MILO SA Challenge 2002
Pretoria, RSA,
17-20 October,
$35k
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20-Oct
Palmer beats White in thriller
Reports courtesy SAPA from Pretoria
Final:
[1] David Palmer (Aus) bt [2] John White (Sco)
9/15, 15/12, 15/12, 9/15, 15/12
After 96 minutes of gruelling squash, top seed, David Palmer of
Australia, emerged as the 2002 Milo SA Challenge champion at the Menlyn
Park Shopping Centre in Pretoria today. It was a roller coaster ride for
the 26 year old Australian, who had also needed five games to subdue the
nuggety Welshman Alex Gough in a drama filled semi-final yesterday.
White's semi-final, in contrast, had been a damp squib as Joseph Kneipp
(Aus) was forced to withdraw because of a pulled muscle when trailing
12-15 3-8. The first game of the final was a scrappy affair with both
Palmer and White making a number of errors. A fluid mover, always on his
toes, White, the second seed, took the game comfortably 15-9 and led 5-2
in the second.
Deeper tighter drives by Palmer saw him serve at 11-7 but with accurate
volleys complemented by devastating low cross courts, White crept to
10-11 and 12-13. Palmer re-gained the hand-in, winning the game 15-12.
Hitting the ball more crisply, White again dominated the play in the
third game and led 9-2, but on going for winners, he tinned a number of
balls allowing Palmer to level at 9-all and eventually the game 15-12.
Although at times scrambling the ball back, Palmer led 9-6 in the fourth
game and seemed on track to his first title in South Africa. White,
suddenly re-energised, astutely used deception to wrong-foot
Palmer -ranked No 3 in the world - a number of times. With a stunning
tight backhand down the wall, White pocketed the game 15-9 to level
matters at two games each. White again took a 5-3 lead in the decider as
Palmer found the tin. Two unforced errors by White let Palmer back in
the picture but he could not capitalise on the situation. A string of
killing cross-court nicks had White lead 12-8 - three points away from
victory.
Playing percentage squash with safer higher loping strokes Palmer forced
the second seed into making errors and 7 consecutive points later it was
a relieved Palmer who clinched the match on his first match point. The
final played by two gentlemen of the courts delighted the capacity
crowd.
The Milo Open final - an event for South African players - was a
bittersweet triumph for second seeded Adrian Hansen who defeated top
seed Greg la Mude in four games. In the SA National final in August,
Hansen was forced to withdraw when leading 9-7 0-2 as he pulled a
hamstring giving La Mude a walkover.
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Click for details ...
Pic: Leon Botha (BEELD)
Pic: Leon Botha (BEELD)
The glass court in the
Menlyn Park shopping centre
More photos
from
Leon Botha, BEELD
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MILO SA
Challenge 2002
MAIN DRAW |
1st Round
Thu 17th |
Quarters
Fri 18th |
Semis
Sat 19th |
Final
Sun 20th |
[1] David Palmer (Aus)
15/12, 15/7, 15/12
Stefan Casteleyn (Bel) |
David Palmer
15/10, 17/15, 15/4
Karim Darwish |
David Palmer
17/14, 15/8,
13/15, 14/17, 15/9
Alex Gough |
* David Palmer *
9/15, 15/12, 15/12,
9/15, 15/12
John White |
[8] Amr Shabana (Egy)
15/4, 15/11, 15/6
Karim Darwish (Egy) |
[3] Thierry Lincou (Fra)
15/8, 5/15, 15/14, 15/8
[Q] Simon Parke (Eng) |
Simon Parke
15/14, 15/10, 15/11
Alex Gough |
[7] Omar Elborolossy (Egy)
10/15, 15/12, 15/2, 15/9
Alex Gough (Wal) |
[6] Joseph Kneipp (Aus)
15/7, 15/10, 15/6
Renan Lavigne (Fra) |
Joseph Kneipp
15/4, 16/17, 15/3 15/5
Mark Chaloner |
Joseph Kneipp
15/14, 8/3 rtd
John White |
[4] Mark Chaloner (Eng)
15/8, 15/8, rtd
[Q] Lars Harms (Sui) |
[5] Martin Heath (Sco)
10/15, 15/6, 15/14, 7/15, 15/4
[Q] Wael El Hindi (Egy) |
Wael El Hindi
15/6, 15/11, 15/6
John White |
[2] John White (Aus)
15/9, 15/10, 12/15, 15/9
[Q] Rodney Durbach (Rsa) |
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RESULTS & Reports |
Final
Photos courtesy Leon Botha (BEELD) |
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Palmer beats White in thriller
Reports courtesy SAPA from Pretoria
Final:
[1] David Palmer (Aus) bt [2] John White (Sco)
9/15, 15/12, 15/12, 9/15, 15/12
After 96 minutes of gruelling squash, top seed, David Palmer of
Australia, emerged as the 2002 Milo SA Challenge champion at the Menlyn
Park Shopping Centre in Pretoria today. It was a roller coaster ride for
the 26 year old Australian, who had also needed five games to subdue the
nuggety Welshman Alex Gough in a drama filled semi-final yesterday.
White's semi-final, in contrast, had been a damp squib as Joseph Kneipp
(Aus) was forced to withdraw because of a pulled muscle when trailing
12-15 3-8. The first game of the final was a scrappy affair with both
Palmer and White making a number of errors. A fluid mover, always on his
toes, White, the second seed, took the game comfortably 15-9 and led 5-2
in the second.
Deeper tighter drives by Palmer saw him serve at 11-7 but with accurate
volleys complemented by devastating low cross courts, White crept to
10-11 and 12-13. Palmer re-gained the hand-in, winning the game 15-12.
Hitting the ball more crisply, White again dominated the play in the
third game and led 9-2, but on going for winners, he tinned a number of
balls allowing Palmer to level at 9-all and eventually the game 15-12.
Although at times scrambling the ball back, Palmer led 9-6 in the fourth
game and seemed on track to his first title in South Africa. White,
suddenly re-energised, astutely used deception to wrong-foot
Palmer -ranked No 3 in the world - a number of times. With a stunning
tight backhand down the wall, White pocketed the game 15-9 to level
matters at two games each. White again took a 5-3 lead in the decider as
Palmer found the tin. Two unforced errors by White let Palmer back in
the picture but he could not capitalise on the situation. A string of
killing cross-court nicks had White lead 12-8 - three points away from
victory.
Playing percentage squash with safer higher loping strokes Palmer forced
the second seed into making errors and 7 consecutive points later it was
a relieved Palmer who clinched the match on his first match point. The
final played by two gentlemen of the courts delighted the capacity
crowd.
The Milo Open final - an event for South African players - was a
bittersweet triumph for second seeded Adrian Hansen who defeated top
seed Greg la Mude in four games. In the SA National final in August,
Hansen was forced to withdraw when leading 9-7 0-2 as he pulled a
hamstring giving La Mude a walkover.
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Semi-Finals |
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Palmer to meet White in Milo
final
Reports courtesy SAPA from Pretoria
Top seed David Palmer of Australia
will clash with Scotland's John White, the second seed, in the final of
the MILO SA Squash Challenge with a purse of $35,000 at the Menlyn Park
Shopping Centre, Pretoria at 2.00pm on Sunday.
The semi-finals played on Saturday provided fireworks but not in the
line of play. Australia's Joseph Kneipp, who had been in sparkling form
in the quarter-final and who had a number of wins in previous encounters
against the tall Scotsman White, was forced to retire when trailing
12-15 3-8 because of a pulled muscle.
Palmer, ranked 3 in the world, eventually edged through in five games
against the unseeded Welshman Alex Gough but it was a day which the
Australian would like to erase from his memory.
A highly motivated Gough, ranked 18, demonstrated his natural flair as
both players fenced with each other trying to gain supremacy and in the
process demonstrated a wide range of strokes. Gough held game point at
15-14 but Palmer clinched the game at 17-14. The second game saw Palmer
take control and win it against a seemingly out of touch and tired
opponent 15-8.
A number of uncharacteristic unforced errors by Palmer saw him lose the
advantage from a 10-6 lead in the third game to trail 13-14 with game
ball to Gough. Out of frustration Palmer hit the ball in the air which
connected with the lights resulting in a shower of white powder floating
on to the court. After a phone call to Gawain Briars of the PSA under
whose auspices the tournament is run, the ruling was conduct point
against Palmer which gave the game to Gough.
After a 15 minute break while the court was cleaned, play resumed and
Palmer, although making a number of unforced errors held his first match
point at 14-10.Desperate retrieving by the nuggety Gough saw him save
five match points taking the game 17-14 to level matters at 2 games all.
The final game again witnessed a downhearted Palmer make a string of
errors but he managed to keep control and win the decider 15-9 against a
frustrated Gough.
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Quarter-Finals |
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Top Two move into semis ...
Reports courtesy SAPA from Pretoria
Top seed David Palmer meets Alex
Gough and second seed John White will clash with Joseph Kneipp
in the semifinals of the Milo SA Challenge to be played at the Menlyn
Park Shopping Centre, Pretoria on Saturday.
For all four it will be a case of deja vu as Palmer succumbed to Gough
in the second round of the 2002 British Open in April and White bowed
out to Kneipp in the quarterfinals of the Memorial US Open in January.
For the South African spectators starved of squash at this level it will
be a feast of spectacular squash if the quarterfinals played on Friday
are anything to go by.
Palmer eventually tamed the young Egyptian Karim Darwish 15-13 17-14
15-7. The talented former World Junior
champion, Darwish impressed as he led 12-7 in the first game but the
lanky Australian gradually reeled in the points, taking the game on his
first game point with a delicate floating backhand drop.
Palmer seemed to coast to 10-6 and 13-7 in the second game but then went
walkabout allowing Darwish 6 consecutive points to level at 13-all and
again at 14-all. Taking the safe option Palmer called three and won the
game 17-14.
Against a tired opponent the top seed with a penchant for pulling at his
shoes won the third game comfortably 15-8.
The equally lanky White was always in control in his encounter with
Egyptian Wael El Hind, a qualifer, winning in
straight games.
Fourth seed Mark Chaloner
was a further seed to be ousted as an extremely focused Kneipp, despite
a lapse in the second game, was in complete control dictating the
pattern of play with a wide array of strokes.
The Gough/Parke quarterfinal was a crowd thriller as both players, using
every stroke in the book, played a game of cat and mouse. It was Gough
who dictated the pattern of play sending Parke scurrying around the
court, clinching the match on his first match point with a stunning
backhand drop.
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First
Round |
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Seeds Crash in first round
Reports courtesy SAPA from Pretoria
It was not a day for the seeds at the first round of the MILO SA
Squash Challenge being played on the all glass court at the Menlyn
Park Shopping Centre, Pretoria with four - Thierry Lincou (third),
Martin Heath (fifth), Omar Elborolossy (seventh), Amr Shabana
(eighth)- all being bundled out unceremoniously.
Qualifier Wael El Hindi, the 21 year old Egyptian, having lost the
first game 10-15 to fifth seeded Martin Heath raced through the second
15-6. The third was a tussle with El Hind concentrating more on his
opponent than the ball but it was the Egyptian who edged through at
15-14. Heath took the fourth easily at 15-7 to level at two games all
and seemed to have control of the match. At 4-3 in the decider, El
Hindi started demonstrating his natural ball skills, pocketing 8
consecutive points to lead 12-3. Although Heath won the next point
there was only one player in the match, with the Egyptian needing only
three more points to clinch his place in the quarterfinals where he
will meet second seed John White.
England's Simon Parke was the next qualifier to upset the seedings.
Playing controlled attacking squash he allowed third seed Lincou no
latitude winning through in four games. Parke now meets unseeded Alex
Gough of Wales.
The mercurial Welshman, who represented the then Transvaal at the
annual Jarvis Cup a few years ago, turned in a sparkling display
against the tall Egyptian Elborolossy, the seventh seed. Although the
Egyptian, ranked 14 in the world, won the second game 15-12 he had no
answer to Gough's attacking play losing nine consecutive points in the
third game which the Welshman cantered through at 15-2. A number of
enforced errors by Gough at the beginning of the fourth game saw the
seventh seed lead 7-2 but thereafter there was no stopping Gough who
took the game and match at 15-9.
Twenty one year old Karim Darwish had little difficulty in winning his
encounter with the eighth seed fellow Egyptian Amr Shabana who had no
answers to Darwish's play succumbing meekly in three games.
Australians David Palmer the top seed and sixth seeded Joseph Kneipp
registered straight games victories over Belgium's Stephan Casteleyn
and France's Renan Lavigne respectively while Lars Harms (Sui) had to
retire suffering from food poisoning when trailing 8-15 8-15 against
fourth seed Mark Chaloner (Eng).
South Africa's only representative in the 16 man draw, Rodney Durbach
last year's runner-up had his hopes dashed by the in-form second seed
John White of Scotland. In an entertaining hard hitting encounter
Durbach ran out of legs bowing out in four games.
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Qualifying
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15-Oct:
Durbach the lone home survivor
Reports courtesy SAPA from Pretoria
England's Simon Parke, Lars Harms (Sui)
and Wael El Hindi (Egy) had no difficulty in disposing of Glen Kenan (Aus),
John Argyle (RSA) and Glenn Whittaker (RSA) respectively in straight
games to take their allotted places as qualifiers in the first round of
the MILO SA Challenge on Thursday at the Menlyn Park Shopping Centre.
It was the clash between South Africa's Rodney Durbach, ranked 23 in the
world, and the 2002 National champion Greg la Mude to provide the
fireworks. Presently based in London Durbach, who captured the Brazilian
Open in March, allowed a nervous La Mude only two hand-outs in the first
game winning the game 15-3 in 4 minutes. But this proved to his
detriment. La Mude, gaining in confidence, proceeded to match the former
National champion in every department of the game. Points seesawed
with Durbach holding game point at 14-13 but with a killing crosscourt
drive La Mude levelled at 14-all.
Durbach held a second game point at 16-15 only to see La Mude again win
the point at 16-all and win the game 17-6. Dictating the pattern of
play, La Mude took a commanding 6-0 lead in the third game. Both players
entertained with a wide array of attack and defence as points progressed
to game point at 14-13 in La Mude's favour. Durbach levelled at 14-all
but La Mude in kamikaze fashion called one and with a devastating cross
court nick took a 2 games to 1 lead at 15-14. Fortunately for Durbach,
La Mude wilted under the sustained pressure and his terrier like
retrieving in the previous three games took their toll as Durbach, last
year's runner-up, raced through the next two games 15-4 15-8 to be the
only South African in the main draw.
The draw for the qualifiers slots in the main draw sees Simon Parke play
third seed Theirry Lincou of France, the defending champion: Harms meets
4th seeded Mark Chaloner (Eng): El Hindi faces fifth seed Martin Heath (Sco)
and Durbach has the unenviable task of playing second seeded John White
of Scotland, the second seed.
Wed 16 Oct, Qualifying Finals:
Rodney Durbach bt Greg La Mude 15/3, 16/17, 14/15, 15/4, 15/8
Simon Parke bt Glenn Keenan 15/4, 15/7, 15/7
Lars Harms bt John Argyle 15/2, 15/7, 15/8
Wael El Hindi bt Glenn Whittaker 15/11, 15/6, 15/9
Ranked 23 in the world, Rodney Durbach,
together with three other South
Africans, Greg La Mude, Glenn Whittaker and John Argyle have taken their
places in the final qualifying round of the MILO SA Challenge to
be played at the Menlyn Park Shopping Centre ,
Pretoria from 13:00 on Wednesday 16th October.
A product of Pretoria Boys High, Durbach who is presently based in
London, will clash with the 2002 South African
National, champion Greg la Mude.
La Mude raced through the first game 15-4 in his first round encounter
with 17 year old Dylan Bennett of the
Netherlands. Points seesawed in the second
game as the talented teenager tried to dominate play but he was unable
to counter attack the nuggety play of the
South African allowing La Mude to pocket the
second game 17-15 and waltz through the third 15-6.
England's Simon Parke was too experienced for Wits Student Gareth
Schnehage winning in straight games. Parke now
meets lefthanded Glenn Keenan of Australia,
who in an entertaining match disposed of Paul
Atkinson, also in straight games.
RAU student John Argyle advanced to the second round via a hard fought
tussle with England's Jago Nardelli to take his place against
Lars Harms of Switzerland, ranked 41 in the
world. Harms registered a straight games
victory over South African Craig Wapnick, a
former national champion, who has returned to Johannesburg after a 3
year working stint in London.
Second seeded Wael El Hindi of Egypt, ranked 30 in the world, maintained
relaxed control of his match against Gauteng's Mike Tootill. El
Hindi now meets Glenn Whittaker, ranked 2 in
South Africa.
Whittaker trailed 6-11 in the first game against the 2002 World Masters
40-44 champion Trevor Wilkinson before taking control and winning
the game 15-11. A similar pattern followed in
the second game as Wilkinson led 9-4 but again
Whittaker fought back to take the game 15-13 while in the third
game it was Whittaker who held a commanding lead at 12-8 only to
see Wilkinson claw back to 11-12. Whittaker,
however thereafter needed only 3 more points
to put him through to the final qualifying round.
Craig van der Wath, the top seed in the Milo Men's Open for the top
South African players which starts on Friday
18th October has had to withdraw because of a
dislocated shoulder. Lazarus Chiluyfa takes his place in the
event.
Tue 15 Oct,
Qualifying first round:
Rodney Durbach (Rsa) bye
Greg La Mude (Rsa) by Dylan Bennett (Ned) 15/4, 17/15, 15/10
Simon Parke (Eng) bt Gareth Schnehage (Rsa) 15/12, 15/6, 15/11
Glenn Keenan (Aus) bt Paul Atkinson (Rsa) 15/12, 15/4, 15/7
John Argyle (Rsa) bt Jago Nardelli (Eng) 15/9, 15/12, 15/6
Lars Harms (Sui) bt Craig Wapnick (Rsa) 15/9, 15/9, 15/12
Glenn Whittaker (Rsa) bt Trevor Wilkinson (Rsa) 15/11, 15/13, 15/11
Wael El Hindi (Egy) bt Mike Tootill (Rsa) 15/12, 15/13, 15/11
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