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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.
 


Scott Denne

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)

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.