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Squashworks Open
2004
15-18 July, Salt
Lake City, USA, $10k |
Sun
18th, Final:
[2] David Evans (Wal) bt [1]
Joey Barrington (Eng)
15-9, 15-1, 15-12 (48m)
Evans takes Salt Lake title
Craig Bennett reports from Salt Lake City
The highly anticipated matchup between the defensive game of Joey
Barrington (fitness, retrieving, patience) and the offensive game of
David Evans (deception, attacking, precision) did not live up to the
expectations of the Salt Lake squash fans.
Barrington's road to the finals had taken a toll on his legs. He was
obviously struggling as the match opened. Evans' great command of
the racquet and his ability to hide his shots made Barrington work
hard throughout the opening stages of the match. To his credit
Barrington stayed close and tied the game at 4-4, but Evans slowly
started to separate himself and took a 7-4 lead. After one hand-out
that brought Barrington to 5-7, Evans broke loose with a series of
beautiful lengths followed by soft drops to gain a commanding
advantage 13-5.
Barrington dug deep and displayed the retrieving and hustle which he
has displayed throughout the week. His effort was rewarded with a
few mistakes from Evans and allowed him to close the gap to 9-13. It
was not enough, however, as Evans finished the game 15-9.
The second game was all Evans as Barrington's attempt to come back
in the first left him nothing for the second. Evans showed no mercy
as he continued to hold his shot, forcing Barrington to come to a
complete stop, before executing a precise drive to good length or a
drop volley. Evans finished the game 15-1.
The final game mirrored the first with Barrington staying close at
3-4 only to see Evans race to an 11-3 lead. Once again, Barrington
admirably battled back to 10-13 and finally 12-14. With the crowd
wanting more and urging Barrington to push the match to a fourth
game, Evans finished the match with a forehand drop for a winner.
Evans now joins Shahier Razik (2001 and 2003) and Simon Parke (2002)
as champion of the Squashworks Salt Lake City PSA Open. There were
good crowds throughtout the week. Not only were people watching the
professionals, but all six courts at the club were being used for
the 2004 Krispy Kreme Challenge amateur tournament as well. Plans
are already underway for next year.
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Photos by Arash
Bashirullah
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Squashworks Open
2004
15-18 July, Salt
Lake City, USA, $10k |
1st Round
Thu 15th |
Quarters
Fri 16th |
Semis
Sat 17th |
Final
Sun 18th |
[1] Joey
Barrington (Eng)
13-15, 15-6, 15-7, 15-8 (61m)
[Q] Kumail Mehmood (Pak) |
Joey Barrington
15-12, 15-9, 12-15, 15-13 (105m)
Eric Galvez |
Joey Barrington
15-12, 16-17, 15-6, 15-9
(83m)
Mark Heather |
Joey Barrington
15-9, 15-1, 15-12 (48m)
David Evans |
[8] Eric
Galvez (Mex)
15-11, 15-8, 15-13 (43m)
[Q] Ben Howell (Eng) |
[3] Stefan Casteleyn (Bel)
15-11, 15-7, 15-8 (38m)
[Q] Andre Holderegger (Sui) |
Stefan Casteleyn
17-14, 11-15, 15-12, 15-12 (62m)
Mark Heather |
[5] Mark
Heather (Eng)
15-12, 15-11, 15-13 (39m)
Mikkel Korsbjerg (Den) |
[Q]
Patrick Chifunda (Zam)
15-8, 15-11, 15-13 (61m)
[7] Phillip Barker (Eng) |
Phillip Barker
15-10, 15-10, 15-8 (49m)
Bradley Ball |
Bradley Ball
15-9, 15-11, 13-15, 15-2 (65m)
David Evans |
Preston
Quick (Usa)
15-5, 15-9, 15-14 (60m)
[4] Bradley Ball (Eng) |
Karim
Yehia (Egy)
15-8, 17-15, 17-16 (49m)
[6] Matthew Giuffre (Can) |
Matthew Giuffre
15-9, 15-6, 15-4 (33m)
David Evans |
Shawn De
Lierre (Can)
15-10, 15-12, 15-3 (44m)
[2] David Evans (Wal) |
Qualifying:
Finals, Wed 14th:
Andre Holderegger (SUI) bt David Phillips (CAN): 15-9, 15-8,
15-6 (40m)
Patrick Chifunda (ZAM) bt Chris Gordon (USA) 12-15, 9-15, 15-8, 15-12,
17-16 (109m)
Kumail Mehmood (PAK) bt Jose Angel Becerill (MEX) 15-9, 15-4, 15-6
(43m)
Ben Howell (ENG) bt Dylan Patterson (USA) 12-15, 13-15, 15-12, 15-13,
15-8 (65m)
1st round, Tue 13th:
David Phillips (CAN) bye
Andre Holderegger (SUI) bt Lefika Ragonste (BOT): 15-6, 15-6, 15-9
(38m)
Christopher Gordon (USA) bt Shahid Khan (ENG): 11-15, 15-17, 15-7,
15-6, 15-5 (72m)
Patrick Chifunda (ZAM) bt Imran Khan (PAK) 15-13, 10-15, 15-6, 15-9
(64m)
Kumail Mehmood (PAK) bt Craig Bennett (Local, Salt Lake City) 15-8,
15-8, 15-4 (25m)
Jose Angel Becerril (MEX) bt Simon Pickering (ENG) 10-15, 15-12, 15-6,
15-4
Dylan Patterson (USA) bt Rob McFadzean (USA): 15-7, 15-11, 14-15,
14-17, 15-4 (62m)
Ben Howell (ENG) bt Sam Waltman (Local): 15-2, 15-3, 15-6 (22m)
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Reports |
Sat
17th, Semi-Finals:
[1] Joey Barrington (ENG) bt [5]
Mark Heather (ENG) 15-12, 16-17, 15-6, 15-9 (83m)
[2] David Evans (WAL) bt [4] Bradley Ball (ENG) 15-9, 15-11, 13-15, 15-2 (65m)
Barrington & Evans
in Salt Lake final
Craig Bennett reports from Salt Lake City
Joey Barrington displayed his superior fitness and court
coverage as he outlasted Mark Heather. The end of the second game
proved to be the critical stage of the match. Heather, using his
beautiful backhand volley drops to work Barrington front to back,
pushed out to a 14-10 lead. But Barrington held his ground and would
not let Heather win the game easily. The rallies became brutally
long with Heather seemingly winning each rally with well-timed and
well-executed shots only to see Barrington make a great get and
reset the rally. Slowly Barrington climbed even at 14-14 thanks to
several mistakes from Heather as he cut his margin for error even
finer in an attempt to finally win the game. Heather steadied
himself in time to force a 16-16 tie and it was Barrington who made
an error to lose the game on a lob that sailed out of play.
Heather may have won the battle of the second game but in the
process of struggling to finish off the game he ultimately would
lose the match. Barrington's superior fitness proved the difference
as the fourth and fifth games were not close.
David Evans showed the brilliant form of a former world #3
and British Open Champion. Evans' ability to hold his shots until
the last second and then to hit precise and accurate shots forced
Ball to come to a complete stop and then get going again and
retrieve to all four corners. Ball was up to the challenge and used
his low hard drives into the nick to end many rallies of his own.
Although up 2-0 in games and clearly in control, Evans seemed to
lose concentration at 8-5 in the third game when he was not given a
stroke on a ball he he thought was a clear decision. This loss of
concentration sparked Ball to go on a run of points and take a 11-8
lead. Evans steadied himself and tied the score at 11-11 and 12-12,
but Ball was able to finish the game 15-13.
Evans, annoyed with himself for losing his concentration in the
third game, came out very focused and attacked Ball from the
beginning of the fourth game. He pushed the pace by taking the ball
early and took advantage of Ball's weary legs. The game was over
early as Evans took a 12-1 lead and closed the game 15-2.
Fri
16th, Quarters:
[1]
Joey Barrington (ENG) bt (8) Eric Galvez (MEX) 15-12, 15-9, 12-15, 15-13 (105m)
[5] Mark Heather (ENG) bt [3] Stefan Casteleyn (BEL) 17-14,11-15,15-12,15-12 (62m)
[4] Bradley Ball (ENG) bt [7] Phillip Barker (ENG) 15-10, 15-10, 15-8 (49m)
[2] David Evans (WAL) bt (6) Matthew Giuffre (CAN) 15-9, 15-6, 15-4 (33m)
Evans joins the English
in Salt Lake Semis
Craig Bennett reports from Salt Lake City
The semi-finals of the Squashworks Open will feature three
Englishmen and a Welshman.
The opening match of the evening proved to be, not only the longest,
but also the most exciting with Joey Barrington outlasting
Eric Galvez in 1 hour 45 minutes. Both players are great retrievers
and extremely fit; however, in this match at least, Barrington was
simply more steady and made fewer errors than Galvez. The rallies
were long and brutal with both players hitting to good length and
seemingly content to grind out the match. Galvez was usually the
first player to play an offensive shot which resulted in quick
bursts of drop, counter drop, then lob and finally back to good
length. As the rallies lengthened Galvez took more and more chances
which resulted in some spectacular hard-nick winners; yet, too
often, Galvez found tin or opened the floor for more punishment.
These two players obviously have a healthy respect for each other
and the crowd enjoyed their emotion and certainly their tremendous
passion and effort displayed throughout the match.
In the second match, Stefan Casteleyn (a crowd favourite due to his
earlier successes in the Squashworks Open where he has reached two
finals only to lose to Shahier Razik in both 2001 and 2003) played
well enough in the first game to have captured an early lead in the
match. He was up 10-7, 12-10, then 14-13, but Mark Heather
kept in the game through lengthening his shots and getting a better
handle on Casteleyn's deceptive swinging style. The first game went
to 14-14 and Casteleyn called for a three point tie-break. Heather
jumped on the opportunity and closed the first game 17-14. Showing
his incredible racquet skills and veteran savvy, Casteleyn battled
back from his first game defeat and pushed a 9-9 tie in the second
game to 12-9 and finally 15-11 victory. It was clear, however, that
Casteleyn was labouring harder than Heather. Like Galvez in the
first match, it was usually Casteleyn that lost patience and tried
offensive shots that more often than not found tape. Heather's
steady play carried him through to semi-finals and a match with Joey
Barrington.
In the third match, Bradley Ball played his usual up-tempo
high energy game with lots of hard low drives and crisp drop shots.
Parker's excellent footwork and court movement allowed him to stay
with Ball but in the end he lacked the offensive game to counter
attack Ball. Eventually, Ball wore him down and closed the match in
three games.
The final match saw David Evans break away from a 9-9 tie in
the first game to race to a 15-9 victory. The other two games
followed the same pattern; unfortunately for Giuffre, the Evans
"break" came progressively earlier. In the second game, Evans
extended a 6-6 tie into a 15-6 victory. And, in the final game, a
4-4 tie became a 15-4 victory.
Evans looks sharp and so does Ball. The semi-final between the two
tall and experienced pros should be very entertaining.
Thu
15th, First Round:
Seeds Sail Through
In Salt Lake City
The battle for places in the
quarter-finals of the Squashworks Salt Lake City Squash Open proved
to favour the favourites as all eight seeds survived on the first
day of action in the Utah state capital.
Only England's top seed Joey Barrington needed more than three games
to overcome his first round opponent. Pakistan qualifier Kumail
Mehmood displayed an excellent array of shots in the first game but
Barrington's quickness and overall fitness lengthened the game to
his advantage. Even though Mehmood won the first game, he was
clearly labouring at the end while the world No40 from Somerset
continued to bound around the court without showing any signs of
weakness. After 61 minutes, Barrington advanced through to the last
eight in a 13-15 15-6 15-7 15-8 scoreline.
The favourite will now meet Mexican Eric Galvez, the No8 seed who
defeated English qualifier Ben Howell 15-11 15-8 15-13 in 43
minutes. Galvez used his quickness to the front court and his Mexico
City-trained altitude lungs to outlast Howell. The last time
Barrington and Galvez met was in March's Ontario Open, where the
Englishman prevailed in a two-hour five game classic.
At the other end of the draw, second-seeded Welshman David Evans
faced Canada's Shawn De Lierre. Salt Lake City squash fans were
anxious to see this match because of Evans's experience and
impressive accomplishments (a British Open Champion and former world
No3) - matched up against De Lierre's youth and charisma. The
22-year-old Canadian was in Salt Lake City last year and put on a
great display by qualifying for the event only to lose in the
quarters.
Evans, however, never allowed De Lierre any room to display his
shot-making ability. The experienced Welshman used his length to
volley balls and keep De Lierre in the back which in the end seemed
to dishearten the Canadian. Despite two tight first games, the match
ended emphatically 15-10 15-12 15-3 in Evans's favour.
Evans now plays another Canadian, sixth seed Matthew Giuffre in the
quarter-finals.
Qualifying Finals:
Chifunda outlasts Gordon
Craig Bennett reports from Salt Lake City
Salt Lake squash fans witnessed two excellent matches in the
final day of qualification play, as Andre Holderegger, Ben
Howell, Patrick Chifunda and Kumail Mehmood all
progressed to the main draw.
Chifunda, from Zambia, outlasted talented American teenager
Christopher Gordon 17-16 in the fifth game. Gordon won a
highly competitive first game 15-12 where the three point margin of
victory was the biggest lead of the game. He also took the second
game by breaking away from a 6-6 tie and finishing the game 15-9.
Chifunda's lightning speed and mobility was hampered by a sore back
and yet he continued to show his trademark speed and hard-hitting
style. Clinging to a 9-7 lead in the third game, Chifunda broke away
to take a 14-7 lead and gained confidence when he finished the game
15-8.
Between the third and the fourth game, Chifunda solicited help in
"popping" his back into place. This little bit of chiropractic magic
seemed to help Chifunda as he moved with more quickness and speed in
the fourth to win 15-12.
The fifth game was a classic. Both players played very conservative
squash with deep tight length; each seemed reluctant to attack.
Neither player could push a lead further than two points. Gordon did
have the advantage at 13-11, and then match ball at 14-13; but
Chifunda scrambled to tie 14-14.
With the crowd giving the players an enthusiatic cheer of
encouragement, the players commenced to play three extra points.
Again Gordon took the early advantage 16-14 on a beautiful drop that
clung to the sidewall. Chifunda got to the ball but could not scrape
it off the wall. However, on the next rally, Gordon made an unforced
error on a volley drop. Chifunda then tied the game at 16-16 and
finished the match with a precise forehand volley drive off a loose
Gordon cross-court.
One hour and forty-nine minutes of exciting squash and Chifuna had
his ticket to the main draw. Gordon is excited to have his first PSA
match victory in his pocket and a tough five-game lesson for the
teenager as well.
The final match of the evening saw another five game match with
American Dylan Patterson taking the first two games 15-12 and
15-13 against England's Ben Howell. Patterson was confident
and Howell was in trouble as Patterson took a 12-9 lead in the third
game. At that point, Howell made a series of beautiful drop shots
from a variety of positions on the court which allowed him to win
six straight rallies and the game 15-12. This clearly changed the
momentum of the match. Howell continued his creative play in the
front court with every drop from Patterson being followed by a
re-drop from Howell or a feathery cross-court flick.
The fourth game was tight throughout but Howell prevailed after a
short injury break to claim the game 15-13. The fifth game was
Howell's all the way as he finished the game and the match 15-8.
Patterson, like Gordon, gave a nice effort for American squash.
Qualifying round one
Craig Bennett reports from Salt Lake City
The fourth running of the PSA Squashworks Open is under way in
Salt Lake City, with England's Joey Barrington and Wales'
David Evans top seeds. The draw also features US National
Champion Preston Quick, US Pro Champion Stefan Casteleyn, and
Mexican Champion Eric Galvez, with players from eleven countries in
all.
The three best matches of the first round of qualification all
involved Americans or players based in the United States.
Christopher Gordon, the U19 national champion, stormed back
from a 0-2 deficit against England's Shahid Khan to claim his
first victory in a PSA event. Gordon, who skipped college to train
for the pro game, showed tremendous stamina and grittiness in
overcoming Khan. He overcame a 11-14 deficit in game two only to
lose 17-14; yet, he stayed poised and patient and really took
control of the match in the third game as he raced to an 11-4 lead.
He duplicated this early push in each of the next two games and
opened the fourth game 7-0 and the fifth game 9-2. These big leads
proved too much for Khan as he dropped the last three games 15-7,
15-6, 15-5.
Dylan Patterson, who graduated from Harvard in 2003, seemed
to have his match with Rob McFadzean under control as he won
the first game 15-7, and was ahead in the second 13-6, but a series
of mental errors coupled with McFadzean's steady play closed the gap
to 10-13. Patterson was able to finish the game 15-11 but he had to
work very hard. McFadzean stayed close throughout the third and
despite facing two match balls was able to squeak out the third game
15-14. The fourth was the same type of game with McFadzean tying the
match 17-14; yet, unlike Gordon, McFadzean faded in the fifth and
Patterson claimed the match 15-4.
The final match of the evening proved to be the most entertaing with
the hard-hitting and speedy Patrick Chifunda of Zambia
battling the smooth and quick Imran Khan of Pakistan. Both of these
players currently reside in the U.S: Chifunda in Washington D.C. and
Khan in Philadelphia. The contrast of styles with Khan's touch and
quickness off the "T" matched against Chifunda's power and court
coverage made for some amazing points. Chifunda's fast playing style
was perfect for the high-altitude speed of the Salt Lake City
courts. Despite breaking several balls throughout the match,
Chifunda finally prevailed.
Preview:
Four-up for Salt Lake City
Craig Bennett reports from Salt Lake City
Squashworks and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts are pleased to announce the
$10,000 Squashworks Salt Lake City PSA Open from July 13-18,
2004.
This tournament marks the fourth consecutive year that Salt Lake
City has hosted the men’s PSA
world tour. Twenty-five players from eleven different countries are
coming to compete not only for $10,000 in prize money but also
coveted PSA world-ranking points.
Some players of note who are coming this year: top-seeded Joey
Barrington from England (Barrington is the son of the legendary
champion Jonah Barrington who won the prestigious British Open six
times, 1967-1973), second-seeded David Evans from Wales
(Evans was the 2000 British Open Champion); Stefan Casteleyn
from Belgium (Casteleyn is the best player who currently lives in
the U.S. having just won the U.S. Pro Championships in Los Angeles);
Eric Galvez from Mexico (Galvez is the Mexican National
Champion and one of the most exciting players on tour); and,
Preston Quick from the U.S. (Quick from Denver is the current
U.S. National Champion).
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