10/11/2006
GRAND PRAIRIE OPEN
Ball Bursts Through In Grande Prairie
Tournament
Grand Prairie Squash Open,
Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada
Final:
[2] Bradley Ball (ENG) bt [1] Matthew Giuffre (CAN) 11-9, 11-8, 11-5 (49m)
Semi-finals:
[1] Matthew Giuffre (CAN) bt Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) 11-5, 8-11, 11-4, 11-6 (42m)
[2] Bradley Ball (ENG) bt [4] Steve Finitsis (AUS) 11-2, 8-11, 11-5, 11-3 (55m)
Quarter-finals:
[1] Matthew Giuffre (CAN) bt Darren Lewis (ENG) 11-0, 9-11, 11-6, 11-10 (2-0)
Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) bt Martin Knight (NZL) 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 (65m)
[4] Steve Finitsis (AUS) bt Arthur Gaskin (IRL) 8-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-9 (44m)
[2] Bradley Ball (ENG) bt [8] David Phillips (CAN) 11-7, 11-7, 11-9 (40m)
1st round:
[1] Matthew Giuffre (CAN) bt Michal Reid (CAN) 11-10 (2-0), 11-4, 11-5 (32m)
Darren Lewis (ENG) bt [6] Jan Koukal (CZE) 11-6, 11-8, 11-6 (43m)
Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) bt [3] Laurent Elriani (FRA) 11-7, 11-10 (3-1), 11-3 (65m)
Martin Knight (NZL) bt [5] Christopher Gordon (USA) 6-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9, 11-7 (105m)
Arthur Gaskin (IRL) bt [7] Robin Clarke (CAN) 11-7, 11-6, 11-3 (40m)
[4] Steve Finitsis (AUS) bt Ryan Donegan (USA) 11-4, 11-8, 11-8 (34m)
[8] David Phillips (CAN) bt Patrick Bedore (CAN) 11-7, 11-0, 11-7 (30m)
[2] Bradley Ball (ENG) bt Ryan Thompson (NAM) 11-5, 11-5, 11-1 (28m)
Ball Bursts Through In Grande Prairie
Runner-up in a PSA Tour event in Vancouver last week, England's Bradley Ball went one better in Grande Prairie in the Canadian province of Alberta when he upset top seed Matthew Giuffre in the final of the Grande Prairie Squash Open to win the 13th Tour title of his career.
Ball, the second seed from Suffolk, took 55 minutes to overcome Australian Steve Finitsis, the No4 seed in the semi-finals. Giuffre, the Canadian favourite from Edmonton, also despatched an Australian, unseeded Ryan Cuskelly, to make it to the climax.
A clearly determined and confident Ball set the pace early in the final by putting Giuffre under enormous pressure. The Canadian was unable to use his arsenal of winning shots as he spent most of the match retrieving from the back court until Ball eventually secured his 11-9, 11-8, 11-5 victory in 49 minutes.
The victory strengthens Ball's status as the current Englishman on the Tour with the most PSA titles. His 13 trophies (from 20 final appearances) takes the 30-year-old from Ipswich one ahead of Adrian Grant (12); four in front of Peter Barker (9); and five ahead of Lee Beachill (8).
Ryan Reaches Grande Prairie Semis
Ryan Cuskelly became the only unseeded player to reach the semi-finals of the Grande Prairie Squash Open when he beat New Zealand's Martin Knight 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 in the quarter-finals of the new PSA Tour event in Grande Prairie in the Canadian province of Alberta.
The 19-year-old Australian from New South Wales now takes on top seed Matthew Giuffre for a place in the final following the Canadian's 11-0, 9-11, 11-6, 11-10 (2-0) victory over England's Darren Lewis.
Fourth seed Steve Finitsis also provides Australian interest in the other semi-final after his 8-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-9 win over Irishman Arthur Gaskin.
Finitsis meets England's No2 seed Bradley Ball who beat Canada's David Phillips 11-7, 11-7, 11-9.
Semi-final line-up:
[1] Matthew Giuffre (CAN) v Ryan Cuskelly (AUS)
[2] Bradley Ball (ENG) v [4] Steve Finitsis (AUS)
Seeds Suffer In Grand Prairie
Such was the demise of fancied players in the first round of the Grand Prairie Squash Open that local favourite Matthew Giuffre will only meet a seed if he makes the final of the new PSA Tour event in Grand Prairie in the Canadian state of Alberta.
Top seed Giuffre beat compatriot Michal Reid 11-10 (2-0), 11-4, 11-5 and will now face Darren Lewis, the unseeded Englishman who knocked out Jan Koukal, the No6 seed from the Czech Republic, 11-6, 11-8, 11-6.
Frenchman Laurent Elriani was the biggest casualty. The third seed went down 11-7, 11-10 (3-1), 11-3 in 65 minutes to Ryan Cuskelly.
The unseeded Australian will now take on another non-seed, New Zealander Martin Knight who prevailed 6-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9, 11-7 over USA's fifth seed Christopher Gordon in a 105-minute marathon.
Quarter-final line-up:
[1] Matthew Giuffre (CAN) v Darren Lewis (ENG)
Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) v Martin Knight (NZL)
[4] Steve Finitsis (AUS) v Arthur Gaskin (IRL)
[2] Bradley Ball (ENG) v [8] David Phillips (CAN)
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