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Cleveland
Classic
2004
13-16 Oct, Cleveland, USA, $22k |
16-Oct, Final:
[4] Dan Jenson (Aus) bt [2] Graham Ryding (Can)
11/10(2-0), 11/7, 11/3 (71m)
Jenson Collects Cleveland Classic
Scott Denne reports from Cleveland
A full house of 250 spectators at the Cleveland Racquet Club were
amazed by the athleticism and finesse of the two finalists, as
Australia's Dan Jenson became the first-ever Cleveland Classic
champion.
The final was off to a flying start with the pace of the game
and the intensity both high. Both players were working each other with
dying lengths and delicate volley drops. Jenson snuck into the lead
but Ryding fought back with some great length, forcing errors from the
Australian. Jenson held on though, to take the first game on the
tie-break.
The second game saw Jenson come out and volley a lot more from the
start, and he appeared to be working Ryding's backhand, long and
short. The rallies were long and both players began to tire but it was
Ryding who looked like he was worse for wear as Jenson took a 2-0
lead.
The third saw Jenson take a big lead at 7-2 with a few unforced errors
from Ryding as the Australian applied the pressure and seemed to smell
victory. Ryding took an injury time out at 7-2 - he was having a
problem with his toenail coming off which appeared to be painful and
explained Ryding's difficulty in moving to the front of the court. The
match continued but Jenson could almost touch victory now, and turned
up the pressure to force the errors from Ryding, giving him the title
3-0 in 71 minutes.
Both players have had a hard week here in Cleveland, taking the hard
route to the final.
"I feel I'm back," said Jenson, the former world number five who
suffered a series of injuries which saw his ranking drop. "I
want to be back in the top crop of players as soon as I can."
The title, Jenson's tenth, comes almost exactly ten years after his
first, the Baltimore Open in 1994.
The crowd warmed to both players as they were a credit to the game
here in Cleveland. the trophy was presented by none other than
Cleveland racquet club member and chairman of the PSA board, Mr. Jack
Herrick.
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Scott Denne
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Cleveland Classic 2004 |
1st Round
Wed 13th |
Quarters
Thu 14th |
Semis
Fri 15th |
Final
Sat 16th |
[1]
Jonathon Power (Can)
11/4, 11/5, 11/1 (32m)
[Q] Julian Wellings (Eng) |
Jonathon Power
8/11, 11/6, 11/8, 11/1 (59m)
Martin Heath |
Jonathon Power
11/3, 11/6, 8/11, 11/8 (75m)
Dan Jenson |
Dan Jenson
11/10(2-0), 11/7, 11/3 (71m)
Graham Ryding |
[7] Martin
Heath (Sco)
11/6, 11/5, 11/5 (35m)
[Q] David Phillips (Can) |
[4] Dan
Jenson (Aus)
11/7, 11/2, 11/8 (30m)
Dylan Bennett (Ned) |
Dan Jenson
11/5, 7/11, 11/6, 11/7 (86m)
Shahier Razik |
[8]
Shahier Razik (Can)
11/7, 11/8, 11/8 (34m)
[Q] Ben Howell (Eng) |
Rafael
Alarcon (Bra)
11/7, 6/11, 11/4, 11/9 (82m)
[6] Rodney Durbach (Rsa) |
Rodney Durbach
9/11, 11/6, 10/2 rtd
Paul Price |
Rodney Durbach
10/11(0-2), 11/7, 11/5, 11/10(5-3) (90m)
Graham Ryding |
[Q]
Laurent Elriani (Fra)
11/8, 11/5, 11/3 (32m)
[3] Paul Price (Aus) |
Scott Denne
(Aus)
11/3, 11/5, 11/5 (38m)
[5] Davide Bianchetti (Ita) |
Davide
Bianchetti
11/5, 11/8, 10/11(0-2), 11/9 (87m)
Graham Ryding |
Cameron
Pilley (Aus)
11/2, 7/11, 11/5, 11/6 (72m)
[2] Graham Ryding (Can) |
Qualifying:
Finals:
Julian Wellings (Eng) bt Nicholas Kyme (Ber) 11/7, 11/1,
11/2 (28m)
David Phillips (Can) bt Ashley Flathers (Eng) 11/6, 11/2, 11/5
(29m)
Laurent Elriani (Fra) bt Julien Balbo (Fra) 11/10(3-1), 11/10(4-2),
5/11, 11/4 (81m)
Ben Howell (Eng) bt Jago Nardelli (Eng) 11/3, 11/3,
10/11(0-2), 11/6 (54m)
Round One:
Nicholas Kyme (Ber) bye
Julian Wellings (Eng) bt Duncan Walsh (Eng) 11/3, 11/7, 11/2 (32m)
Ben Howell (Eng) bt Ray Lindsay (Usa) 11/5, 11/4, 11/2 (35m)
Laurent Elriani (Fra) bt Wade Johnstone (Aus) 11/6, 11/9,
6/11, 5/11, 11/5 (70m)
Julien Balbo (Fra) bt Sam Millar (Usa) 11/5, 11/8, 9/11, 11/7
in (62m)
Jago Nardelli (Eng) bt Dylan Patterson (Usa) 11/7, 11/7, 11/1
(43m)
Ashley Flathers (Eng) bt Ben Gould (Usa) 11/8, 10/11(0-2), 11/9,
10/11(0-2),11/9 (75m)
David Phillips (Can) bt Rob Mcfadzean (Usa) 11/4, 11/2,
11/10(2-0) (32m)
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15-Oct, Semi-Finals:
[4] Dan Jenson (Aus) bt
[1] Jonathon Power (Can) 11/3, 11/6, 8/11, 11/8 (75m)
[2] Graham Ryding (Can) bt
[6] Rodney Durbach (Rsa) 10/11(0-2), 11/7, 11/5, 11/10(5-3) (90m)
Jenson Jettisons Power
Scott Denne reports from Cleveland
Two dramatic semi-finals at Cleveland Rackets Club saw top seed
Jonathon Power lose out to Dan Jenson in the upset of the
tournament, while second seed Graham Ryding kept the Canadian
challenge alive ... just.
Jenson was on the attack from the word go, and didn't really let Power
get into the match except in the third game when he got a little tired
and slowed down the pace which allowed Power to start to use his
flicks and push the ball around how he likes it. Jenson held on
in the fourth game with some scintillating volleys, attacking Power at
every opportunity. Power also seemed mentally zoned out of the match
today, and was disappointed to lose after beating 3/0 Jenson last week
in the motor city open 3-0.
Dan is now looking forward to the last round. "I feel confident that I
can play well in the finals," said the Aussie.
The second semi-final was another great
matchup with Durbach looking fresh and determined from the start.
Ryding appeared frustrated in the first game but knuckled down in the
second and third, making few errors. The fourth was a long game with
some controversial calls by the referee. Ryding proved too strong in,
the end producing a couple of shots that forced errors from Durbach at
the crucial point of the match, taking the fourth in a 5-3 tiebreak.
Tomorrow's final should be a great match, with both players keen to
claim the first title here in the Rock 'n Roll hall of fame city.
14-Oct, Quarter-Finals:
[1] Jonathon Power (Can) bt [7] Martin Heath (Sco) 8/11, 11/6, 11/8, 11/1 (59m)
[4] Dan Jenson (Aus) bt [8] Shahier Razik (Can) 11/5, 7/11, 11/6, 11/7 (86m)
[6] Rodney Durbach (Rsa) bt [3] Paul Price (Aus) 9/11, 11/6, 10/2 rtd
[2] Graham Ryding (Can) bt [5] Davide Bianchetti (Ita) 11/5, 11/8, 10/11(0-2), 11/9 (87m)
Canadians Continue
on Course in Cleveland
Scott Denne reports from Cleveland
Top seed Jonathon Power's match against Martin Heath was
a close fought contest with Heath coming out strong in the first game
and taking Power by surprise with his tight lengths and crisp
attacking volley-drops. Power then knuckled down and started to move
his opponent around the court using his patented flicks and holds and
worked the Scot hard in the next two games which eventually made Heath
run out of steam in the fourth, as indicated by the 11/1 score.
The second match featured a great matchup between Dan Jenson
and Shahier Razik. Jenson, the Australian attacking volleyer
against the Canadian with the feather like touch and effortless
movement around the court. Jenson came
out firing in the first but Razik held on and slowed the pace in the
second and was retrieving and dropping well to level the match. In the
third though Jenson using his clean strokes and precise volleys to
work Razik, and slowly he appeared to tire and began to make unforced
errors. in the fourth Jenson
was established some breathing room and finished off the Canadian with
some tight crosscourt lengths and crisp volleys.
The much-anticipated matchup between the fit and
consistent South African Rodney Durbach and Australia's Paul
Price, one of the best technical players in the game,
unfortunately failed to live up to its billing. After taking a close
first game Price began to have trouble with his hip halfway
through the second game and ended up retiring in the the third,
Durbach an easy way into the semi-finals.
Canada's second seed Graham Ryding stayed on course for an
all-Canadian final, but was severely tested by Italian Davide
Bianchetti. This was fantastic squash and Ryding, even though two
games to love up, had his work cut out for him in the third and fourth
games with Bianchetti hanging in there. There were some controversial
calls at times with both players complaining to the ref, but in vain.
Ryding in the end hit some tight shots and forced errors from
Bianchetti to seal his place in the semi finals. Ryding has had a
pretty tough run through the draw so far and it will be interesting to
see how he pulls up for tomorrow's clash with Durbach.
First Round:
Canadian Challenge
On Course in Cleveland
Scott Denne reports from Cleveland
It was a good day for the seeds at Cleveland Rackets Club, as the top
eight all moved smoothly into the quarter-finals, with only two games
dropped between them and three Canadians advancing.
Canadian top seeds Jonathon Power and Graham Ryding set
course for their expected finals clash in contrasting styles. Power
dominated Julian Wellings from the start, using variations in
pace and great ball control. Ryding had a harder time against
Cameron Pilley, in a much closer than the score indicates. The
rallies were long and Ryding had to work for every point. Pilley came
back in the second using his long reach to control the centre of the
court but in the third and fourth games Ryding changed pace and upset
his rhythm.
Scotland's Martin Heath, playing his first tournament for
several months, controlled the majority of the points against another
Canadian, qualifier David Phillips. Phillips looked like he may
have watched a bit too much cable television as he wasn't seeing the
ball too well at times. Heath now faces Power.
A third Canadian made the quarter-finals as Shahier Razik
encountered little resistance from his English opponent Ben Howell.
Razik, suffering from a foot infection seemed to move around the court
well enough and is looking forward to the next round where he faces
Dan Jenson.
Jenson is one of two Australians in the quarters. Jenson dominated his
match against Dylan Bennett and seemed like he was only going
along at 75% at times. Bennett though is young and has potential if he
can learn to concentrate and hang in the rallies a bit longer. Third
seed Paul Price dominated the centre and used his delicate
touch and dying length to control qualifier Laurent Elriani.
The Frenchman looked a little flat after having a tough match last
night in the qualifiers.
The toughest and longest match of the night saw Rodney Durbach
take 82 minutes to fend off the challenge of Rafael Alarcon,
both players toughing out the match which also featured some
controversial decisions. Durbach showed his consistency and rallying
ability as the Brazilian made errors going for some "interesting"
shots under pressure. Durbach in the end held off a spirited comback
by Alarcon and appeared the fitter player.
Tournament director Scott Denne found it hard to get the "italian
stallion" Davide Bianchetti off the T, but gave it his
best shot in front of a huge home club crowd. Denne showed glimpses of
brilliance at times but Bianchetti was just too consistent and his
length was too good for the club's professional. "It's pretty hard to
organise this thing and play at the same time" said Denne in his thick
"Aussie" accent. He also wished he was 10 years younger ...
Cleveland Qualifying Complete
Scott Denne reports from Cleveland
Qualifying concluded at the Cleveland Rackets Club with Julian
Wellings, David Phillips, Laurent Elriani and Ben
Howell winning through to the main draw.
Wellings, now a coaching pro in the US, was dominant from the start
against Nicholas Kyme, the young Bermudan, and seemed sharper and more
focused, using his years of experience on the PSA tour to outplay Kyme
consistently.
Phillips also dominated his match. It seemed that Ashley Flathers may
have been a little tired from last night's marathon with Ben Gould.
Phillips, who has been getting loads of rest watching huge amounts of
American cable television whilst here in Cleveland, seemed fresh and
sharp in every rally.
The match of the night saw the two Frenchmen killing each other with
long rallies and tight lengths, working each other to the front on
every occasion possible. Friends and training partners, they both had
something to say on the refereeing and appeared to be trying to
frustrate each other. Eventually though Elriani was just too
consistent for Balbo, winning in 81 minutes.
Qualifying Round One:
The Cleveland Classic got under way at the Cleveland Racquet Club as
the qualifying first round saw all the USA's hopes fall at the first
hurdle.
Four Englishmen progressed to qualifying finals: US-based Julian
Wellings dominated Duncan Walsh, Ben Howell was just too
fast for local player Ray Lindsay, Jago Nardelli's experience
was just too much for Dylan Patterson, and Ashley Flathers beat
Ben Gould in the best match of the day, with both players gaining and
losing commanding positions.
Two Frenchmen also progressed - Laurent Elriani went 2-0
against Wade Johnstone but needed his combination of touch and kills
to finally win in five, while Julien Balbo took advantage as
Sam Millar lost concentration as he became frustrated with the referee
in the latter stages of their match.
Also in the mix is Canada's David Phillips who was too strong
for Rob McFadzean, who was probably tired after organising last week's
Motor City Open in Detroit.
The main draw features Canada's top two players at
the top and bottom, with Jonathon Power scheduled to meet
Graham Ryding in the final.
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