21-Sep
Pilley & Leevey Win Maiden
Victorian Open Titles
Australia's Cameron Pilley and New Zealander Tamsyn Leevey
won their first Victorian Open Squash Championships titles after dramatic
victories in the finals in Wangaratta, Australia.
In only her third WISPA World Tour event, Tamsyn Leevey created history by
becoming the first unseeded player to win the Women's Open title during
the 57-year history of the championship.
Leevey, who had earlier disposed of the number 1, 4 and 8 seeds, was too
powerful for second-seeded Australian Dianne Desira who was trying to win
her third successive home-town title.
Although both players were feeling the effects of gruelling semi-finals,
held earlier in the day, it was the Kiwi's resilience and stroke play
which enabled her to capture the Victorian crown 9-7 9-3 9-1 in just 38
minutes.
After being runner-up last year, top seed Cameron Pilley claimed his first
Victorian Open title with an emphatic four-game victory over 15th seeded
Egyptian Sherif Kamel 15-8 15-10 11-15 15-6.
Pilley, who is based at the Australian Institute of Sport squash unit in
Queensland, found great support from Commonwealth Games coach Geoff Hunt -
himself a past winner of this title on no fewer than 10 occasions.
In his earlier matches, Kamel was able to outlast his opponents through
his speed and agility around the court. The final was a different affair
with the more experienced Pilley taking the initiative from the first
point, displaying a wide array of shots which had the Egyptian teenage
sensation constantly scrambling at the back of the court.
Although drained from his 91-minute semi final victory, Kamel was still
able to fight back from a 2-0 deficit by taking the third game 15-11, at
which stage he was well and truly back in the match.
Unfortunately the spurt was only short-lived and Pilley comprehensively
took the fourth game and the match.
20-Sep
Top Seeds In Contrasting
Fortunes In Victoria
While top seed Cameron Pilley swept through to the men's
semi-finals of the Victorian Open Squash Championships in Wangaratta,
fellow Australian favourite Amelia Pittock, crashed out of the women's
quarter-finals in straight games to unseeded New Zealander Tamsyn Leevey.
Pilley is on target to take his first Victorian Open title following two
impressive victories today (Saturday) over compatriots Timothy Manning and
Luke Margan. Pilley, the losing finalist in last year's Open, now meets
fourth-seeded New Zealander Callum O'Brien, who has moved through to the
semis without dropping a game.
The second men's semi-final will be an all-Egyptian affair with teenage
sensation Sherif Kamel taking on compatriot Ahmed Hamza. Both Egyptians
adapted well to the colder climate of Wangaratta and outlasted their more
fancied opponents. Belying his younger years, Kamel overcame Australian
Institute of Sport
protégé Aaron Frankcomb in an enduring quarter final encounter, 15-2 in
the third, after 69mins. Hamza has put himself in contention for the
Victorian Open crown with an impressive four-game victory over Indian
young gun Saurav Ghosal, who last week reached the final of the Country
View Open in Malaysia.
Tamsyn Leevey created a major shock at the Championships, crushing
top-seeded Amelia Pittock 10-9 9-6 9-5 in 46 minutes. This win followed
her earlier demolition of the seventh seed, Jemma Saxby. |
Men's Final:
[1] Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [15] Sherif Kamel (EGY) 15-8, 15-10, 11-15,
15-6 (61m)
Semi-finals:
[1] Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [4] Callum O'Brien (NZL)
15-8 12-15 15-8 15-9 (62m)
[15] Sherif Kamel (EGY) bt [16] Ahmed Hamza (EGY) 15-13 14-15 15-8 15-9
(91m)
Women's Final:
Tamsyn Leevey (NZL) bt [2] Dianne Desira (AUS) 9-7, 9-3, 9-1 (38m)
Semi-finals:
Tamsyn Leevey (NZL) bt [8] Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) 5-9 9-5 9-0 9-1 (63m)
[2] Dianne Desira (AUS) bt [5] Aisling Blake (IRL) 9-3 9-1 8-10 9-2 (58m)
Men's Quarter-finals:
[1] Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [8] Luke Margan
(AUS) 15-8 15-13 15-5 (46m)
[4] Callum O'Brien (NZL) bt [6] Wade Johnstone (AUS) 17-15 15-4 15-6 (45m)
[15] Sherif Kamel (EGY) bt [7] Aaron Frankcomb (AUS) 15-11 15-13 15-2
(69m)
[16] Ahmed Hamza (EGY) bt Saurav Ghosal (IND) 9-15 15-8 15-6 15-10 (58m)
2nd round:
[1] Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [11] Timothy Manning
(AUS) 15-8 15-4 16-17 15-13 (71m)
[8] Luke Margan (AUS) bt Gaurav Nandrajog (IND) 15-9 15-13 15-11 (51m)
[4] Callum O'Brien (NZL) bt [9] Nathan L'Huillier (AUS) 15-6 15-11 15-7
(45m)
[6] Wade Johnstone (AUS) bt [14] Scott Huffer (AUS) 15-13 4-15 15-12 17-16
(71m)
[7] Aaron Frankcomb (AUS) bt [10] Kirby Sinclair (AUS) 15-7 15-9 15-12
(62m)
[15] Sherif Kamel (EGY) bt [3] Mark Price (AUS) 15-9 15-5 15-9 (52m)
[16] Ahmed Hamza (EGY) bt [5] Mark Ikin (AUS) 14-15 15-5 15-7 15-3 (64m)
Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt [2] Cameron White (AUS) 9-15 15-5 15-6 10-5 ret.
1st round:
[1] Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Scott Shaw (AUS)
15-9, 15-10, 15-6 (22m)
[11] Timothy Manning (AUS) bye
[8] Luke Margan (AUS) bt Joseph Desira (AUS) 15-10, 16-17, 15-6, 13-15,
15-6 (63m)
Gaurav Nandrajog (IND) bt [13] Ryan Smith (AUS) w-o
[4] Callum O'Brien (NZL) bye
[9] Nathan L'Huillier (AUS) bt Daniel Orsino (AUS) 8-15, 11-15, 15-8,
15-8, 15-10 (61m)
[6] Wade Johnstone (AUS) bt Philip Nightingale (ENG) 11-15, 15-10, 15-10,
15-5 (52m)
[14] Scott Huffer (AUS) bt Steve Finitsis (AUS) 15-11, 12-15, 15-9, 15-8
(66m)
[10] Kirby Sinclair (AUS) bt Navin Samersinge (SRL) 15-10, 15-17, 15-13,
15-7 (64m)
[7] Aaron Frankcomb (AUS) bye
[15] Sherif Kamel (EGY) bt Supreet Singh (IND) 15-7, 15-11, 15-6 (40m)
[3] Mark Price (AUS) bt Terence Scott Gibbons (AUS) w-o
[5] Mark Ikin (AUS) bt Taiwo Kute (NGR) w-o
[16] Ahmed Hamza (EGY) bt Michael Arcidiacono (AUS) 15-5, 15-12, 15-6
(32m)
Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt [12] James Rogers (AUS) 15-11, 15-7, 15-6 (41m)
[2] Cameron White (AUS) bt David Tweed (AUS) 15-5, 15-8, 15-3 (20m)
Women's Quarter-finals:
Tamsyn Leevey (NZL) bt [1] Amelia Pittock (AUS)
10-9 9-6 9-5 (46m)
[8] Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) bt Kylie Lindsay (NZL) 9-1 9-3 9-2 (29m)
[5] Aisling Blake (IRL) bt [3] Karen Kronemeyer (NED) 5-9 9-7 9-3 6-9 10-8
(81m)
[2] Dianne Desira (AUS) bt [6] Lisa Camilleri (AUS) 3-9 9-5 7-9 9-7 9-3
(76m)
1st round:
[1] Amelia Pittock (AUS) bye
Tamsyn Leevey (NZL) bt [7] Jemma Saxby (AUS) 9-2 9-0 9-0 (21m)
Kylie Lindsay (NZL) bt [4] Danielle Davis (AUS) 9-3 9-2 9-4 (31m)
[8] Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) bye
[5] Aisling Blake (IRL) bt Tracey Michell (AUS) 9-1 9-2 9-0 (29m)
[3] Karen Kronemeyer (NED) bt Rochelle Shaw (AUS) 9-6 2-9 9-4 9-6 (61m)
[6] Lisa Camilleri (AUS) bt Kelly Fowler (AUS) 4-9 9-6 7-9 9-5 9-6 (64m)
[2] Dianne Desira (AUS) bye
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Victorian Open 2003