11/8, 11/2 (23m)
 "The
first game passed quickly, David played at a fast too much pace
for me, plus I didn’t get a chance to get on the glass court at
all, so I was not really at my ease out there.
"But in the second, I decided to give it a big push, give
everything I had, and the game was much better, I lost 11/8. The
third was just too much for me physically…
"I’m still extremely happy and proud of my week, as I’m the only
Hungarian ever to make it to a World Open main draw. And next
year, I just hope I’ll be able to get one step further…"
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 "It
was a really fair game, the refs didn’t have many calls to make…
"I’ve been playing well for the past two weeks, I’m trying to
play disciplined squash, but with a positive attitude. I’m
patient, I take the opportunity when it arises, and I take it to
the front, but with a purpose.
"I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself for that much, because I
could have got Shabana or Greg, and no offence to Olli, but I
think I got a good draw playing him, and I wanted to do the best
I could. It’s great to have a good win, I’ve been doing well
against the top guys, but no victory, so it’s good to have a
breakthrough finally.
"I’ve worked very hard this summer and at the start of the
season, there are too many people to thank really, maybe just my
dad, who is around more or less all the time, and who will be as
happy as anyone…
"I’m just… so excited to be here, to be part of it all…"
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Daryl Selby (Eng) bt [16] Olli
Tuominen (Fin)
11/8, 11/3, 11/4
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Joey Barrington (Eng) bt Aaron
Frankcomb (Aus)
11/3, 11/3, 12/10
(100m)
"The court we were
playing on is fast and bouncy, but in the first two games, I
played pretty solid squash, no unforced errors, I felt good
really.
"But then, at 4/2 in the third the ball burst, and the new one
started to fly around, and I sat back a bit. At 10/6 down, I
starting pushing out on the T, and put a lot more pressure on
him.
"It’s good to get off 3/0 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
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[Q]
Jorge Ferreira (Mex) bt
Mohammed Abbas (Egy)
11/13, 11/7, 5/11, 12/10,
11/9 (75m)
 "This
is probably one of the best wins of my career, and what makes it
even better, this is the World Open, and my first one!!!
"Abbas was in the top 10, he’s got a lot of experience, but
today I felt strong, and fit. He moved me a lot, send me at the
front, at the back, but I was still moving well…
"Now, really looking forward to my next match…"
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[2]
Gregory Gaultier (Fra) bt
[Q] Nicolas Mueller (Sui)
11/6, 12/10, 11/9 (32m)
"It's the first
time I have played him and Nicolas didn’t play too badly at all,
he took all his chances, he defended very well, and I was
surprised, normally, the young players are a bit afraid, but he
wasn’t, and his maturity surprised me tonight.
"It was a good quality match, there we are, first round gone,
and now, I’m lucky enough to play the second round. I like it
here - I like the court and have good memories. It's a good vibe
for me.
"The organisation is good - if all other tournaments were run
like this, it would be good for the sport. It's what we need if
we want to be an Olympic sport."
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Davide Bianchetti (Ita) bt
[Q] David Phillips (Can)
11/7, 9/11, 11/9, 11/1
(56m)
"It was hard to play on that court, it doesn’t really suit my
game, but it suited his to a t. I felt that I couldn’t play my
game, and I was moving well, really moving, but then I would get
on the ball, and play such a baaaad shot! Don’t know why…
"I just hope that I’ll play better tomorrow against Lee, who is
a legend here, it should be a very interesting match…"
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"Don’t take a quote from me, just
draw a sketch of my face, RIGHT NOW!!!
"Oh I don’t know, it was tough… I was quite comfortable until
9/6 in the third, and then, he got a couple of good rallies in,
if only I could had taken the third, maybe I would have had a
chance… From that point on, he became more energetic, and me
less energetic.
"At the start, I was able to make him play my game, a bit of a
choppy squash, on that slow court, it worked really well, but
then he turned things around, and he was able to play his own
game again, and then… then I lost!"
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[14]
Adrian Grant (Eng) bt Omar Abdel
Aziz (Egy)
11/9, 12/14, 11/5,
11/7 (63m)
"His positioning
was better than mine, especially on a court like that. He didn’t
attack much, but he was holding back every shot, holding and
holding, that was great play.
"The first game was so important, it was crucial…
"The breathing was not too bad, but the legs, the legs were not
moving fast enough. I’m happy with my trip though, qualifying
for Saudi, but I wished I would have been able to manage my
efforts and energy better, to have a bit more left today.
"But he played very well, he fully deserves this victory, and
good luck to him for the rest of the week…"
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Kashif Shuja (Nzl) bt [11] Azlan
Iskandar (Mas)
12/14, 7/11, 11/9, 11/6, 11/9
(59m)
"Preparation was
everything today… Anthony’s arrival in the New-Zealand team made
a huge difference to Martin, Campbell and myself, those guys are
getting better and better, and I’m getting better matches!
"Since I’ve known that I was playing Azlan, we’ve been working
on the preparation format, and my game plan was to play to my
strength, focus on my performance and much his pace and fitness.
And when you are playing a top player, you raise your game, and
today, Azlan set up the standard of the game…
"Of course, I’ve got a whole team of people behind me, Anthony,
my club, New Zealand squash, they are the ones that got me back
on track three years ago whereas I had stopped my career really,
and of course, my sponsors. It’s not just about squash, it’s
about the support they gave me…
"I’ve been around for ages, maybe it’s the experience of all
those years that is finally getting through. It’s about time…"
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"All credit to
Kashif, he hold his nerves very well… I wasn’t as sharp as I
wanted today, I would have liked to play better of course, and I
really struggled with my movement today."
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Hisham Ashour (Egy) bt Chris
Ryder (Eng)
11/9, 11/8, 11/5
(26m)
"Because of my
shoulder injury contracted in Baltimore, I had to think more,
and that seemed to work fine, it seems that it’s working for me…
"This summer I worked hard with Mohamed El Said, my fitness
coach, and I was really fit when I got to Chicago, played well
there, and then Baltimore, where I got injured, I was really
gutted as I knew how fit I was.
"So after that, I spent 17 days at home, resting the shoulder,
and I didn’t think I was going to make it here. But suddenly, I
just decided I should, so here I am, and I’m really glad. I’m
looking forward to playing Beng Hee, as if everything opens,
I’ll remember how fit I am…
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[6]
Thierry Lincou (Fra) bt
Amr Swelim (Egy)
6/11, 11/3, 11/1, 11/1
(36m)
"In the first game
I started well, played a good length game, but Thierry didn’t,
he made a lot of unforced errors trying to go for his shots.
"After that, he cut the errors down, and the rallies got longer
and longer, and he won every long rally, and mentally, it was
pretty damaging to my confidence.
"In the third I became really tired too, the hard work he made
me do started to take its toll, but still, I’m really happy with
my week…
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"I wasn’t expecting Mathieu to play like that, he picked up all
my shots, I mean, ALL MY SHOTS!!!!
"I really was not expecting that kind of play, although I know
and respect his game, he is a good player. So he put me under a
lot of pressure.
"But at the end, I just told myself that I had to do what he was
doing, as in pick up all his shots, to put him under the same
pressure… Still, he took me to a very tough match today, and
made me play very very hard…
"Now, I’m going to have a massage, and then rest, to be fresh
for my match tomorrow against Darwish."
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Aamir Atlas
Khan (Pak) bt [Q] Mathieu Castagnet (Fra)
11/5, 9/11, 11/9, 10/12, 11/7
(76m)
STUNNING MATHIEU
Mathieu Castagnet has always been a solid player, a good
retriever, and a very calm player, more laid back he may fall.
He is able to slow down the game at will, to pick all the shots
and put his opponent under great pressure indeed.
But an attacker, Mathieu is not. Well, until tonight I must say.
I never saw him play at such an intensity, he counter-attacked
everything with great accuracy, precision, relentlessly
accepting that the ball would come back from Speedy Gonzales,
again and again, and again, finding some stunning winner on the
way.
Aamir, you know how well I think of him, I’ve got a lot of time
for him, and he played as well as ever, but I never saw him that
tired physically. Mathieu pushed him hard, and the outcome was
uncertain till the last seconds of the match. The Junior Vice
Champion will be relieve to finally win a match that he was not
in control of, and shown once again how strong he is, both
physically, mentally, and also tactically…. |
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Women's Qualifying Finals
 First
through to the main draw, in a fetching blue outfit similar in
design to yesterday's lilac ("wait until you see tomorrow's!")
was Latasha Khan. The many-time US champion overcame
Lauren Siddall in straight games and meets Alison Waters.
Meanwhile, event Ambassador Sarah Kippax continues to
impress, overcoming her nemesis Laura Hill in quick time.
It was a good day for Asian squash as Annie Au, Low
Wee Wern and Delia Arnold all scored upset wins. Au,
the former Asian junior champion, recorded a fine straight-games
win over European Junior Champion Camille Serme, and the current
Asian Junior Champion Low Wee Wern came from two games down to
beat Suzie Pierrepont. Arnold also needed to pull back a two
game deficit, and saved three match balls at 10/7 down in the
fifth, eventually taking the last five points to thwart Joshna
Chinappa.
The remaining places went to Canada's Alana Miller -
another five-game upset winner, Italian champion Manuela
Manetta and Denmark's Line Hansen who cruised to a
second consecutive quick victory.
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Latasha Khan (Usa) bt Lauren
Siddall (Eng)
12/10, 11/9, 11/5 (37m)
"I like playing
Lauren, she's a good player and I knew it would be tough, she
never gives up.
"The qualifying draw was difficult enough, so I'm delighted to
get through and I made a note of not looking at who we might get
in the main draw ..."
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Sarah Kippax (Eng) bt Laura Hill
(Eng)
11/9, 11/5, 11/3
(27m)
 "I
think I've got used to her game now - we've played so many times
already this year - and adjusted my game to suit, I'm really
pleased to finally turn the tables on her, it's come at just the
right time.
"I played quite a patient game but still tried to take it early
and get on top of her where I could.
"I'm delighted to qualify for the world open main draw for the
first time, I've been in qualifying five times before and never
made it, so it's great to get there at last, it's extra special
as it's in Manchester and all the build-up …"
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Alana Miller (Can) bt Aisling
Blake (Irl)
12/10, 4/11, 11/3,
3/11, 11/9 (48m)
 "Last
time we played she beat me pretty handily in three, pinning me
into the backhand corner.
"So I tried to hit out from the back corners this time, and I
felt so comfortable going short on these courts.
"In the second and fourth her length was better than mine and
she dominated the T, so in the fifth I tried to play slow and
steady and set up the points more.
"It's the first time I've even come close to qualifying, so I'm
delighted and I really don't care who I get ..."
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Delia Arnold (Mas) bt Joshna
Chinappa (Ind)
4/11, 12/14, 11/9,
11/9, 12/10 (67m)
 She
played very well in the first two, I just couldn't read where
she was putting the ball, she was playing volley drops from
everywhere.
"I started watching the front of the court and got back into it,
but at 4/0 down in the fifth I thought that was it. Then at 10/7
down I was just trying not to think about anything, just play
safe and play the ball to all four corners and fortunately all
my shots went in.
"I've reached my target of reaching the main draw of the world
open, let's just see who I meet."
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Manuela Manetta (Ita) bt Orla
Noom (Ned)
11/5, 4/11, 12/10,
12/10 (42m)
 "I
knew it would be tough, I was trying to keep her under as much
pressure as I could. In the second I played the wrong game and
couldn't run, but then you never seem to play well when you have
to qualify because you're so nervous.
"I'm just glad to get through, and I'd like to draw the lowest
seed possible, but we'll see ..."
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Annie Au (Hkg)
bt Camille Serme (Fra)
11/5, 11/5, 11/6
(26m)
"I think that my
opponent went up a notch, she’s got some great shots and they
really prevented me from playing well. I’m a bit frustrated I
couldn’t give more physically, I’ve got an unfinished business
feel…
"Now, back to the blackboard, and to training…"
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