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BMO
Nesbitt Burns
Ontario Open 2004
04-07 Mar, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
07-Mar, Finals:
[2] Joey Barrington (Eng) bt [1] Mike Corren (Aus)
10-15, 13-15, 15-8, 15-8, 17-15 (117 mins)
[4] Eman El Amir (Egy) bt [3] Runa Reta (Can)
9-5, 9-5, 1-9, 9-6 (55 mins)
Barrington battles to title,
El Amir dashes home hopes
Neil Tubb reports from Ottawa
Joey Barrington and Mike Corren, despite having fought savage battles
throughout the previous three rounds to end up in the final, provided
the sold-out gallery at the Ottawa Athletic Club with a match for the
ages. Providing more drama and plot twists than any movie thriller,
these two warriors fought each other to a standstill for just under
two hours, to the absolute delight of the fans.
Full report
The Women’s final featured two young players who were both in search
of their first WISPA professional title. Eman El Amir, the talented
Egyptian, had shown throughout the tournament her all-round powerful
game, featuring both hard drives and volleys to length, as well as the
softest of drops. Ottawa’s own Runa Reta also packs a lot of power
into a relatively small frame, but also showed fantastic mobility and
determination. The contrast promised to provide some great squash, and
the fans were not disappointed.
Full report
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The finalists at the Presentations |
BMO Nesbitt Burns Ontario Open 2004
MEN'S DRAW $6k |
1st Round
Fri 5th |
Quarters
Sat 6th |
Semis Sat
6th |
Final Sun
7th |
[1] Mike Corren (Aus)
15-10, 17-14, 17-14 (44m)
[Q] Robert McFadzean (Usa) |
Mike Corren
15-9, 17-15, 17-15 (65m)
Shawn De Lierre |
Mike Corren
15-12, 15-17, 15-9, 2-15, 15-8 (80m) Alex Stait |
Mike Corren
10-15, 13-15, 15-8, 15-8, 17-15 (117m)
Joey Barrington |
[6] Shawn De Lierre
(Can)
15-8, 15-12, 15-10 (39m)
David Phillips (Can) |
[3] Alex Stait (Eng)
15-13, 15-7, 15-8 (35m)
[Q] David Barnett (Eng) |
Alex Stait
15-10, 15-9, 11-15, 15-12 (67m)
Karim Yehia |
[8] Karim Yehia (Egy)
15-10, 15-11, 15-10 (33m)
Robin Clarke (Can) |
Nicholas Kyme (Ber)
15-10, 15-13, 15-5 (44m)
[7] Ian Power (Can) |
Ian Power
15-8, 15-13, 15-6 (55m)
John Rooney |
John Rooney
5-15, 15-12, 7-2 rtd (calf injury)Joey Barrington |
[Q] Matthew Serediak
(Can)
15-8, 15-5, 15-9 (38m)
[4] John Rooney (Irl) |
Ashley Flathers (Eng)
15-5, 15-3, 15-10 (38m)
[5] Eric Galvez (Mex) |
Eric Galvez
5-15, 15-8, 15-7, 9-15, 15-9 (120m)
Joey Barrington |
[Q] Fabian Kalaitzis (Gre)
15-11, 15-10, 17-14 (46m)
[2] Joey Barrington (Eng) |
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Men's Qualifying (Thu 4th):
Finals:
Fabian Kalaitzis bt Patrick Bedore 3-0
Matthew Serediak bt Dane Sharp 11-15, 15-5, 15-12, 15-14
David Barnett bt Bernard Tissot 15-4, 11-15, 15-7, 15-11
Robert McFadzean bt Abdul Razzaq 15-7, 14-15, 15-9, 4-15, 15-4
First Round:
Fabian Kalaitzis (GRE) bt Juan Jose Jimenez (COL) 15-9, 11-15,
15-11, 15-11
Patrick Bedore (CAN) bt Ryan Haider (CAN) 3-0
Matthew Serediak (CAN) bt Brian Ernst (CAN) 15-7, 15-6, 6-15, 15-11
Dane Sharp (CAN) bt Mohammed Nasir Farooq 3-1
Abdul Razzaq (PAK) bt Matt Arkett (CAN) 13-15, 15-12, 12-15, 15-5,
15-11
Bertrand Tissot (FRA) bt Rizwan Farooq (PAK) 3-0
David Barnett (ENG) bt Mike Reid (CAN) 3-0
Rob McFadzean (USA) bt Daniel Sibley (CAN) 15-13, 15-7, 10-15, 15-10
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BMO Nesbitt Burns Ontario Open 2004
WOMEN'S DRAW $6k
Draw from
WISPA |
1st Round
Fri 5th |
Quarters Sat 6th |
Semis
Sat 6th |
Final
Sun 7th |
[1] Melissa Martin (Aus)
w/o
[Q] Miranda Ranieri (Can) |
Melissa
Martin
9-3, 9-5, 7-9, 7-9, 9-2 (47m)
Alana Miller |
Melissa
Martin
9-4, 9-3, 5-9, 5-9, 9-4 (59m)
Runa Reta |
Runa Reta
9-5, 9-5, 1-9, 9-6 (55m)
Eman El Amir |
[7] Alana Miller (Can)
9-0, 9-2, 9-1 (24m)
Kelly Fowler (Aus) |
[3] Runa Reta (Can)
9-2, 9-1, 9-1 (26
[Q] Ashley Clackson (Can) |
Runa Reta
9-2, 3-9, 10-8, 10-8 (44m)
Katie Patrick |
[8] Katie Patrick (Can)
9-2, 9-2, 10-8 (52m)
[Q] Seanna Keating (Can) |
Tara Mullins (Can)
6-9, 9-7, 9-1, 9-7 (56m)
[6] Marnie Baizley (Can) |
Marnie Baizley
9-4, 9-5, 9-5 (31m)
Eman El Amir |
Eman El Amir
6-9, 9-6, 9-6, 8-10, 9-4 (66m)Melanie Jans |
[Q] Izumi Matsuda (Jap)
9-2, 9-6, 9-1 (21m)
[4] Eman El Amir (Egy) |
Kyla
Grigg (Can)
0-9, 6-9, 10-9, 9-4, 9-7 (60m)
[5] Olga Puigdemont Sola (Esp) |
Kyla
Grigg
9-3, 9-4, 7-9, 9-5 (43m)
Melanie Jans |
Lauren Polonich (Can)
9-1, 9-7, 9-6
[2] Melanie Jans (Can) |
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Women's Qualifying (Thu 4th):
Ashley Clackson (CAN) bt Shauna Flath (CAN) 9-7, 9-4, 9-4
Miranda Ranieri (CAN) bt Helen Kay (CAN) 9-1, 9-2, 8-10, 9-3
Seanna Keating (CAN) bt Neha Kumar (CAN) 9-5, 9-7, 9-4
Izumi Matsuda (JAP) w/o
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Reports |
07-Mar, Finals:
Neil Tubb reports from Ottawa
Barrington Battles to Ontario Title
[2] Joey Barrington bt [1] Mike Corren 10-15, 13-15, 15-8, 15-8,
17-15 (117m)
Joey Barrington and Mike Corren, despite having fought savage
battles throughout the previous three rounds to end up in the final,
provided the sold-out gallery at the Ottawa Athletic Club with a
match for the ages. Providing more drama and plot twists than any
movie thriller, these two warriors fought each other to a standstill
for just under two hours, to the absolute delight of the fans.
The two players definitely have different approaches to the game.
Corren, the tough Australian, is cut from the Chris Dittmar mold,
favouring hard volleys to pressure, followed up with dramatic nicks.
Barrington, the serious Englishman, takes consistency on court to
new heights, serving notice that in order to beat him, you will have
to pay a high physical toll.
For the first two games of the final, however, it looked like Corren
was up to the task of beating Barrington at his own game.
Barrington, as he’s done the rest of the tournament, kept his drives
tight, his errors low, and waited for Corren’s mistakes. Corren
decided to rally patiently with Barrington, but at key times in each
of the first two games, always found the right short boast or nick
that eluded the lightning fast Briton.
Rather than being unnerved by having to come from behind, Barrington
returned for the third game looking even more determined. As he had
done in his quarterfinal match with Eric Galvez, he actually managed
increased the pace of the match when he found himself down. By
cutting out almost all mistakes and keeping his drives rail-tight,
Barrington’s pressure started to get to Corren, who was slowly
beginning to tire. Barrington soon collected the third game.
The fourth game featured more pressure from Barrington, and Corren’s
shot selection started to look a little erratic. Instead of waiting
for the right moment as he’d done earlier, Corren went short too
often, allowing Barrington to stretch him further. Barrington’s
defence at this time was inhuman—almost every delicate boast or drop
from Corren was returned with a high, flowing lob to the back.
Finding himself too far behind after a Barrington run of points,
Corren gave up and saved himself for the deciding fifth game.
Here in the fifth, battle was truly joined. A championship was on
the line, and neither would budge an inch. Each battled at times
with their concentration, and it was point for point almost all the
way. Finally Barrington scored a breakthrough, match ball at 14-13,
only to have Corren pull him back again. At 16-15, though,
Barrington found the squash gods were smiling on him, as he secured
his first ever PSA title with a back wall nick.
“To be honest, I welcome that bit of luck (the back wall nick), as
I’ve lost big matches on that sort of thing,” said Barrington after
the match. “I felt quite good physically going into the third, and
so even though I was down two games, I tried hard to get my rhythm
and apply more pressure to Mike. In the end, it couldn’t really have
been a closer match, but I’m thrilled to have come out the winner.”
El Amir
Dashes Home Hopes
[4] Eman El Amir bt [3] Runa Reta 9-5, 9-5, 1-9, 9-6 (55m)
The Women’s final featured two young players who were both in search
of their first WISPA professional title. Eman El Amir, the talented
Egyptian, had shown throughout the tournament her all-round powerful
game, featuring both hard drives and volleys to length, as well as
the softest of drops. Ottawa’s own Runa Reta also packs a lot of
power into a relatively small frame, but also showed fantastic
mobility and determination. The contrast promised to provide some
great squash, and the fans were not disappointed.
Although El Amir admitted before that she’d be a bit nervous for the
final, it certainly wasn’t apparent as the first game began. El Amir
confidently stepped into her shots from the first point, throwing
Reta on the defensive. While she did display some fine touch of her
own, Reta never really got settled, and surrendered the game 9-5.
The second game saw El Amir starting to control the rallies even
more, but soon some unforced errors started to cancel out her
glowing winners. This obviously gave Reta some hope, and Reta worked
to find her own rhythm in the match. El Amir still managed to get a
nice run of points together to sew up the second game 9-5.
Reta came back on court for the third in a much more focused mood.
It was clear that, for all of El Amir’s shotmaking abilities, the
Egyptian was vunerable if you could get her off the T and moving
around the court. By starting to volley more and using some
frontcourt deception, Reta managed to put together her own fine run
of points, and secured the third game 9-1.
Where before it looked like El Amir would run away with it, the
match now looked like it was up for grabs. Things started to go
against Reta, as El Amir’s magic came back, and the Egyptian stormed
to 7-2. But, with her coach screaming for her to “Push!”, and the
local crowd cheering her on, Reta clawed her way back into the
match. Soon it was 6-7, and all looked possible. But Reta had given
herself no leeway in getting behind, and with a few flicks of her
racquet, El Amir had won her first WISPA title.
06-Mar, Quarter & Semi-Finals:
Neil Tubb reports from Ottawa
Men’s Semi-finals
[1] Mike Corren bt [3] Alex Stait 15-12, 15-17, 15-9, 2-15, 15-8 (80 mins)
[2] Joey Barrington bt [4] John Rooney 5-15, 15-12, 7-2 retired (calf
injury)
After some tremendous quarterfinal matches, the Ottawa Athletic Club
crowds were buzzing with anticipation for the semifinals. Each of
the seeded players had duly reached their allotted positions, and
now it was time for the toughest players to step forward.
Mike Corren and Alex Stait were familiar with each other’s games,
playing in a PSA final in November, which was won by Corren in four
close games. Both seemed very confident in the beginning, but it was
Corren who looked to be stepping up the pace a notch. Volleying more
and hitting better length, Corren was able to force some weak
replies from Stait, which he repeatedly slammed into the nick to the
delight of the crowd.
Stait returned for the second game with a much better game plan,
where he started to use his delightful array of shots to move Corren
around the court more. Stait’s high backhand volley drop was a
particularly lethal weapon, as were his soft drops on both sides.
With the score at one game apiece, Stait continued his strategy of
moving Corren forward, but soon it was causing some major traffic
problems. With each player accusing the other of blocking, it was
unclear from the gallery who was to blame, making the referee’s job
very difficult. After winning the third game in a dogfight, Corren
quickly gave up in the fourth, but again the top seed was saving his
best for last. Corren returned to simple, disciplined squash to
secure the fifth game.
“I just told myself to myself to go back on court and concentrate on
my technique and length, and luckily I was able to do that” Corren
said afterwards. The Aussie, currently based out of Holland, was
unhappy that the match featured so many decisions, but was pleased
to have advanced to another PSA final.
The second semifinal started with both Barrington and Rooney playing
quite conservative squash. Barrington, it must be said, looked
miraculously fresh after his two-hour battle only five hours before.
Rooney was the more aggressive in the first, pushing Barrington to
all four corners, and slotting in some nice winners to run out the
first game quickly.
The second game saw Barrington’s patient game again start to wear on
his opponent, who began to make some errors at key moments. What was
shaping up to be a fantastic match, though, was cut short when
Rooney slipped and fell in the third game. His calf muscle cramped
up almost completely, and Rooney had to concede the match due to
injury, much to the dismay of the crowd.
Women’s Semifinals
[3] Runa Reta bt [1] Melissa Martin 9-4, 9-3, 5-9, 5-9, 9-4 (59 mins)
[4] Eman El Amir bt [2] Melanie Jans 6-9, 9-6, 9-6, 8-10, 9-4 (66 mins)
The women’s semifinals provided plenty of Canadian interest, with
both Ottawa native Runa Reta and Canadian #1 Melanie Jans looking to
make the final. Jans was first up, plotting her strong length and
retrieving game against the shotmaking prowess of Egyptian Eman El
Amir. Jans seemed nicely in control early on, with El Amir providing
enough tins to allow Jans a comfortable first game victory.
The next two games showed the Egyptian at her best, as she
confidently thrashed the ball around the court, forcing Jans to do
all the running. El Amir’s shots were breathtaking at times, and she
looked to be a sure winner when she ran out the second and third
games, and then an 8-0 lead in the fourth.
But nerves seemed to set in at this point for El Amir, and a savvy
veteren like Jans can sense these types of openings. Jans stormed
back to force a fifth game, but El Amir managed to pull herself
together, hit some more glorious winners, and move on to her first
WISPA final.
“I couldn’t believe I lost the fourth game, but I just told myself
to not think about it, and just go out and concentrate,” El Amir
said after what she calls the biggest win of her career.
Ottawa fans came out in full force to cheer on third seed Runa Reta,
who was in tough against the gritty Australian top seed Melissa
Martin. Considering the occasion, Reta looked remarkably calm,
hitting fine length and moving Martin well. Reta’s more consistent
play presented her with the first two games, much to the delight of
the hometown crowd.
But Martin knew it was very close, so she cut down her errors and
started to force Reta to hit more shots. With nerves starting to set
in, a few unforced errors started to creep into Reta’s game.
Martin’s determination and focus gained her all the momentum, and
soon we were moving to a dramatic fifth game. When it mattered,
though, Reta was able to regain her composure and put together a
fine run of winners, giving her a well-deserved victory.
“This is definitely my biggest win, it feels really good,” Reta said
after the match, still beaming. “My coach Heather Wallace told me
before the fifth that I’d come too far to give up now, and that
helped me to concentrate.” Sunday’s match will also be Reta’s first
WISPA final.
Mike Corren bt Shawn Delierre 15-9, 17-15,
17-15 (65 mins)
Alex Stait bt Karim Yehia 15-10, 15-9, 11-15, 15-12 (67 mins)
John Rooney bt Ian Power 15-8, 15-13, 15-6 (55 mins)
Joey Barrington bt Eric Galvez 5-15, 15-8, 15-7, 9-15, 15-9 (120 mins)
Men’s Quarterfinals
Neil Tubb reports from Ottawa
The top four men’s seeds had some very determined competition
Saturday as they had to take on opponents who each really believed
they could cause the upset. As the fans had hoped, the result was
some fantastic and dramatic moments at the Ottawa Athletic Club.
Top seed Mike Corren took the court against Canada’s best hope in
the tournament, sixth seed Shawn Delierre. It was a contrast in
styles, as Delierre was always looking to up the pace and go for the
winner, where Corren was content to slow things down and wait
carefully for his openings. Corren’s patient approach worked well in
the first game, but soon Delierre’s range of shots had the Montreal
native inching ahead in the second, only to lose it on a few
unforced errors. The third followed a similar manner, but Corren
managed to always save his best stuff for the key moments, allowing
himself to roll out a straight games victory.
The Alex Stait/Karim Yehia match was an equally close affair. Stait,
the third seed, came out of the gates very positively, covering the
T like a blanket, and his control of the rallies led to a 2 game
lead. The third game, however, threatened not to start at all when
Yehia cried out for a referee change. The tournament director
quickly convinced him to get on with it with the current referee.
After Yehia gathered himself well and collected the third game,
Stait reasserted his control in the fourth, and booked himself a
spot in the semifinals.
The John Rooney/Ian Power matchup was equally aggressive, with
neither of the players wanting to yield any real estate in the
middle of the court. The first game featured Rooney hitting balls
very early and hard, which nullifed Power’s touch and deception. In
the second, Power seemed to realize he needed to control the rallies
more and started to step forward. The result was some great rallies
but also very tense moments as each player thought the other was
blocking. After just losing a close second game, Power seemed to
lose heart in the third, allowing Rooney a straight games victory.
The final match of the quarterfinals was also the most anticipated.
Mexican Eric Galvez had impressed the crowds on Friday with his
array of shots and incredible retrieving, but Joey Barrington was
certainly going to provide him with a tougher test of his skills.
The first game, though, showed Galvez at his best, as he matched
Barrington’s steady length game with attacking drops and kills at
just the right time.
After losing the first rather quickly, Barrington returned to the
court for the second with a steely look of focus that no one could
miss. His new game plan was clear—if you’re going to beat me, you’re
going to have to kill me. What ensued over the next hour and forty
minutes was probably the most punishing squash I’ve seen.
Barrington’s grinding discipline and refusal to take any chances
simply wore down Galvez, but one had to wonder if the Englishman
would possibly have anything left for the semifinals.
Women’s Quarterfinals
Neil Tubb reports from Ottawa
Melissa Martin bt Alana Miller 9-3, 9-5, 7-9, 7-9, 9-2 (47 mins)
Runa Reta bt Katie Patrick 9-2, 3-9, 10-8, 10-8 (44 mins)
Eman El Amir bt Marnie Baizley 9-4, 9-5, 9-5 (31 mins)
Melanie Jans bt Kyla Grigg 9-3, 9-4, 7-9, 9-5 (43 mins)
The women’s quarters started off in a rather straightforward
fashion, as Kyla Grigg was unable to match her shotmaking
consistency from the previous round. Playing against second seed
Melanie Jans, Grigg’s go-for-broke style was always going to be
risky. While Grigg did have some moments, the sharp and conservative
play of Jans was too much, allowing the Canadian #1 to progress to
the semifinals in four games.
Top seed Melissa Martin showed her experience in quickly taking a
two game lead against Alana Miller, who seemed to be lacking a bit
of confidence with her tentative play. With a few mistakes by Martin
in the third, though, Miller seemed to loosen up, and managed to
push the match to a fifth game. But Martin did not panic, and simply
tightened up her shots and cut out her errors to quickly win the
deciding game.
Egyptian Eman El Amir was a surprisingly easy straight-game winner
over former Canadian champion Marnie Baizley. Baizley worked hard in
each of the games to push El Amir to the back of the court to take
away her touch game, but El Amir always seemed to have the right
shot ready when it mattered. El Amir’s confidence rose throughout
the match, and she will be a definite threat going in to the
semifinals.
Finally, Ottawa native Runa Reta managed to move on to the
semifinals as well, but not without a very close scare for the third
seed. Fellow Canadian Katie Patrick had great self-belief from the
beginning of the match, forcing Reta to scrape and scramble for
every point. The closeness of the game score indicate what a battle
it was, but in the end Reta was not to be denied in front of her
hometown fans.
05-Mar, FIRST ROUND:
Neil Tubb reports from Ottawa
All men's seeds safely through
Ottawa’s squash community—many of whom it seemed were taking some
extra long “off-site meetings” from work—sizzled with excitement as
the main round action got under way. While each of the favoured
players duly found their way through to the quarterfinals, it still
provided plenty of great squash.
Top seed Mike Corren was first on court against Rob McFadzean,
and from the first point forward, his class and athleticism was
clearly above what we’d see in the qualifying. That didn’t spell good
news for McFadzean, who definitely had to do the lion’s share of
running in the match, but he distinguished himself quite well in the
process. Corren seemed strangely on edge for such a routine match,
arguing with the referee almost from the first call. Nothing wrong
with taking your job seriously, I guess.
Speaking of serious, second seed Joey Barrington was all
business in his match against Fabian Kalaitzis. There was nothing much
to choose between them for the first ten minutes or so, but suddenly
Barrington’s length and patience took its toll on the Greek
international. Kalaitzis’ athletic gifts were never in question as he
made some incredible retrievals, but Barrington still closed out the
match in three.
The next two seeds were even more clinical in dispatching their
opponents. Third seed Alex Stait complained a bit early on in
his match with countryman David Barnet about blocking, but soon
decided to let his racquet do the arguing. Stait’s fantastic movement,
coupled often with soft drops that seemed to almost hug the front
wall, resulted in Barnett doing a lot of chasing without much
influence in the rallies. Fourth seed John Rooney worked so
hard to quickly win his match with Canadian Matt Serediak that one
wondered if he had dinner plans. Serediak gamely tried to push the
Irishman, but the result was never in doubt.
The four lower seeds also all won their matches in straight games, but
there were definitely some entertaining moments. Eric Galvez of
Mexico played like a man possessed. Someone needed to remind him that
this wasn’t quite the finals yet, as he threw himself around the court
making acrobatic retrievals until Ashley Flathers simply ran out of
ideas. It was probably the most impressive performance of the round,
and it will be very interesting to see how Galvez fares against the
more seasoned Barrington in the quarters.
Canadians Shawn Delierre and Ian Power progressed
without too much fuss. Delierre defeated fellow Montreal native David
Phillips, who just couldn’t match the inventiveness and scrambling
abilities of his opponent. Power came through a testy affair with
Bermuda’s Nicholas Kyme, who tried to subdue Power’s hypnotic length
and precision with pure brute force. Kyme pushed Power in the second
game, but after losing that, and in the process a lot of energy, Power
finished off the third in short order.
The final spot went to the Egyptian Karim Yehia, who was just
too powerful and accurate for Ottawa native Robin Clarke. Cheered on
by the hometown crowd, Clarke pushed Yehia at times, but when it was
close, Yehia always seemed to be there with an inch-perfect boast or
drop to which Clarke had no answer.
Grigg joins Canadian
Club in women's Quarters
In contrast with the men’s event, the women’s first round action did
see a few close matches, and even an upset. It started in a dull
fashion, though, when Miranda Ranieri was forced to withdraw from the
event for personal reasons, giving the top seed Melissa Martin
a walkover.
Second seed Melanie Jans got a decent run in her match with
Lauren Polonich, getting to display her array of shots to the crowd.
It was a comfortable win that will likely put the Canadian #1 in a
good position for the quarterfinals.
Her opponent tomorrow will be Kyla Grigg, who pulled the only
upset of the opening round when she came back from the dead to beat
Spain’s Olga Puigdemont Sola. You just have to admire Grigg’s approach
to the game—a true riverboat gambler, going for her shots at all
times. Those shots found the tin too often in the first two games, and
together with some very steady play from Sola, Grigg found herself
down match point in the third. Her reply to this tense situation was
to fire the service return into the nick, close out the game with a
few more winners, and go on to beat the fifth-seeded Sola in five.
Former Canadian champ Marnie Baizley had to come up with some
fine squash to hold off the challenge of Tara Mullins. Mullins refused
to give in and doggedly retrieved Baizley’s shots, which forced
Baizley to focus hard to bring home the victory in four. Her opponent
in the quarters will be Eman El Amir, who made short work of a
somewhat shell-shocked Izumi Matsuda.
Alana Miller and Ottawa’s Runa Reta scored the most
emphatic victories of the round. Reta’s control and variety of pace
were just far too much for the steady drives of Ashley Clackson, who
quickly surrendered the match in three. Alana Miller was even more
decisive against a nervous-looking Kelly Fowler of Australia. Miller
started the match at a high tempo, volleying whenever possible, and
showing some deft touch, all to which Fowler had no reply.
In the final match, Katie Patrick showed some nice flair in
beating the very determined Seanna Keating in three straight. Keating
showed an incredible fighting spirit, and looked quite content to
retrieve all night, but Patrick’s greater range of shots proved too
much.
Ontario Qualifying
Neil Tubb Reports from Ottawa
The final round of qualifying was, I figured, where the real
professionals would separate themselves from the amateurs. It was
certainly true in the first match, as Fabian Kalaitzis upped the pace
early with fine length and displayed shots that were totally MIA in
his previous match. Full credit to Bedore, though, who never gave up,
and in the end made Kalaitzis work very hard to secure the victory.
Matthew
Serediak and Dane Sharp were no strangers to each other, having played
through the Canadian junior ranks together. It was shown in their
mutual respect, but no quarter was given otherwise in this tense
affair. Sharp’s moody shotmaking makes him unpredictable, but
Serediak’s patient rallying and fantastic touch in the front left
corner allowed the Cornell All-American to progress through to the
main round.
David Barnett provided another English representative tomorrow as he
found a way through against the determined Bernard Tissot. It was
close all the way, but in the fourth game Tissot’s slow-paced approach
finally saw him lose influence in the rallies, and Barnett seized the
initiative. The final spot went to American Rob McFadzean, who is
likely still scratching his head after winning the fifth game of his
match over Abdul Razzaq so easily, after he had just lost the 4th game
in a similar fashion.
Women's Qualifying:
With only seven women entered in the
qualifying, Izumi Matsuda of Japan got the afternoon off while the
other six fought it out for the remaining three spots in the main
draw.
Ashley Clackson had a rather straighforward victory over tournament
director and OAC head professional Shauna Flath. Playing squash at
this high level requires a certain level of selfishness in your
preparation—something Shauna, in the midst of running this large
tournament, was always going to have trouble doing. Clackson gets
full value for the victory, though, with some great winners and a
very calm attitude.
Miranda Ranieri came out very strong against Helen Kay, winning the
first two games quickly, before Kay started to find some great
angles and snuck out the third game. Ranieri collected herself,
though, and with a very concentrated effort, wrapped up the fourth
game and booked herself a spot in the main draw. The third was
another all-Canadian affair, with Seanna Keating seeing off the
challenge of Neha Kumar 3-0.
Men's Qualifying, First Round:
As the opening round of qualifying got
underway, I quickly developed a new respect for sports journalists.
It is somewhat difficult to be watching four matches at once and get
any real feel for each, but by doing a little running around I was
rewarded with some fantastic squash.
The first match up on the showcourt was between Fabian Kalaitzis and
Juan Jose Jimenez, with one of the closer encounters of the
qualifying rounds. Both took turns throughout the match with the
lead, but in the end Kalaitzis’ willingness to take a few chances in
the later stages that won him the match. Jimenez is obviously
talented though, and it seemed a pity he had to exit so early.
Several young Canadians found their way to the next round with some
gutsy performances. Dane Sharp had to work hard to keep his
concentration in a difficult match with Mohammed Nasir Farooq.
Patrick Bedore won in straight games against a nervy Ryan Haider,
and Matthew Serediak showed the power of positive thinking in
overcoming a perpetually unhappy but skillful Brian Ernst.
The rest of the spots went to the international contingent. Bertrand
Tissot of France quickly dismissed Rizwan Farooq of Pakistan, who
was clearly having trouble acclimatising to Canada as he played the
first two games in a sweatshirt! Good thing he wasn’t in Ottawa in
January. Abdul Razzaq finally wore down the spirited attacking play
of OAC pro and all-around good guy Matt Arkett in a very close
match. David Barnett showed his professionalism against young Mike
Reid, and the final spot when to American Rob McFadzean who overcame
Daniel Sibley.
Preview:
Top Squash Returns to Ottawa
Neil Tubb reports from Ontario
Top-level squash returns to the Ottawa area
this week as the city hosts both a PSA and a WISPA event. Run in
parallel with a number of separate national Open, skill level, and age
group events, the Ontario Open promises to whet the appetite of even
the most diehard squash participants and fans.
On the men’s side, Australian Mike Corren, ranked #40 in the
world, is the top seed in a draw that includes some impressive squash
talent from around the globe. After a successful 2003 where he
collected 3 PSA titles, Corren will have his hands full in Ottawa as
he fends off the challenge from several up-and-coming pros and a few
wily veterans. Second seed Joey Barrington (ranked #50) is an
Englishman whose form has been steadily improving over the past two
years, and who will undoubtedly be hungry for his first PSA title.
Fellow Englishman Alex Stait (#58) and Irish international John Rooney
(#56) round out the top four seeds, and their experience on the world
circuit will make them definite threats.
The men’s draw also showcases some of Canada’s best squash talent.
Shawn Delierre, Dave Phillips, and Ian Power are
among the top ranked domestic players, and each will be looking for
valuable PSA ranking points just down the highway from their home base
in Montreal. Hometown boy Robin Clarke, only 17 years old, will
be looking to make a good impression in front of his many local fans.
On the women’s side, it is another Aussie who is seeded to collect the
title. Melissa Martin (world #38), originally from Adelaide but
now based in the U.S., is familiar with Ottawa, having just barely
surrendered the Ottawa International WISPA event in the fall. Her main
challengers are two top Canucks, Melanie Jans (#50) and Runa
Reta (#41). Jans, who is now based in Vancouver, has a career win
against Martin, and will be looking to add to her already stellar
squash resumé. Reta, born and raised in Ottawa, is in the midst of her
first full season on the WISPA tour, and will undoubtedly welcome some
hometown support. The women’s draw also includes some international
flavour, with Eman El Amir from Egypt and Olga Puigdemont
Sola from Spain coming to the nation’s capital.
Qualifying is set to begin on Thursday morning. Only a few spots in
both the men and women’s draws are up for grabs, and with some
qualifiers coming from as far away as Greece and Japan, there are some
serious plane tickets that need to be paid for. As the only prize
money is in the main draw, more than a few sparks are expected…
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