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Canadian Open
(m) 2023
Men's Draw
13 - 17 Feb
Calgary, Canada, $55k |
ROUND TWO
14 Feb |
QUARTERS
15 Feb |
SEMIS
16 Feb |
FINAL
17 Feb |
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[1] Victor Crouin (FRA)
11-8, 11-4, 11-5 (37m)
[9/16] Balázs Farkas (HUN) |
Victor Crouin
8-11, 11-4, 11-4, 11-9 (61m)
Mohamed Elsherbini |
Victor Crouin
11-3, 8-11, 11-9, 13-11 (85m)
Miguel Rodriguez |
Victor Crouin
11-9, 11-4, 6-11, 12-10 (73m)
Joel Makin |
[7] Mohamed Elsherbini (EGY)
11-6, 11-7, 11-7 (34m)
[9/16] Cesar Salazar (MEX) |
[9/16] Auguste Dussourd (FRA)
5-11, 9-11, 11-2, 11-7, 11-9 (81m)
[8] Shahjahan Khan (USA) |
Auguste Dussourd
12-10, 10-12, 11-8, 11-5 (101m)
Miguel Rodriguez |
[4] Miguel Rodriguez (COL)
11-5, 11-6, 11-4 (34m)
[9/16] Sébastien Bonmalais (FRA) |
[3] Nicolas Müller (SUI)
11-7, 11-7, 11-8 (31m)
[9/16] Todd Harrity (USA) |
Nicolas Müller
11-9, 11-3, 11-3 (27m)
Leonel Cardenas |
Leonel Cardenas
11-5, 13-11, 11-5 (54m)
Joel Makin |
[9/16] Leonel Cardenas (MEX)
11-8, 9-11, 16-14, 11-3 (50m)
[5] Raphael Kandra (GER) |
[9/16] Nick Wall (ENG)
12-10, 11-9, 11-4 (37m)
[6] Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) |
Nick Wall
11-9, 14-12, 11-1 (51m)
Joel Makin |
Andrew Douglas (USA)
11-3, 11-2, 11-7 (34m)
[2] Joel Makin (WAL) |
[1] Victor Crouin (FRA) bye
[9/16] Balázs Farkas (HUN) bt [WC] Connor Turk (CAN) 11-9, 11-2, 11-7
(38m)
[9/16] Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt [WC] Nick Sachvie (CAN) 11-8, 7-11, 11-5,
8-11, 12-10 (67m)
[7] Mohamed Elsherbini (EGY) bye
[8] Shahjahan Khan (USA) bye
[9/16] Auguste Dussourd (FRA) bt Curtis Malik (ENG) 11-4, 11-5, 11-9
(35m)
[9/16] Sébastien Bonmalais (FRA) bt Rui Soares (POR) 9-11, 11-3, 11-7,
11-6 (47m)
[4] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bye
[3] Nicolas Müller (SUI) bye
[9/16] Todd Harrity (USA) bt Bernat Jaume (ESP) 11-5, 11-6, 11-3 (31m)
[9/16] Leonel Cardenas (MEX) bt Tsz Kwan Lau (HKG) 9-11, 11-4, 11-8,
11-3 (48m)
[5] Raphael Kandra (GER) bye
[6] Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) bye
[9/16] Nick Wall (ENG) bt David Baillargeon (CAN) 7-11, 11-6, 11-3,
10-12, 11-3 (49m)
Andrew Douglas (USA) bt [9/16] Faraz Khan (USA) 11-7, 11-9, 11-6 (41m)
[2] Joel Makin (WAL) bye |
Final
Makin Downs Top-Seed Crouin To Claim Canadian Men's
Open Title
Wales' World No.11 Joel Makin produced a quality performance to defeat
top-seed and World No.10 Victor Crouin in four brutal games and claim
the Oxford Properties Canadian Men's Open Bronze event title at Bow
Valley Square in Calgary.
As expected, tough, long rallies featured heavily in game one between
two of the best movers in the game. Both attempting to find space on the
court and assert themselves strongly in the middle to take control of a
crucial opening game. There was nothing between the pair as the score
reached 9-9, but it was the No.2 seed who managed to hold his
concentration the better and closed out the game 11-9.
The tactics didn't change for Makin in game two, but the quality
certainly went up a notch. The Welshman continued to work the ball into
the back corners then follow up with tight, accurate straight drops to
narrow the angles for Crouin, if he could retrieve them at all. Makin
ran out to an impressive 9-2 lead and after a further few rallies, took
a 2-0 lead.
In typical Crouin style, the World No.10 responded. The 23-year-old
pushed up the court, wrestled control of the middle of the court back
from Makin, and then started to dominate proceedings. The Frenchman was
now putting some serious work into the legs of the World No.11 and it
started to show in the latter stages as Makin physically dropped off
slightly as Crouin clawed a game back to give himself a lifeline.
Crouin continued his momentum into the fourth game and looked to be the
stronger of the two as he led 7-5 in a bid to force a fifth and final
game. Makin had other ideas however and turned up the intensity, forcing
brutal rallies and winning the next four points to lead 9-7. Makin
squandered two championship balls at 10-8 but an error from Crouin on
the third match ball for Makin sealed the title for the Welshman. A
second World tour title after winning the Manchester Open Silver event
last April.
"I've had a great week here this week," said Makin.
"The players who have played this event before always come back and talk
about how nice everyone is here. The atmosphere has been quality, the
crowd has been packed out every day and have been getting behind the
players.
"There was no hiding place in that match. I had to push hard in that
fourth game, Victor [Crouin] has been sharp all week and all season so
I'm happy to take that win. I've not been in the form I've wanted to be
in but I was glad to put a week like that together and get a win and get
a step in the right direction.
"A massive thank you to the Bow Valley Athletic Club, thanks to Sam
[Cornett] (the event promoter) and everyone for organising. I've had a
great week and thank you for everything."
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Semi Finals
Top-Seeds Crouin & Makin To Contest Canadian Men’s
Open Final In Calgary
Top-seeds Victor Crouin and Joel Makin have reached the final of the
Oxford Properties Canadian Men’s Open 2023 after beating Mexico’s Leonel
Cardenas and Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez in challenging semi-finals.
After coming through a huge 101-minute battle in yesterday's quarter
finals against Auguste Dussourd, questions were asked about the
physicality of Miguel Rodriguez in the opening game of his semi-final.
Crouin looked to be conscious of this and made sure he was extra sharp
from the start, volleying constantly and forcing the 37-year-old into
tough positions.
Rodriguez reverted back to a simple, structured style after losing the
first game. The Colombian hit straight, tight balls and managed to drag
the Frenchman away from the middle of the court and created his own
opportunities to showcase his undoubted skill. Boosted by the Calgary
crowd, the Colombian started to enjoy himself on court and the full
Rodriguez repertoire entertained the crowd even more.
After Rodriguez drew level at 1-1, Crouin started to recognise that the
Colombian was starting to slow down. The Frenchman re-asserted himself
in the middle of the court and used the hold and boast to show Rodriguez
the straight ball then whip the boast around to force the No.4 seed to
scamper into the front to retrieve the ball.
As well as using the boast, Crouin was able to constantly mix up the
paces of his play, using terrific height to keep Rodriguez pinned in the
back corner and then pouncing onto the loose responses to fire short
balls into the front corners. Crouin took game three 11-9 and earned two
match balls at 10-8 in the fourth to reach the final. Despite a revival
from Rodriguez to earn himself a game ball, Crouin hung tough and closed
the match out with a superb drop to take his place in the final after 85
minutes of quality squash.
"What can I say? Miguel is unbelievable," said Crouin.
"When you're on court with Miguel [Rodriguez], you just want to have
fun. He's been doing that on court for 20 years. He's making the fans
happy, you all have smiles on your faces when he plays. When you're on
court with him and that's happening, you know you're in trouble. I tried
to break the exhibition-style squash and I managed it very well in the
first game, trying not to give him many opportunities to hit fancy shots
and as much as I had fun I tried to keep it steady and solid.
"I'm excited for tomorrow, I am the top seed and my goal was to make the
final and win the title. once more step to achieve that, Joel and I are
very close in the rankings. Joel is desperate to get back to his level
since the commonwealth games. Since then he's had a tough season but
Joel is a fighter and hell come out tomorrow and show me what he is like
on court. It'll be a tough one but I'm ready for that. I'll get some
good sleep and rest and hopefully, we can give you a good match
tomorrow.”
Crouin’s opponent in the final will be Wales’ No.2 seed Joel Makin who
overcame Mexico’s surprise semi-finalist Leonel Cardenas in straight
games.
Makin secured the opening game in 17 minutes, hitting precise, accurate
lines to the back corners and making it very difficult for Cardenas to
move in front and take any volleying opportunities.
Cardenas wasn't deterred after losing the opening game 11-5 as he
re-entered the all-glass court in Calgary's Bow Valley Square. The
Mexican No.1 came out firing and started to change the pace more often,
lifting high and then hitting hard in different patterns to disrupt the
metronomic rhythm that Makin had settled into. This tactic was working a
treat as Cardenas held four game balls to level the contest. Makin
battled back however and impressivley won six of the next seven points
to steal the game 13-11.
Makin's intensity was unrelenting in the third game as he seemed to step
his level up even further to turn the screw against his younger
opponent. Makin's straight and decisive play wasn't allowing Cardenas
any angles to showcase his attacking abilities as the Welshman motored
through the game to win 11-5 and seal a place in his fifth World Tour
final.
"He's been dangerous this week, his signs have been there for the past
few months that he's been playing at a high level," said Makin.
"He took out [Raphael] Kandra and [Nicolas] Mueller so he's obviously at
that level so he's a tough match-up for anyone. I knew I had to drag him
into the back corners and I felt him get a little bit heavy and I got
the rewards for that as I have in the last few days.
"It's happening a bit too often, getting behind in the latter stages of
games but sometimes that threat of losing the game makes me play better
but I stepped it up and took a few more balls on and it was definitely
better after that."
The final of the Oxford Properties Canadian Men’s Open Presented By
Airsprint Private Aviation - a PSA World Tour Bronze event - will get
underway at 18:00 (GMT-7) tomorrow.
For more information on the event, Where available see the
PSA Live Scores page, or follow
on
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&
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SQUASHTV.
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Quarter Finals
Cardenas Gatecrashes Semi-Finals With Second
Successive Win Over Mueller
Mexican No.1 Leonel Cardenas produced the only upset in the Oxford
Properties Canadian Men’s Open quarter finals as he overcame
Switzerland’s No.3 seed Nicolas Mueller for the second time this year to
reach the Bronze event semi-finals in Calgary.
Cardenas in action.
Cardenas trailed for most of the first game in the final encounter of
the night, but managed to stay within touch by squeezing errors from the
Swiss No.1 in the back corners. The World No.31 earned the first game
ball at 10-9 and capitalised on the first time of asking to lead 1-0.
It was clear that Mueller wasn’t physically at his best as the second
game got underway at Bow Valley Square. The Swiss was struggling to move
into the front corners and retrieve the attacks of Cardenas, of which
there were many. The resistance faded quickly from Mueller as he lost
both the last two games 11-3, sending Cardenas through to his biggest
semi-final to date.
“It feels great. I’m playing good squash and I’m feeling really good on
the court this week,” said Cardenas.
“I’ll sleep well tonight and maybe use an ice bath to prepare for
tomorrow. I’ll prepare some tactical stuff with my coach back in Mexico.
Cesar [Salazar] is helping me, he has so much experience and it’s great
to have him with me. But, I know tomorrow will be hard, he’s a top
player. I know I have to be at my best.”
For more information on the event, Where available see the
PSA Live Scores page, or follow
on
Facebook,
Twitter,
Instagram
&
TikTok. Selected
PSA Tour Events will also be shown live on
SQUASHTV.
|
Round 2
Wall Downs Steinmann To Reach First World Tour Quarter
Final
England’s Nick Wall recorded his best victory to date on the PSA Word
Tour as he overcame World No.27 Dimitri Steinmann to reach the quarter
finals of the Oxford Properties Canadian Men’s Open 2023 Presented by
Airsprint Private Aviation.
"I'm happy with how I played compared to yesterday. I think I was more
solid and disciplined, the first two games were so tight and I had to
just keep doing what I was doing and keep my head. That was important
for that win today. I thought the pace was quite slow, he's super quick
and fit so I tried to take that away from him with some holds and stuff
and that worked well.
"I think having the five games on there yesterday helped me today. The
match didn't take too much out of me physically so although that wasn't
the plan, I think it helped me.
"With this court, it comes off the front wall fast but you get time in
the back corners so you can think about what shot you want to play and
there's time to hold. When it's dead, you're rushing to get the ball
before it dies so it felt comfortable on there.
"I don't really look at players' rankings, I don't think about it too
much. I'm obviously aware because he's the higher seed and didn't play
yesterday but I just try and play well against everyone and impose my
own game and treat every match the same way.”
There were also surprising wins for Mexico’s Leonel Cardenas and
France’s Auguste Dussourd as they took out No.5 and No.6 seeds Raphael
Kandra and Shahjahan Khan.
The Oxford Properties Canadian Men’s Open - a PSA World Tour Bronze
event - continues tomorrow with play beginning at 18:00 (GMT-7).
For more information on the event, Where available see the
PSA Live Scores page, or follow
on
Facebook,
Twitter,
Instagram
&
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PSA Tour Events will also be shown live on
SQUASHTV. |
Round 1
Salazar Survives Scare To Reach Round Two
Mexico’s Cesar Salazar survived a scare in round one of the Oxford
Properties Canadian Men’s Open presented by Airsprint Private Aviaton as
he needed five games and 67 minutes to overcome wildcard Nick Sachvie to
reach the second round of the Bronze event in Calgary.
"In the beginning, I played really well, then something happened in my
leg and I was scared to move on it and I lost my concentration and it
was difficult for me to come back. I think with the rallies that we were
having, he was getting tired but I kept hitting mistakes, which was
frustrating. I tried to play with more experience and play more
intelligent squash which I thought was the difference. In the end I'm
just happy to win, this is the most important thing."
"I'm not happy with my performance, he played well but after coming back
from many injuries I should have responded better but I am relieved to
be through."
The Oxford Properties Canadian Men’s Open - a PSA World Tour Bronze
event - continues tomorrow with play beginning at 15:00 (GMT-7).
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Preview
For more information on the event, Where available see the
PSA Live Scores page, or follow
on
Facebook,
Twitter,
Instagram
&
TikTok. Selected
PSA Tour Events will also be shown live on
SQUASHTV. |
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