16 Draw Tournament Page

RESULTS & Reports
Finals
GAULTIER GALLOPS TO BETTERIDGE TITLE *Mike Callaway reports on the Final* [2] Gregory Gaultier (Fra) bt [7] Jonathan Kemp (Eng) 15/10, 15/10, 15/5 (38 mins) Gregory Gaultier of France put an end to Jonathan Kemps first appearance in a PSA final. Gaultier raced to a 6-2 lead in the first game before Kemp relaxed playing tighter on his forehand. However after getting back on level terms he wasted his opportunity to put the Frenchman under more pressure with several unforced errors to let the game slip away 15-10. The second game followed a similar pattern with the score close until 10 all, then Gaultier raised his game to move ahead aided by more unforced errors from the Kemp racket. In the third game Kemp, obviously losing belief in himself, had no answer to Gaultier, who took the the last game in just eight minutes.
Semi-Finals
[7] Jonathan Kemp (Eng) bt [1]Tommy Berden (Ned) 15/11, 9/15, 15/9, 15/6 (51 mins) [2] Gregory Gaultier (Fra) bt [5] Victor Berg (Can) 15/6, 15/7, 15/13 (36 mins) Jonathan Kemp from England defeated top seed Tommy Berden from Holland in four games. Berden won the first points of the match easily before Kemp got into his stride. At 9 all in the first game Kemp went on the attack hitting two cross court volley winners to lead 13-9, Berden won the next rally but then Kemp won the next two points winning the game on a dying length to Berdens backhand which he could not retrieve. The second game Berden was always in control with Kemp always retrieving & a number of unforced errors did not help his cause. The third game Kemp was far more positive & kept going for his attacking volleys. At 12-8 up Kemp hit another cross court volley winner to put the game beyond doubt. Berden hit the return of serve into the tin & Kemp lead 2-1. The fourth game Berden looked disheartened & made several unforced errors to make Kemps cause easier, finally winning the game 15-6. The second semi final was a played at a furious pace with Victor Berg setting the tone of the game hitting the return of serve into the nick to win the first point. Gaultier however was up to the challenge picking up the short balls Victor played & playing sublime cross court lobs to put Berg into the back corners. Unfortunately for Berg although he hit winners this was outweighed by the number of errors, never to keep enough pressure on the Frenchman. In the third game Victor relaxed & played far better squash making far fewer errors.The rallies were fast & played in the mood of an exhibition match to the delight of the crowd. At 12-13 a stroke awarded against Berg lost his focus & he lost the last two rallies quickly, to set up tomorrows final.
Quarter-Finals
Top Seeds Safely Through Mike Callaway reports on the Quarters Tommy Berden & Gregory Gaultier the top two seeds safely progressed to Saturday's semi finals. Berden defeated Pastijn comfortably in the first two games, but had to comeback from 5-1 down in the third was his only blemish on a sound professional performance. Lee Drew fought hard &kept up with the pace in the first game leading 13-12, but then Gaultier raised his game to taking the last three points. He was always in control in the next two games. Victor Berg after beating his Canadian compatriot Shawn De Leirre last night was too strong for Englands Ben Howell. Howell had the chance to level the match at one all when he tied the second game at 14 all, but a couple of loose shots cost him that game & he then lost the third game quickly. The only slight upset of the night was England's Jonathan Kemp seeded 7 defeating sixth seeded Mikkel Korsbjerg. Kemp was always ahead in the match except a slight lapse at 9 all which cost him that game. The next two games Kemp took control from the middle of each game winning 15-8 15-7.
First Round
SEEDS PROGRESS IN MAMARONECK First round report by Mike Callaway With the exception of 8th seed John Russell now coaching at the Height Casino, in NY all the seeds comfortably made the quarter finals. Last year's finalist John Russell struggled with a lack of fitness after splitting the first two games 15/14. Preston Quick, making his first appearance in a main draw without the benefit of a wild card, could not maintain the momentum despite a good showing in the first game against Lee Drew. The same was true of David McNeely who controlled many of the rallies against his Danish opponent but was too impatient to finish the point, rather than sticking to his game plan that had him leading the first game 7-1. The top two seeds looked comfortable in disposing of their opponents in straight games due to their ability to control the rally & not make rash choices. This was particularly true of Alex Stait who having beaten former world # 2 Brett Martin in the first qualifying round, tried to win the point too soon, against a particularly quick opponent.
Qualifying
Quick comeback ... Mike Callaway reports Preston Quick came back from 2/1 down in his qualifying final against Imran Khan, after advice from Richard Millman after the third game. Millman instilled into Preston the importance of keeping his opponent deep in the back corners, which he did with conviction in the fourth game. In the fifth Imran was 11/7 up before Preston went back to the disciplined approach. He went ahead 12/11 but then let Imran back to 12/12 with a rash attempt at a cross court volley nick which he tinned. He then went back to the game plan winning the next 3 points . This means for the first time in this tournament there will be two Americans in the first round. Qualifying Finals: Alex Stait (Eng) bt Bernardo Samper (Col) 15/6, 15/7, 15/13 Shawn De Leirre (Can) bt Peter Hughes (Aus) 15/10, 11/15, 15/4, 15/9 Preston Quick (USA) bt Imran Khan (Pak) 15/12, 10/15, 10/15, 15/5, 15/12 Oriol Salvia (Esp) bt Beau River (USA) 15/10, 15/7, 15/7 1st Round Qualifying Alex Stait bt Brett Martin 17/14, 15/13, 15/12 Bernardo Samper bt Kumail Mahmood 15/11, 15/8, 9/15, 12/3 rtd Shawn De Lierre bt Brian Mathias 15/3, 15/4, 15/7 Peter Hughes bt Alexander Bell 17/15, 15/10, 15/12 Imran Khan bt Robert McFazdean 15/9, 9/15, 15/11, 15/5 Preston Quick bt Mike Weston 14/15, 15/13, 15/6, 15/13 Beau River bt Liam Nolan 15/8, 15/5, 15/6 Oriol Salvia bt Sam Miller 15/6, 15/7, 15/6