| |
|
1st Round,
Thu 5th |
Quarters,
Fri 6th |
Semis,
Sat 7th |
Final,
Sun
8th |
[1]
Amr Shabana (Egy)
17/14, 15/12, 15/6 (46m)
Renan Lavigne (Fra) |
Amr
Shabana
15/3, 15/11, 15/5 (42m)
James Willstrop |
James Willstrop
15/13, 17/16, 7/15, 15/14 (72m)
Nick Matthew |
Nick Matthew
15/12, 15/13,
15/10 (60m)
Karim Darwish |
[8]
James Willstrop (Eng
15/9, 15/5, 15/7 (40m)
[Q] Peter Barker (Eng) |
[4]
Joseph Kneipp (Aus)
15/14, 15/13, 15/12 (80m)
Davide Bianchetti (Ita) |
Joseph Kneipp
8/15, 15/4, 9/15, 15/12, 15/6 (89m)
Nick Matthew |
[7]
Nick Matthew (Eng)
15/8, 15/8, 17/16 (47m)
[Q] Joey Barrington (Eng) |
Adrian Grant (Eng)
15/12, 9/15, 15/8, 15/10 (75m)
[5]
Gregory Gaultier (Fra) |
Adrian Grant
15/10, 15/9, 15/7 (40m)
Karim Darwish |
Karim Darwish
15/12, 15/13, 15/10 (56m)
Jonathon Power |
[Q]
Alister Walker (Eng)
15/7, 15/8, 15/9 (31m)
[3]
Karim Darwish (Egy) |
[Q]
Rodney Durbach (Rsa)
15/6, 15/6, 15/12 (41m)
[6]
Ong Beng Hee (Mas) |
Ong Beng Hee
15/12, 15/7, 15/12 (58m)
Jonathon Power |
Daniel Forslund (Swe)
15/5, 15/2, 15/6 (30m)
[2] Jonathon Power (Can)
|
|
Qualifying Finals, 04-Feb:
Rodney Durbach (Rsa) bt Christian Drakenberg (Swe) 15/9,
15/13, 17/14
Alister Walker (Eng) bt Laurens Anjema (Ned) 15/13, 4/15,
15/17, 15/9, 15/10
Joey Barrington (Eng) bt
Lars Harms (Sui) 15/12, 15/6, 15/9
Peter Barker (Eng) bt Raj Nanda (Aus) 15/6, 15/9, 15/3
Qualifying first round, 03-Feb:
Rodney Durbach (Rsa) bye
Christian Drakenberg (Swe) bt Alex Stait (Eng) 15/1, 7/15,
15/11, 13/15, 15/11
Alister Walker (Eng) bt Joakin Karlsson (Swe) 15/9, 15/12,
15/9
Laurens Anjema (Ned) bt Anders Thoren (Swe) 15/13, 15/4, 15/8
Joey Barrington (Eng) bt Badr Abdel Aziz (Swe) 15/14, 15/8,
15/6
Lars Harms (Sui) bt Andre Wikstrom (Swe) 15/14, 15/3, 15/1
Raj Nanda (Aus) bt Jesse Engelbrecht (Zim) 15/9, 17/16, 15/8
Peter Barker (Eng) bt Henrik Lofvenborg (Swe) 15/7, 15/6, 15/4
|
Results
& Reports |
08-Feb, Final:
[3] Karim Darwish (Egy) bt [7] Nick
Matthew (Eng) 15/12, 15/13, 15/10 (60m)
Darwish too good for tired Matthew
John Milton reports from Linkoping
Karim
Darwish started as marginal favourite in this year’s final of the
Catella Swedish Squash Open here at Linkoping Sports Centre. Nick
Matthew had played 2 mammoth matches during the two previous days,
against Joe Kneipp in the quarter finals and then he was involved in
the finest match ever seen at this event when he beat James
Willstrop in the semi final. Could he recover sufficiently to raise
his game yet again?
He was certainly not playing at the same speed in the first game as
Darwish controlled the pace with carefully placed drives and
efficient volleying. He opened a four point gap to lead 10-6 playing
a basic game and capitalising on Matthew’s mistakes. Then the gutsy
Englishman started to push further up the court and reduced the
deficit to just one point. Playing a better, deeper length he
started to push Darwish into the four corners of the court. Darwish
responded at 10-9 with an immaculately controlled rally where he
drew Matthew into the front only to press him back with delayed
drives. The gap opened up to four points again before Matthew
retrieved the serve. This was only a temporary respite even though
Matthew fought back to 12-14 but Darwish closed the game out at
15-12 to go 1 game up.
It was a similar pattern in the second game with Darwish enjoying a
four point lead at 8-4 up. The sparkle was not in young Matthew’s
game or, more likely, his legs. But his fighting qualities were just
as strong as ever and he again reduced the Egyptian’s lead to two
points at 9-11. Darwish was just able to keep Matthew at bay though
and never allowed the Englishman to draw level. If Matthew went 2-0
down, the feeling was that it would all be over. Surely it was too
much for Matthew to stage a come back bigger than anything he had
achieved in the last few days? At 14-12 to Darwish it all looked
inevitable.
But Matthew was not broken yet, a forehand drop took him within 1
point but Darwish was so quick to get onto Matthew’s shot in the
next rally to play a wrong footing crosscourt drive that Matthew
failed to get back. 2-0 to Darwish and all over? Darwish’s movement
is so smooth and economical, his shots so controlled and well
placed, it was difficult to see how Matthew could come back from
this. An unforced error in the first rally of the third game
resulted in a slump in the shoulders from Matthew that suggested
that even he thought that it was too much. But this warrior never
knows when to lie down. He brought the score level at 3-3 but it was
taking all his energy, mentally and physically, to stay with the
impressive Darwish. A couple of uncharacteristic errors from Darwish
enabled Matthew to take a slender lead at 5-4 but in trying to force
the pace he returned the favour by tinning a backhand drop.
A couple of vicious volley winners from Darwish restored his lead. A
big rally at 7-6 to Darwish required Matthew to drag every last
ounce of energy from his weary body but incredibly, he was still up
to the task, forcing Darwish to play a lose volley down the middle
and giving away a point. The respite was temporary though and
Darwish gain opened up a lead, again four points, at 11-7. The four
point gap was maintained until the end with Darwish hitting a
killing cross court drive to bring him his first match ball. He only
needed the one, playing a straight back hand drop that the gallant
Matthew could not get back.
After exactly one hour, Karim Darwish was the new Catella Swedish
Squash Champion.
07-Feb, Semi-Finals:
[3] Karim Darwish (Egy) bt [2] Jonathon
Power (Can) 15/12, 15/13, 15/10 (56m)
[7] Nick Matthew (Eng) bt [8] James Willstrop (Eng) 15/13,
17/16, 7/15, 15/14 (72m)
Unbelievable
Matthew takes
his game to a new level
John Milton reports from Linkoping
The capacity crowd at the 2004 Catella Swedish Squash
Open in Linkoping saw 2 young English players who have made
remarkable progress over the last season. Nick Matthew is
just outside the world top 10 at 11 and James Willstrop is
not far behind him at number 13.
Nick was the odd player out in today’s semi finals. He is the only
one who has not won a world championship… yet! Jon Power is a former
world champion and both Darwish and Willstrop have captured the
world junior title.
That thought was far from Matthew’s mind as he just nicked a hard
fought close first game 15-13. The second was just as tight, with
Willstrop trying to impose his greater shot playing and touch at the
front. At 11-11 Matthew had done enough to stop that from happening
but four Willstrop winners came out of nowhere to take him to 14-11.
Matthew wasn’t done yet. He fought back to 14-14 for Willstrop to
set 3. Matthew’s length shots were having a devastating effect on
Willstrop as he went 16-15 up. Willstrop answered with a perfect
drop to create a sudden death situation. He was in a similar
position to play the very same shot in the next rally to win the
game but he shrieked in anguish as the ball just clipped the top of
the tin. Nick Matthew 2-0 up.
The pace at the start of the next game was extraordinary with both
players making each other scramble to retrieve top class shots.
These are two players who have both made major breakthroughs in
recent months and they are playing with a free abandonment that
makes them feel unbeatable. Their courage and determination are
unquestionable and their skills are honed to the highest standards.
They are also good friends off court but that creates an even
greater pride and determination not to lose to each other. That was
especially noticeable in the third game when James opened a lead
early on and never relinquished it. He won it 15-7. They had been
playing for 45 minutes but it had gone so quickly. The crowd were
absorbed in an enthralling match. Matthew’s length at the beginning
of the fourth was not as good as it had been and Willstrop took full
advantage by opening a 4-1 lead. Was Matthew tiring? He raised his
game again to level at 4-4. They traded shot for shot, rally for
rally. Matthew was playing the match of his life, answering
everything that Willstrop threw at him.
There was no difference between them until Matthew went 14-12 up to
gain his first match point. The crowd lifted Willstrop, urging him
to make one more gigantic effort to take the match into a fifth
game. He responded positively and levelled at 14 all. The crowd
erupted with excitement as Matthew called 1. Another outstandingly
exciting rally, both players taking the ball to the front, counter
dropping, driving wide and deep. Every centimetre of the court was
covered and it was sad that the match ended on a shot just lifted
out of court by the gallant Willstrop to give Matthew a deserved
victory.
He described his performance as the best match he had ever played
in. It was almost certainly the best match that everyone present at
the Linkoping Sports Centre had ever seen.
Earlier,
former world junior champion Karim Darwish started well in
his semi final against Jonathon Power. He opened up a
substantial lead of 7-3, and following a few questions asked of the
referee by both players but more so by Power, he managed to hold off
a Power comeback which seemed almost complete as the deficit was
reduced to 1 point at 12-13. It was Power’s turn to hold a lead in
the beginning of the second game, going 6-3 up. Both players settled
well and started playing their best squash. Anything loose was
ruthlessly punished by both players.
Power was trying to create the openings, moving the ball around the
court with every shot but Darwish stayed with him, sometimes forcing
a mistake from Power, other times picking him off with accurate
drops. Power was gradually seizing the initiative though and opened
a 3 point lead at 12-9. Darwish hit back with a delightful backhand
cross court at the front off another Power drop. An unforced error
from Power kept Darwish in the game at 13-11 and then Darwish
accidentally trod on Power’s right ankle forcing him to twist it and
stopping play for a couple of minutes. A let was played and Darwish
took two easy points to level at 13-13.
Power’s focus was going – he needed a good rally to get back into
his game. He did not get it, Darwish going straight through to 15-13
and a 2-0 lead. Darwish kept twisting and turning his opponent,
testing Power’s ankle at every opportunity and immediately held a
3-1 lead in the third game. Power started playing more shots and
quickly drew level.
There was never any more than 2 points in it until the latter part
of the game when, despite some outstanding shots from Power, he
could not prevent Darwish opening a significant lead to go 14-10
match ball up. He only needed the one.
Power was philosophical after the match saying that the injury upset
his game but adding that he should be alright for the Tournament of
Champions in New York at the end of the month.
06-Feb,
Quarter-Finals:
[3] Karim Darwish (Egy) bt Adrian Grant (Eng)
15/10 15/9 15/7 (40m)
[7] Nick Matthew (Eng) bt [4] Joe Kneipp (Aus) 8/15, 15/4,
9/15, 15/12, 15/6 (89m)
[2] Jonathon Power (Can) bt [6] Ong Beng Hee (Mas) 15/12, 15/7,
15/12 (58m)
[8] James Willstrop (Eng) bt [1] Amr Shabana (Egy) 15/3 15/11
15/5 (42m)
Willstrop
wins the Battle
of the World Champions
John Milton reports from Linkoping
James Willstrop, junior world
champion, continued his good run of form tonight at the Catella
Swedish Squash Open by knocking out the current men’s world
champion, Amr Shabana from Egypt. Admittedly he was helped by a knee
injury incapacitating the exciting Egyptian sufficiently to make it
reasonably comfortable for the Englishman.
The first game was a one sided affair with Willstrop taking it 15-3
in 13 minutes. The expectant crowd was confused – was this really
the new world champion they had so excitedly looked forward to
seeing? It seemed more likely that Shabana was really making an
effort to make it the kind of match everyone had hoped for when he
raced to a 7-1 lead in the second game only to see Willstrop come
back at him and level the score at 9-9. Willstrop then again proved
stronger as he won 7 of the next 9 points to take the game 15-11 and
go 2-0 up. There did not seem to be any way back now for Shabana but
he defied all odds by going 4-0 up in the next game. But with
Willstrop coming back again to take a commanding 10-5 lead, the
packed crowd had more or less given up on their hoped for comeback
from Shabana. It was increasingly difficult for him to cope with the
movement around court Willstrop was forcing him to do and he
finished the rest of the match making only a token effort. Willstrop
cruised to a win that added another impressive name to a growing
list of victims.
Earlier Karim Darwish had started well in the first quarter
final of the day at the Linkoping Sports Centre. He comfortably took
the first game 15-10 against Adrian Grant, the young Englishman who
had scored the only upset of the first round yesterday when he beat
5-8 seed Gregory Gaultier 3-1. After most breakthrough wins for a
young player, there tends to be either a surge that takes them to
even greater heights or more commonly, a slight slump in form as
they automatically expect to play to the same standard that created
the original opportunity. It’s as much a mental tiredness as
anything physical. This is probably what happened to Grant as he
rather meekly fell to the talented former world junior champion from
Cairo. The second game was as comfortable for Darwish as the first
as he capitalised on the unforced errors from Grant. At the
beginning of the third game Grant suddenly sprung to life, going up
3-0. It was a temporary challenge though and Darwish responded by
lifting the pace of his own game. He won the next 9 points to
effectively kill off the match. Grant only managed to win another 4
points before Darwish closed out the match in straight games in
exactly 40 minutes.
The next match threw together two players of contrasting styles.
Australian Joe Kneipp is a talented shot player whilst Englishman
Nick Matthew grinds his opponent down with relentlessly hard
rallies. It has taken the 30 year old Kneipp, now living in
Amsterdam, longer than his talent would suggest to break through as
a world top 10 player. As a junior he would consistently be the best
in Australia, beating present world stars John White and David
Palmer with relative ease. But it has taken him a long time to
realise that talent as a senior player is not enough. There has to
be an extraordinary work ethic that goes with it. That is something
that Nick Matthew has in abundance. That is one reason why, in their
last meeting, Matthew was able to beat Kneipp. Here in Sweden,
Kneipp got off to an ideal start by winning the first game 15-8,
showing a patient discipline to rally with Matthew at the beginning
of the game before becoming more extravagant with his shot play.
Matthew responded by bringing more variety into his play in the
second game and racing to a 7-2 lead. Kneipp started to make a few
mistakes as the young Englishman grew in confidence. Now it was
Kneipp who was chasing the ball. At 12-3 down he started to look as
if he would save his energy for the next game. He won only one more
point – courtesy of an error from his opponent – as Matthew cruised
through to even the score on the half hour mark. Kneipp responded
positively.
Reading his opponent’s game better, he was quick to get onto
Matthew’s shots and deliver rapier sharp counter attacks. Suddenly
he was 7-2 up. Matthew did not give up though and at 4-11 down he
told himself to work and proceeded to keep the ball in play as long
as possible. He cut the lead to just 2 points before Kneipp won
another point. The spell had been broken though and Kneipp was
allowed to go through to win the game in one hand, 15-9. With Kneipp
6-4 up in the next game, Matthew suddenly had to have an ‘equipment’
break when one of his shoe laces broke. Would Kneipp’s concentration
survive or would it also break? Three unforced errors in the next
four points from Kneipp levelled the score at 7-7 and suggested that
the break had indeed been detrimental to the Australian. A more
patient approach, keeping the ball deep until he was presented with
an open opportunity to take the ball short, opened another 2 point
lead for Kneipp. Matthew hit back, forcing a mistake from Kneipp.
Increasingly, it was becoming a battle to see whose nerve would hold
the longest. An uncharacteristic but brilliant crosscourt forehand
short kill from Matthew levelled the scores at 10 all. Kneipp’s
confidence was shaken as Matthew raced to a 13-10 lead but he hit
back, playing inspirational squash to get within one point at 12-13.
A rash backhand from behind his opponent that hit the tin proved an
expensive mistake for Kneipp, taking Matthew to game ball. He
secured the fourth game on another mistake from the Australian which
resulted in a point awarded against him to take the match into a
fifth and final game. Matthew started well, picking off some loose
shots from Kneipp to go 5-2 up. For a short while both players
traded punch for punch.
The usually conservative Linkoping crowd suddenly came alive as they
sensed the match was reaching its climax. Matthew opened up a lead
with some attacking volleys and pushed hard for the finishing line.
At 13-6 down Kneipp looked lost for ideas. Matthew turned the screw
and took the next two points to follow up his win against Kneipp in
the recent Kuwait Open. This was a hard fought and typical Nick
Matthew victory.
The next match was probably the one that the Linkoping crowd wanted
to see the most, or perhaps it was one player – Jonathon Power.
The biggest draw in squash had charmed last night’s crowd not just
with his play but also in his interview immediately afterwards.
Would he be as charming tonight against Ong Beng Hee who was
obviously going to put him under more pressure than last night’s
match? In a close first game, there were several contentious
decisions made by the referee with slightly more going in favour of
the Canadian. Maybe some of those decisions just tipped the balance
Power’s way as he took the first game 15-12 after 18 minutes. It was
just as close at the start of the second game, with both players
showing great touch at the front and disguising mid court shots to
send each other the wrong way. Then Power opened a lead that the
young Malaysian could not close. Power took the game 15/7 and then
kept control during the third game although Beng Hee stayed close
throughout. The Canadian managed to stay calm though and finished it
in 3, taking the final game 15-13.
Tomorrow’s semi finals show the changing face of the top of world
squash. Only Jon Power is in his late twenties, the others being
comfortably under 25. Two young Englishmen, James Willstrop and Nick
Matthew will battle it out in the top half of the draw whilst the
bottom half pits the developing talents of Karim Darwish against the
proven talents of Jonathon Power. Another sell out crowd will be
fascinated by both matches!
05-Feb, Round One:
[8] James Willstrop (Eng) bt [Q] Peter
Barker (Eng) 3-0, 15/9 15/5 15/7 (40m)
[7] Nick Matthew (Eng) bt [Q] Joey Barrington (Eng) 3-0, 15/8 15/8
17/16 (47m)
[3] Karim Darwish (Egy) bt [Q] Alister Walker (Eng) 3-0, 15/7 15/8
15/9 (31m)
[6] Ong Beng Hee (Mas) bt [Q] Rodney Durbach (RSA) 3-0, 15/6 15/12
15/12 (41m)
[4] Joseph Kneipp (Aus) bt Davide Bianchetti (Ita) 3-0, 15/14 15/13
15/13 (80m)
[2] Jonathon Power (Can) bt Daniel Forslund (Swe) 3-0, 15/5 15/2 15/6
(29m)
[1] Amr Shabana (Egy) bt Renan Lavigne (Fra) 3-0, 17/14 15/12 15/6
(46m)
Adrian Grant (Eng) bt
[5] Gregory Gaultier (Fra) 3-1, 12/15 15/9
15/10 (75m)
All but one seed safely
through the first round
John Milton reports from Linkoping
Gregory Gaultier, world number 12, was the only seed
that did not make it through the first round of this year’s Catella
Swedish Squash Open. He lost 3-1 to Adrian Grant of England
in the last match of the day.
Before, all four qualifiers had failed at the first hurdle to make
any real impact. Playing the first four matches on the glass court
at the Linkoping Sports Centre, all of them lost in straight games
allowing their opponents to enjoy comfortable victories. The first
two matches were between four Englishmen. James Willstrop,
recent finalist in Kuwait, started as if he was determined not to
give Peter Barker any points at all. In a strange first game he went
7-0 up, was pegged back to 7-7 and then won a string of another 6
points to go 13-6 up. Closing the first game out at 15-9, James was
always too sharp for Barker who looked tired, despite having an easy
victory the previous night in the final qualifying round. The next
two games only took 10 minutes each to give James a clear path
through to meet the new world champion Amr Shabana, in the next
round.
It was nearly as straight forward for the world number 11 Nick
Matthew until he lost his concentration in the third game
against Joey Barrington. From being 14-13 match ball up, Matthew let
his lead slip until he faced 2 game balls against him at 14-16 down.
Barrington did not quite have enough to nick the game however and
the dogmatic Matthew rallied well to draw level and finally win the
match 17/16.
Karim Darwish, the stylish young Egyptian, made short work of
another young Englishman, Alister Walker. He made the most of a
nervous start from Walker, racing to a 15/7 first game in just 7
minutes. Walker, who originates from Botswana, improved
significantly in the second game and was actually only one point
behind at 7-8. His length had improved and he was much more severe
in punishing any loose shots played by Darwish. But his inexperience
at this level showed as he tried to win a few cheap points, going to
the front too early and making unforced errors. Darwish also pushed
up to take the ball earlier and froze his opponent out to win the
second game 15-8. Darwish was always comfortably ahead in the third
game but once again, Walker showed considerable promise in his all
round play.
Potentially the best match of the afternoon’s session was a repeat
of last year’s first round between Ong Beng Hee and Rodney
Durbach. When they met last year, Beng Hee was defending the title
he had won in 2002, but he was experiencing a slump in form and a
confidence crisis. This was personified by his 3-2 loss to the
experienced South African. This year was a different story. Showing
much more positive body language, the young Malaysian proved that he
is fast returning to his best form. His touch at the front,
particularly on his backhand was devastating. Durbach was slow in
seeing the ball in the first game and was sluggish to react. It
proved fatal and Beng Hee took full advantage of the dead court,
cutting and slicing from all the angles his opponent gave him.
Durbach though, the oldest player in the main draw at 31, is known
as one of the toughest competitors on the professional circuit.
Playing straighter and tighter, he cut down the attacking options he
had provided his opponent in the first game. He could not quite nose
ahead of Beng Hee though and the Malaysian took the next two games
15-12, 15-12 to win 3-0. This was sweet revenge for the previous
year.
Joe Kneipp against Davide Bianchetti should have been a
comfortable win for the Australian but Bianchetti came within a
whisker of pinching the first two games. His best chance was at
14-13 up in the first but after Kneipp drew level at 14 all, the
Italian will regret calling set 1 and then losing the next point.
All over, everyone thought but Bianchetti has beaten some of the
best players in the world this season and he made Kneipp, a member
of last year’s Australian world champion winning team, work just as
hard to secure the second game 15-13. All over now? No way.
Bianchetti was definitely still in it at 12 all but made two crucial
errors to allow Kneipp his first match point. He took his chance
well, slotting a forehand volley into the nick to secure his hard
fought win.
Local favourite Daniel Forslund was handed one of the toughest draws
when he had to play former world champion and world number 1
Jonathon Power. The stature of the Swedish Open has grown each
year and this was endorsed by the appearance of Power at this year’s
tournament. He remains the games biggest draw and is probably still
the world’s most exciting player. The first game took just 8 minutes
with Power sending Forslund the wrong way too many times. The
Canadian rarely plays the same shot twice in a row and his variety
and creativity was in sharp contrast to the more conventional game
of Forslund. Points for the Swede were rare and greeted with
enthusiastic applause but he increasingly fell under the spell of
Power. Playing Power if you are the wildcard is a different
proposition from playing most other world class players. He is much
more difficult to read and is so quick onto his opponent’s shots.
Forslund was never allowed to settle and after 17 minutes, he was
2-0 down, with Power barely breaking sweat. The crowd tried to lift
the home player at the start of the third but it was to no avail.
Power even introduced some exhibition shots as he cruised to a
comfortable 3-0 win. His match tomorrow against Ong Beng Hee should
be one of the highlights of the quarter finals.
The new world champion and number 1 seed at this year’s Catella
Swedish Open, Amr Shabana from Egypt, took centre stage in
his match against Renan Lavigne of France. With moments of dazzling
shot play, he mesmerized the crowd. But Lavigne is a stubborn
competitor. He was ahead for most of the first game and enjoyed a
13-9 scoreline only to go game ball down after a flurry of
unreturnable shots from Shabana. He did well to level at 14 all but
the outcome was inevitable; Shabana won the first game 17-14. He
started the second game looking more comfortable and kept a steady 2
point lead for most of the game. The popular left hander from Cairo
kept Lavigne at bay to go 2-0 up. Shabana raced to a 7-1 lead in the
third with a mixture of devastating power shots and deft flicks. The
gallant Frenchman had run out of ideas. Shabana took the ball even
earlier and after 46 minutes he ran out a 3-0 winner to set up a
mouth watering meeting with world junior champion James Willstrop in
the next round. A great coup for the Catella Swedish Open 2004 – two
world champions playing against each other!
At last – a note of controversy! In a tight game between two of the
most promising young players on the circuit, Greg Gaultier of France
and Adrian Grant, another Englishman, Grant drew first blood
by taking the game with the help of a ‘no let’ call against Gaultier
on game ball. It seemed a bit harsh, and Gaultier thought so too. He
spent most of the 90 seconds before the start of the second game
discussing the decision with the referee. However, it seemed to
galvanise the Frenchman into action in the second game. He soon
established a big lead which was never threatened and he levelled
the match at 1-1 by taking the game 15-9 after 38 minutes. The third
game saw the match swing Grant’s way again. The mercurial Gaultier
can be brilliant at times but there is an inconsistency to his game
at the moment that can only be explained by poor concentration. The
steadier Englishman comfortably took the third game 15-8. Coming
back a second time was too much for Gaultier and he was never really
close to Grant in the fourth and final game. Grant will be pleased
that he caused the only, admittedly minor, upset of the day and is
rewarded with a quarter final place against Karim Darwish tomorrow.
04-Feb, Qualifying Finals:
English Dominate Swedish Open Qualifiers
England players claimed all but one of the
qualifying places in the 2004 Catella Swedish Open Squash
Championship after the qualifying finals in Linköping.
Essex's Peter Barker beat Australia's Raj Nanda in straight games to
earn a replay of the 2002 World Junior Open final against compatriot
James Willstrop, the 8th seed.
Another all-English clash will take place between fifth seed Nick
Matthew and Joey Barrington, the Somerset 25-year-old who toppled
Switzerland's Lars Harms 15-12 15-6 15-9.
Alister Walker's 15-13 4-15 15-17 15-9 15-10 victory over Dutchman
Laurens-Jan Anjema gives the Hertfordshire player a first round
clash with Egypt's Karim Darwish, the third seed who is aiming to
win his third title already this
year.
Walker's Broxbourne team-mate Rodney Durbach took the final
qualifying place. The 31-year-old South African beat Sweden's
Christian Drakenberg 15-9 15-13 15-14 and now faces Malaysia's
seventh seed Ong Beng Hee, the 2002 champion, in the first round.
Egypt's new world champion Amr Shabana is seeded to win the $30,000
PSA Tour event. The 24-year-old from Cairo meets France's Renan
Lavigne in the opening round.
|
|
|
|