Madeira International 2013

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Third Time Lucky for Graham

Twelve months on from his final heartbreak, world number 121 Anthony Graham finally ended his Madeira International hoodoo by triumphing over Carsten Schoor to record his first tournament victory at the Onda Revital Club.

The Zimbabwe-born Graham, a two-time losing finalist at the event, never looked in danger against Schoor as he romped to victory 11-2 11-7 11-5 in just under 30 minutes on Saturday evening.

"I’m really chuffed to win the tournament after losing in the final twice," admitted the Gloucestershire-based Graham.

“It’s really difficult tournament and I will definitely try and come back and win the tournament again because I love playing here.

“I felt in control for most of the game and I was really happy with my body after a really tough semi final. It’s been a really worthwhile trip and hopefully I can build on the win ahead of the new PSA season.”

Both players had just over five hours recuperation after their semi-final wins and despite needing 69 minutes to defeat Jens Schoor, it was Graham who looked the fresher of the two.

A litany of errors proved to be Schoor’s undoing in the first game as Graham raced into an unassailable 7-0 lead in the opening game.

Much to the German’s annoyance, his erratic display continued into the second and Graham quickly opened up a 2-0 lead; much to the delight of the watching locals.

Seemingly wilting under the pressure, Schoor attempted to mount a comeback and spiritedly reeled off four successive points to give himself a fighting chance at 6-5 down in the third game.

Typically, though, Graham responded immediately and regained the initiative by cutting off the forehand widths from his opponent with a devastating display of touch from the mid-court.

Five consecutive points later and Graham was left celebrating his first victory on Madeiran soil; a feat which left Schoor ruing his error-strewn display.

“I really thought I had a very good chance of winning and maybe I ended up putting too much pressure on myself,” admitted a philosophical Schoor.

“The first game I was very nervous and I made about five or six errors in every game so I pretty much handed him half of the points without him having to work that hard.

“But Anthony played very well. There were some big rallies during the game and he got every ball back and I actually think he played better than he did this morning against Jens.

“I can still take some positives out of this tournament because I knew it would be tough to get to the final. My next tournament will be at the European Club Championships in Italy so hopefully I can use the next two months training to eliminate the kind of errors that cost me the match tonight.”

Earlier in the evening, last year’s winner Jens Schoor eased past Spaniard Iker Parajes to claim third place. Victory, though, would have proved scant consolation for the pre-tournament favourite after the German number two failed to retain his trophy.

Elsewhere, there were also victories for co-tournament organiser Luis Ferreira, Luis Santos and Englishman Michael Catling, who each claimed the consolation Plate Prizes in categories A, B and C respectively.
 

Men’s Final: Anthony Graham (ENG) bt Carsten Schoor (GER) 11-2 11-7 11-5
Third Place Playoff: Jens Schoor (GER) bt Iker Pajares (ESP) 11-8 11-6 11-6
Plate A Final: Luis Ferreira (POR) bt Milton Teixeira (POR) 11-3 11-6 12-14 11-8
Plate B Final: Luis Santos (POR) bt Gonçalo Miranda (POR) 14-12 11-6 11-5
Plate C Final: Michael Catling (ENG) bt Ricardo Augusto (POR) 11-6 11-2 11-5
 

Anthony Graham
11-2 11-7
11-5
Carsten Schoor

Pedro Miranda
10-12 11-7 11-3 11-2
Ricardo Sá

Defending Champion Knocked Out As Graham Exacts Revenge

Anthony Graham avenged his final defeat to Jens Schoor twelve months ago to knockout the defending champion and secure a third successive final at the Madeira International Squash Tournament.

In a match dominated by moments of brilliance and stoppages in equal measure, Graham battled past the German number two 11-4 8-11 13-11 13-11 in 69 gruelling minutes at the Onda Revital Club.

But while one brothers challenge ended in the last four, Carsten Schoor advanced through to his sixth final this year with a dominating 11-7 12-10 11-3 victory over Spanish youngster Iker Pajares

It was Graham’s win, however, which caused the most talking points as several let calls and debatable stroke decisions threatened to overshadow an otherwise mesmerising encounter.

With the match finely poised at one game all, both players had opportunities to take the third game before a tinned forehand drop by Schoor handed Graham the initiative.

And despite needing to save a further two game balls in the fourth, the Gloucestershire-based 23-year-old held his nerve to knockout the world number 77 and tournament favourite.

“It was a really tough game and I was very much up and down all the way through,” admitted Graham.
“I wanted to break the rhythm as much as possible because Jens is really smart at playing up and down the wall but there were times where I lost my game plan and struggled with my length.

“But I was really happy to recover my discipline and generally I thought I attacked at the right moments and defended really well. I just need to retain that discipline for the final as well.”

In the morning’s other semi-final, Carsten Schoor capitalised on a clearly fatigued Pajares to continue his run to the final without dropping a game.

The German number six stormed through the opening game and although the second was a much tighter affair, Schoor remained patient and utilised his own freshness to punish Pajares with a series of intense rallies.

While Schoor was quick to point out that the Spaniard was feeling the after-effects of beating world number 85 Oliver Pett less than 24 hours earlier, he was nevertheless pleased to make his first final in Madeira.

“The organisers said to me that I can only come again next year if I win the tournament so that provided a little bit of pressure ahead of the match,” joked the world number 307.

“I think he [Pajares] was a little bit tired from yesterday which you could really see in the third game but I felt like I was hitting the ball really well today.  

“It was a surprise to see [Graham win] and I would have loved to have played Jens today in the final. But I think my chances are quite good because Anthony looked quite tired after his match today so hopefully I can use that to my advantage.

 

Madeira Madness As 17-Year-Old Upstages His Elders

Rising Spanish star Iker Pajares produced a performance beyond his years to defeat world number 85 Oliver Pett in straight games and cause a major upset at the quarter final stage of the Madeira International Squash Tournament.

The Spanish number seven had remained relatively coy about his chances heading into the match, but a combination of ferocious cross courts and angled retrievals nullified Pett’s movement perfectly as the 17-year-old deservedly triumphed 11-7 11-9 11-4 in 25 minutes.

“I’m very happy with my performance,” said a clearly delighted Pajeres.

“To win in three games against the world number 85 was a surprise but an awesome result for me. I feel a little tired now but I’m already looking forward to playing Carsten [Schoor] in the semi final.

“Again, he is a lot more experienced than me so I will need to use my brain and play sensibly without forcing the issue. But I’ll try my best and if I can play like I did tonight, hopefully I can go through to the final.”

Pajeres, who is ranked 387th in the world, may need to beat both Schoor brothers to take the title, after Carsten overcame Portuguese number four Pedro Gamaso 11-6 11-1 11-5 and Jens eased past Madeira number one Pedro Gomes 11-3 11-3 11-4.

Both results also ended Portugal’s domestic interest in the Men’s event, much to the disappointment of those watching on at the Onda Revital Club.

Meanwhile, Anthony Graham’s hopes of avenging last year’s final defeat moved a step closer after he battled through against German Luis das Neves 11-3 11-4 11-8 amid the sweltering on-court conditions.

The Zimbabwe-born Graham now faces a last four showdown with Schoor, his conqueror from last year, and after working hard on his fitness this summer, the 23-year-old is hopeful his gruelling training schedule will pay dividends.

“This year I have been training quite hard, I feel a lot sharper and physically wise I feel great,” said the 2012 Costa Rica Open champion.

“I’m a year older now as well and even though you always try and play in good spirits, it would be good to get some revenge.

“I’m sure he [Jens] will be fresh tomorrow but I’ve got a game plan and hopefully I can execute it well. I just hope I can play better than last year.”

Both semi-finals take place on Saturday morning, with the third place playoff and final being held later in the evening.

Check the Squash Player website regularly to keep abreast of all the action throughout the day.
 

2nd Round and 3rd Round 17-18 July

Top Seeds Cruise Through As Portuguese Pretenders Fall

German number two Jens Schoor began the defence of his Madeira International title with two commanding displays as the second and third rounds were concluded amid a frenzied four hours on Thursday evening.

With little room for recuperation during a packed schedule of matches, the fitness of the PSA Tour professionals became immediately apparent as several regional players floundered under the intensity and longevity of points.
 
In contrast, Schoor barely seemed to break sweat as the 26-year-old trounced Portuguese duo Victor Patricio and Pedro Castro to setup a quarter final meeting with local favourite Pedro Gomes.
 
Schoor’s younger brother, Carsten, also advanced into the last eight, with a similarly imperious display of squash to defeat Roberto Abreu and co-tournament organiser Milton Teixeira.
 
The 24-year-old will now face Pedro Damaso for a place in the semi final, after the Portuguese number four triumphed over fellow compatriots Eduardo Farinha and Bruno Silva respectively.
 
English duo Oliver Pett and Anthony Graham also began their tournaments with relatively straightforward victories and remain on course for potential last four meetings against their German counterparts.
 
Pett, though, will be wary about the challenge posed by quarter final opponent Iker Pajares, who lived up to his billing as a potential dark-horse by overcoming Elvio Melim and Ricardo Sá in straight games.
 
The Barcelona-born Pajeres is already ranked 367th in the world at the age of just 17 and after breezing through his opening round matches, the tournament debutant is excited by the prospect of facing a two-time PSA Champion.

“I’m really looking forward to playing him,” said the Spanish number seven.

“He is ranked 85th in the world and it will be a really difficult match because I am still very young and I have no real experience yet.
 
“But I've played two European tournaments in the past few weeks and I think my performances have been quite good so I will just try my best and hopefully I can cause him some problems.”
 
 

PSA Seeds Watch On As Portugal Showcases Its Local Talent

For a region renowned for its tranquillity and serenity, there was unerring sense of irony as the first round of the Madeira International Squash Tournament began with a franticness juxtaposing its very perception.

With the tournament press conference finishing just moments earlier, the first round matches began almost immediately, with a large Portuguese contingent taking centre stage at the Onda Revital Club in Hotel Galosol.

As Oliver Pett, Anthony Graham and the Schoor brothers watched on from the sidelines after receiving byes into the next round, 40 players battled against the humid conditions to join them in the last 32. 

Buoyed by a smattering of local support, co-tournament organisers Luis Ferreira and Ricardo Sardinha justified their ‘outsider’ statuses with comfortable straight game victories to advance into the second round.
 
Meanwhile, fellow tournament organiser Milton Teixeira (right) was one of the first to book an early spot in the third round thanks to the combination of a first round bye and a 3-0 win over Ricardo Passos.
 
Teixeira was later joined by four other compatriots in the last 16, with Bruno Silva and João Gonçalves needing five games to progress in gripping encounters over Paulo Oliveira and Gonçalo Miranda respectively.
 
With all second round matches determined, attention will now shift back to the PSA-ranked players who are all scheduled to begin their campaigns on Thursday evening. 
 
 

The 14^th edition of the Madeira International Squash Tournament begins in earnest this evening, with German number two Jens Schoor leading a multicultural field of regional, national and international players.

The event, sponsored by Diario de Noticias, will see over 50 players competing across four days at the Onda Revital Club in Hotel Galosol, with a strong PSA contingent pitting their wits against exciting and unproven Portuguese talent.

Defending champion Schoor is seeded to win a second successive Madeira crown and after picking up two PSA tour titles already this year, the new world number 77 is hopeful that he can continue his form into the new season.

“I had an amazing year last season and won lots of titles with the German national team,” recalls the 26-year-old German.

“Since my last PSA tour title, I’ve managed to move up from 84 in the world to 77 and I feel like I’m playing some very good squash at the moment. I played here in Madeira last year and I really liked it, not to mention I won it as well which helped.

“I almost use the event as a training facility as well because they have some great courts, a good gym and the organisation is perfect. All in all, it is a great tournament and it’s certainly a good test ahead of the PSA season.”

Schoor is joined in the draw by world number 85 Oliver Pett and Zimbabwe-born Anthony Graham, who will be looking to avenge his final defeat 12 months ago.

Carsten Schoor and 17-year-old Spanish starlet Iker Pajares also lurk ominously in the bottom half of the field and provided they can negotiate the early rounds, Pett may need to beat both players to make the final.

Much of the early focus, though, will be placed on the regional players, with all PSA-ranked players receiving byes into the second round. And with the event set to welcome a representative from the government as well, co-tournament organiser Ricardo Sardinha is excited by squash’s growing reputation in Portugal.

“It is the biggest tournament we have in the country,” explains Sardinha.

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