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Official Site
www.dutchopensquash.nl |
Final
Selby survives marathon to claim Dutch Open title
Daryl Selby
is the new Dutch Open champion after the English fourth seed prevailed over
Cameron Pilley in a 102-minute marathon encounter at the Victoria
club in Rotterdam.
With both players taking few risks in the early stages, the opening game
alone took 30 minutes, which finally went Selby’s way after trailing for
most of the game. The Australian came out firing in the second though,
putting in more attacks and taking the game comfortably in just 11 minutes
to level the match. It was back to business in the third, as Selby kept his
opponent on a much tighter leash. From 6-all the Englishman took the
initiative and after another 30-minute game it was 2-1 to Selby.
The fourth was another grueling game, mixing the long rallies of the first
and third, but both more eager to pounce on a good opportunity now. There
was nothing in it up to 8-all, when Selby played a long drop shot and got a
stroke to take him to 10-8. However the fourth seed tinned on the next two
rallies, before regaining his third match point shortly after. Five
scrambling rallies, five lets, but finally Selby put in a shot that was too
tight for Pilley to retrieve. Game and match to Daryl Selby: 11-9, 4-11,
11-7, 12-10.
The winner was naturally delighted with the biggest win of his career. "It
was pretty crucial to come back and take the first game, because he just
played too well in the second. Then it was just a question of hanging in
there. We both wanted to win obviously, it's a big tournament, a four star,
which means lots of points,” said Selby. “It feels great to win the Dutch
Open and I would like to thank Tommy and his team who always organize them
so well,” added the 27-year old.
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2008 Event Page
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DRAW
.
Qualifying
Reports
.
Final
.
Semis
.
Quarters
.
Previews
|
Draw |
Dutch Open 2009
24-29 Nov, Victoria Squash, Rotterdam |
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Round One
26 Nov |
Quarters
27 Nov |
Semis
28 Nov |
Final
29 Nov |
[1] Laurens Jan
Anjema (Ned)
11/4, 11/5, 11/4 (35m)
[Q] Nicolas Mueller (Sui) |
Laurens Jan Anjema
11/3, 14/12, 11/7 (41m)
Simon Rosner |
Laurens Jan Anjema
11/2, 3/0 rtd (8m)Daryl
Selby
|
Daryl
Selby
11-9, 4-11,
11-7, 12-10
Cameron Pilley |
[5] Joey
Barrington (Eng)
9/11, 12/10, 11/4, 7/5 rtd (60m)
Simon Rosner (Ger) |
[4] Daryl Selby
(Eng)
12/14, 11/5, 7/11, 11/4, 11/4 (75m)
Kashif Shuja (Nzl) |
Daryl Selby
6/11, 15/13, 11/4, 11/9 (80m)
Julian Illingworth |
[8] Julian
Illingworth (Usa)
9/11, 11/13, 11/9, 11/5, 11/5 (69m)
Chris Ryder (Eng) |
Piedro Schweertman
(Ned)
11/4, 11/5, 4/11, 11/7 (40m)
[6] Tom Richards (Eng) |
Tom Richards
11/3, 11/2, 11/7 (37m)
Azlan Iskandar |
Azlan Iskandar
6/11, 11/8, 11/3, 12/10 (65m)
Cameron Pilley |
[Q] Steve Finitsis
(Aus)
11/9, 11/4, 11/6 (33m)
[3] Azlan Iskandar (Mas) |
[Q] Dylan Bennett (Ned)
11/5, 11/4, 9/11, 11/8 (67m)
[7] Davide Bianchetti (Ita) |
Davide Bianchetti
11/3, 11/3, 11/8 (46m)
Cameron Pilley |
[Q] Ryan Cuskelly
(Aus)
11/9, 11/8, 11/7 (52m)
[2] Cameron Pilley (Aus) |
Qualifying
25th Nov, Finals:
Last Round Qualifying Results
Ryan Cuskelly (Aus) bt Chris Simpson (Eng) 17/15, 11/6, 13/11 (65m)
Nicolas Mueller (Zwi) bt Stephane Galifi (Ita) 9/11, 11/4, 11/8, 11/5
(44m)
Steve Finitsis (Aus) bt Julien Balbo (Fra) 11/7, 11/6, 6/11, 11/5
(48m)
Dylan Bennett (Ned) bt Robbie Temple (Eng) 11/8, 11/8, 8/11, 7/11, 11/5
(66m)
24-Nov, Round One:
Chris Simpson (Eng) bt Bradley Hindle (Mlt) 8/11, 11/8, 5/11, 11/4, 11/6
(71m)
Ryan Cuskelly (Aus) bt Frank Hartkoren (Ned) 11/6, 11/8, 11/6
(26m)
Stéphane Galifi (Ita) bt Rene Mijs (Ned) 11/7, 11/7,
13/11 (33m)
Nicolas Mueller (Sui) bt John Rooney (Irl) 11/13, 11/7, 11/8, 12/10
(49m)
Steve Finitsis (Aus) bt Rob Sutherland (Wal) 11/4, 11/9,
11/8 (35m)
Julien Balbo (Fra) bt Bastiaan Meulenbelt (Ned) 11/7, 11/6,
11/3 (41m)
Robbie Temple (Eng) bt Bart Ravelli (Ned) 11/6, 11/9,
11/9 (34m)
Dylan Bennett (Ned) bt Jan Koukal (Cze) 11/7, 11/7,
11/2 (26m)
/4, 7/11, 11/6 (35m) |
Reports
Semi Finals
LJ limps out as Pilley powers into Dutch Open final
There was disappointment for the packed crowd at Victoria Squash in
Rotterdam who had turned up to spur local favourite Laurens Jan
Anjema into the final of the Dutch Open Squash 2009.
England's Daryl Selby, the fourth seed, dominated the opening game
against the top seed, leaving him for dead on several occasions. Something
was clearly wrong as the Englishman took the game 11-3, and when he opened
up a 3-0 lead in the second all became clear as Anjema offered his hand to
concede the match. "In my match yesterday I dived after the ball and jarred
my right knee. I didn't really feel it at the time but it stiffened up
later, and was stiff and sore this morning," he explained to the crowd.
"I had a physio look at it and he tried a few things. I had a good warm-up
and went on hopeful that the ball would be warm and that it would ease off
once I got into the match. But every time I tried to change direction I
could feel it, and against someone as good as Daryl if I'm not 100% then
it's hopeless - I might have been able to get through an early round, but
not at this level. It's a pity, I was playing well in the earlier rounds, so
it's very disappointing."
Selby was grateful for the opportunity to reach the final fresh, especially
after two very tough earlier rounds, but had sympathy for his injured
opponent. "It's a real shame and I feel so sorry for him, in front of a good
home crowd too. I'm happy to get through obviously, but wouldn't have wanted
to get to the final this way. Still, at least I'll get a bit more recovery
time after two tough matches in the earlier rounds."
His opponent in the final will be Cameron Pilley, the Dutch-based
Australian who was runner-up in last year's event in Amsterdam. The second
seed dropped the first game against Malaysia's Mohd Azlan Iskandar,
the third seed, but recovered to take the next three, finishing in style
with an outrageous overhead into the nick: 6-11, 11-8, 11-2, 12-10.
"That's a good win, and a good way to finish it," said a delighted winner.
"I was a bit nervous at the start, my previous matches were against people
I'd beaten, but Azlan has beaten me in all the tournament matches we've
played, so I wanted to keep it tight at the start. In the fourth I just had
to hang in there, trying to pull it back point by point. Then at 10-all I
stuck one to the wall, and when the ball came up on match ball I thought I
might as well go for it!"
Quarter Finals
Top favourites contest Dutch Open semi’s
The top four seeds will contest the semi-finals of the Dutch Open Squash
2009 after contrasting quarter-final victories tonight at the Victoria
Club in Rotterdam.
Third seed Mohd Azlan Iskandar opened proceedings with an
impressive win over Englishman Tom Richards. Iskandar was in control
from the outset and denied Richards the opportunities to get a foothold in
the match. "I felt quite comfortable in the first two, I was content to put
him under pressure, trying to make him heavy-legged," said Iskandar. "I knew
he would come into it, I expected it in the second, but in the third he
definitely made the court longer and I panicked a bit after winning the
first two so comfortably, but I managed to get it back together."
Iskandar will meet second seed Cameron Pilley for a place in the
final. The Australian was in equally impressive form, demolishing Italy's
Davide Bianchetti for the lost of just six points in the first two
games, and although the Italian made it tougher in the third the second seed
always looked the likely winner. "Davide's very talented with the racket as
he showed in the third," said the victor. "I'm seeded to get to the final
but it's going to be tough - I played Azlan a few weeks ago in Hong Kong and
he got me 3/0 so it's good to get a chance of revenge."
Home favourite Laurens Jan Anjema delighted the packed home crowd
when he also won in straight games. But the Dutchman was made to work hard
in the last two of them by young German Simon Rosner, with Anjema
having to come from 10-6 down to take the second on extra points. "I needed
to come back to get the second," said a relieved top seed. "It was a make or
break moment and two-nil was a big plus for me and a disappointment for him.
He played well, but I'm not too unhappy with how I played either.”
Anjema's semi-final opponent will be Englishman Daryl Selby, who also
needed to mount a recovery to claim his expected place in the last four.
Trailing the USA's number one Julian Illingworth by a game and 8-6,
Selby displayed determination and patience to eventually prevail in four
games after 80 minutes of exhausting play. "Winning the second was really
important," said Selby. "Then I got really annoyed when he sent me the wrong
way on a simple crosscourt to go 4-1 up in the third. I thought come on,
you're not going down without a fight here and just dug in. It wasn't the
tightest game of squash, we can both play better than that, but you can't
play well all the time. If you can come out of a match where you don't play
at your best with a win, that's the most important thing. At least you give
yourself a chance of playing well in the next round."
First Round
Anjema powers into Dutch quarters
Seven of the top eight seeds progressed to the quarter-finals of the
Dutch Open Squash 2009 in Rotterdam's Victoria Club, but it was far from
easy going for several of them.
Third seed Azlan Iskandar opened proceedings with a comfortable
enough win over qualifier Steve Finitsis, and will meet young
Englishman Tom Richards for a place in the semi-finals after Richards
denied local wildcard Piedro Schweertman in four games. Iskandar was
surprised at the pace of the match: "After watching the matches last night I
was waiting for the ball to start dying, but it never did, it was so fast,"
he said. "That's a good start though, to get off in three in half an hour, I
can look forward to the rest of the tournament now."
Richards started well against Schweertman, who took his time to get going
but gave the Englishman a hard time of it in the third game. "You could see
he got confident, he got a lot of balls back and hit some great shot, made
it difficult for me which is what I expected," said Richards. "I'm glad to
get through, now it's my training partner Azlan, we always hit together when
we're in London, so it should be interesting."
There was further Dutch disappointment when last night's hero Dylan
Bennett fell narrowly short against Davide Bianchetti, the
seventh seed. After a slow start Bennett found his range and took the match
to a decider, which the fiery Italian narrowly won. "I struggled in the
first two, I just couldn't get it past him," said Bennett. "Tommy [Berden]
kept telling me I had to find a way to get the ball deep, and I did that in
the third and fourth, and he got frustrated. Overall I'm happy, considering
where I was ten days ago it's a big improvement."
Bianchetti meets second seed Cameron Pilley who won an entertaining
match against fellow Aussie Ryan Cuskelly. Although they lived close
to each other in Australia they had strangely never played a serious match
against each other before tonight.
In the top half of the draw local favourite and top seed Laurens Jan
Anjema was in impressive form as he dispatched Swiss qualifier
Nicolas Mueller. The pressure of being the home favourite doesn't seem
to be affecting ‘LJ’: "I felt exactly the right level of nervousness," he
said. "I was relaxed but knew it was important, it felt good and I hope I
can keep that feeling for the rest of the week."
Anjema's quarter-final opponent is the only unseeded player left in the
draw, after Germany's Simon Rosner upset fifth seed Joey
Barrington. After a tough three and a half games that took exactly an
hour the Englishman retired injured - cumulative rather than anything
dramatic - with Rosner leading 2/1 and 7/5.
The top half of the draw is completed by England's Daryl Selby and
USA number one Julian Illingworth, both of whom survived five game
encounters. Selby needed all his determination to suppress the racket skills
of New Zealand's Kashif Shuja, while Illingworth had to come from two
games down to beat England's Chris Ryder. "I was annoyed losing the
first game from so far up," said Selby. “But I have to give a lot of credit
to Kashif, he played really well and put me under a lot of pressure. I was
proud of myself mentally, of how I dug in though," he added.
Illingworth was similarly relieved to progress: "I'm happy to get through,
this is the first time I've made the second round of a four or five star
event, so it will be good to get a match against one of the top boys -
probably Daryl, but I wouldn't be too disappointed if a qualifier upset
him!"
Qualifying
Bennett boosts local interest at Dutch Open
It was a day of upsets in Rotterdam as the qualifying finals for the
Dutch Open Squash 2009 – which offers a total prize fund of US
$40,000 - saw two Australians, one Swiss and one Dutchman reach the main
draw of the biggest men's event to be held on Dutch soil this century.
Ryan Cuskelly
opened proceedings with a hard-fought win over Chris Simpson, who
will feel aggrieved not to have at least taken a game. "I'll have to be at
the top of my form tomorrow if I draw one of the top three boys, but we'll
see how we go," said Cuskelly, whose reward is a matchup against fellow
Aussie Cameron Pilley, the second seed.
Rising Swiss star Nicolas Mueller used pace to overcome the guile of
Stéphane Galifi. "I'd lost to him two or three times, so I knew what
I needed to do to beat him, keep the pace up and make him work," said
Mueller. "Even if he won the first game or the first two games I had to keep
that going, and today it worked," said the former European Junior Champion
who meets top seed and Dutch favourite Laurens Jan Anjema tomorrow
Dutch-based Australian Steve Finitsis utilized the same tactics to
upset France's Julien Balbo and earn an unexpected place in the main
draw. "I can enjoy it now, especially since I came here as first reserve, I
didn't know if I was even going to get a game," said a delighted Finitsis
who will now play Mohd Azlan Iskandar in tomorrow’s first round.
The final match of the day saw Dylan Bennett
boost local interest in the main draw as he prevailed in a see-saw contest
with England's Robbie Temple. "Tough,” said the victor. "It was more
of a mental game really. In the first two I was more relaxed and he was
doing the arguing, then it was the other way round in the next two. I got a
good start in the fifth, he argued a couple of decisions and that cost him a
few more points, I just needed to push through and close it out." Bennett
goes through to meet eighth seed Davide Bianchetti in the first round
which starts Thursday at 1pm at Victoria Squash in Rotterdam.
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Previews
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Injured Barker Withdraws From Dutch Open
Top seed Peter Barker has been forced to
withdraw from the Dutch Open Squash 2009, the 4-Star PSA World Tour
championship which starts in the Dutch city of Rotterdam. The England
international is struggling with an ankle injury which he aggravated last
weekend in his semi-final match against compatriot Nick Matthew in the
Qatar Classic.
The 26-year-old is clearly disappointed with his
withdrawal from the $40,000 event which is being staged at Victoria Squash,
the club Barker represents in the Dutch league.
"Unfortunately I have been advised to pull out
of the forthcoming Dutch Open," said the world number nine.
"My ankle clearly needs some attention, so I
can’t compete in the tournament this week. I am gutted I am not playing," added
the left-hander from London, who sustained the injury in Spain en-route to
winning the Santiago Open earlier in the month.
The late withdrawal elevates Dutch champion
Laurens Jan Anjema to top spot in the biggest men’s tournament on Dutch soil
this century. Australia’s Cameron Pilley, Malaysia’s Mohd Azlan
Iskandar and England’s Daryl Selby are the three other highest ranked
players in the draw.
Julian Illingworth
from the USA is now seeded to reach the quarter-finals, while New-Zealand’s
Kashif Shuja avoids the brutal qualifying competition due to Barker’s
absence.
The Dutch Open Squash 2009 starts today with first round of qualifying action
and runs through to Sunday with the men’s final scheduled for 2pm. More
information about the championship can be found at the official tournament site
www.dutchopensquash.nl
Anjema faces tough task at Dutch Open
The Professional Squash Association (PSA) has today announced the draw for the
Dutch Open Squash 2009 which will take place from November 24-29
at Victoria Squash in Rotterdam. The championship, which boasts a
total prize fund of US$40,000, features five world top-20 players.
Home favourite
Laurens Jan Anjema, who won the most prestigious men's tournament to be
held on Dutch soil in 2004, starts his Dutch Open campaign against a qualifier.
If the 26-year old from The Hague wins his opening match he will face the winner
of England’s
Joey
Barrington, the sixth seed, and Mexico’s Eric Galvez in
the quarters. The projected semi-final opponent of the four-time Dutch champion,
who is seeded two for the PSA 4 Star championship, is Australia’s third seed Cameron
Pilley. The world number fifteen is expected to play England’s
Daryl Selby, who is ranked just two spots lower than the Aussie, in his
quarter-final.
Top seed
Peter Barker from England and Malaysia’s
Mohd Azlan
Iskandar, seeded four, are hot favourites to reach the semi
final stage in the top half of the draw, which also features Dutch number two
Piedro Schweertman. Strangely enough Barker and Iskandar are now the two
highest ranked players in the strong field after the Malaysian rose an
incredible seven places to number 13 in the November rankings, after making the
quarter-finals of the Hong Kong Open last month. Barker is currently world
number nine and the November rankings mark an unbroken year in the world's top
ten for the left-hander from Essex.
More
information about the Dutch Open Squash 2009 can be found on
the official tournament website
www.dutchopensquash.nl.
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Strong
field for Dutch Open
The Professional Squash Association (PSA) has announced the line-up for the
Dutch Open Squash 2009 which will take place from November 24-29 at
Victoria Squash in Rotterdam, the Dutch capital of sports.
England’s Peter Barker, the world number nine, heads the entry list for
the biggest men’s event on Dutch soil in this century. Dutch ace Laurens Jan
Anjema (15) is seeded second in front of Australia’s Cameron Pilley
(17) and Malaysia’s Mohd Azlan Iskandar (20). Daryl Selby (Eng,
21), Joey Barrington (Eng, 28), Tom Richards (31) - all from
England - and Italy’s Davide Bianchetti (32) are the other top-eight
seeds.
Piedro Schweertman
is the second Dutch participant in the main draw of the Dutch Open Squash 2009.
The 26-year old world number 131 received a wildcard for next month's event in
Rotterdam which offers a total prize fund of US$40.000 as well as
valuable world ranking points. Local stars Dylan Bennett, Rene Mijs,
Bart Ravelli and Bastiaan Meulenbelt will have to qualify
for the PSA 4 Star championship. The draw for the Dutch Open Squash 2009 will be
announced on Monday November 9th.
Tournament promoter Tommy Berden is upbeat about the quality of entries
for the Dutch Open: “Looking at the players who signed up, the Dutch Open shapes
up to be another exciting event. Many of the guys who entered are on their way
up and will be in the top-ten within the next few years,” said the former world
number 22. “The quality of players ensures that we will witness some great
matches, and as we only have limited seating available I would like to advise
everybody to reserve their tickets early,” said the 30-year old Berden.
Tickets for the Dutch Open Squash 2009 are now for sale through the official
tournament website
www.dutchopensquash.nl.
Prices vary between € 5,00 and € 20,00 a day. Tournament passes are also
available for squash fans all around the world, which gives access to all main
draw matches.
Entry list (30 October 2009)
1 |
M |
Peter Barker |
ENG |
9 |
2 |
M |
Laurens Jan Anjema |
NED |
15 |
3 |
M |
Cameron Pilley |
AUS |
17 |
4 |
M |
Mohd Azlan Iskandar |
MAS |
20 |
5 |
M |
Daryl Selby |
ENG |
21 |
6 |
M |
Joey Barrington |
ENG |
28 |
7 |
M |
Tom Richards |
ENG |
31 |
8 |
M |
Davide Bianchetti |
ITA |
32 |
9 |
M |
Julian Illingworth |
USA |
33 |
10 |
M |
Chris Ryder |
ENG |
36 |
11 |
M |
Eric Galvez |
MEX |
37 |
12 |
M |
Piedro Schweertman |
NED |
131 |
|
1 |
Q |
Simon Rosner |
GER |
40 |
2 |
Q |
Kashif Shuja |
NZL |
42 |
3 |
Q |
Chris Simpson |
ENG |
45 |
4 |
Q |
Jan Koukal |
CZE |
47 |
5 |
Q |
Julien Balbo |
FRA |
53 |
6 |
Q |
Stephane Galifi |
ITA |
57 |
7 |
Q |
Nicolas Mueller |
SUI |
59 |
8 |
Q |
Ryan Cuskelly |
AUS |
63 |
9 |
Q |
Robbie Temple |
ENG |
66 |
10 |
Q |
Rob Sutherland |
WAL |
71 |
11 |
Q |
Bradley Hindle |
MLT |
73 |
12 |
Q |
Dylan Bennett |
NED |
77 |
13 |
Q |
Rene
Mijs |
NED |
167 |
14 |
Q |
Bart
Ravelli |
NED |
177 |
15 |
Q |
Bastiaan Meulenbelt |
NED |
212 |
16 |
Q |
To be
confirmed |
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