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18/03/2007
SLAZBURG OPEN
 

Rooney Hits Jackpot

TOURNAMENT:
Salzburg Squash Open, Salzburg, Austria

REPORTS:
1st round
Seeds Slump In Salzburg
Quarters and Semi-finals:

History Made As Qualifiers Quash Salzburg Opponents
Finals:
Rooney Celebrates Maiden PSA Title In Historic Salzburg Open

 

RESULTS:
MEN:
1st round:
[Q] John Rooney (IRL) bt [1] Arthur Gaskin (IRL) 11-8, 11-6, 11-8 (48m)
Regardt Schonborn (RSA) bt [7] Andre Haschker (GER) 8-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-4 (49m)
[Q] Joe Lee (ENG) bt [4] Aqeel Rehman (AUT) 11-9, 11-7, 11-10 (3-1) (45m)
Neil Hitchens (ENG) bt [8] Ryan Thompson (NAM) 9-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-3 (65m)
[Q] Ricky Davies (WAL) bt [6] Friedrich Scheel (GER) 11-4, 8-11, 11-4, 11-9 (47m)
[3] Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt Jakob Dirnberger (AUT) 11-5, 11-4, 11-3 (25m)
[Q] Morten W Sorensen (DEN) bt [5] Patrick Gaessler (GER) 11-10 (3-1), 11-7, 11-9 (41m)
[2] Romain Tenant (FRA) bt Rene Mijs (NED) 11-4, 11-5, 11-7 (33m)

Quarter-finals:
[Q] John Rooney (IRL) bt Regardt Schonborn (RSA) 11-10 (2-0), 11-9, 11-4 (39m)
[Q] Joe Lee (ENG) bt Neil Hitchens (ENG) 7-11, 6-11, 11-1, 11-7, 11-2 (60m)
[Q] Ricky Davies (WAL) bt [3] Campbell Grayson (NZL) 11-10 (2-0), 8-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-9 (85m)
[Q] Morten W Sorensen (DEN) bt [2] Romain Tenant (FRA) 8-11, 11-5, 11-4, 9-11, 11-7 (64m)

Semi-finals:
[Q] John Rooney (IRL) bt [Q] Joe Lee (ENG) 11-6, 11-7, 11-3 (34m)
[Q] Ricky Davies (WAL) bt [Q] Morten W Sorensen (DEN) 11-8, 11-3, 8-11, 11-9 (55m)

Final:
[Q] John Rooney (IRL) bt [Q] Ricky Davies (WAL) 11-6, 11-2, 11-2 (26m)

 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
REPORTS:
1st round
Seeds Slump In Salzburg
Only two of the top eight seeds survived the first round of the Salzburg Squash Open in a sensational opening day of upsets in the PSA Tour event in the Austrian city.

Irish qualifier John Rooney recorded the biggest shock, ousting fellow countryman Arthur Gaskin, the top seed, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8. Rooney will now face Regardt Schonborn, the unseeded South African who upset Germany's seventh seed Andre Haschker 8-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-4.

English qualifier Joe Lee disappointed local fans by upsetting tournament organiser Aqeel Rehman, the No4 seed, 11-9, 11-7, 11-10 (3-1). The 17-year-old from Surrey will now take on compatriot Neil Hitchens for a place in the semi-finals.

Quarter-finals and Semi-finals:
History Made As Qualifiers Quash Salzburg Opponents

Salzburg, the Austrian city famed as the birthplace of Mozart, struck a historical note in squash on Saturday when all four qualifiers in the Salzburg Open made it through to the semi-finals of the PSA Tour event in its second year.

Welshman Ricky Davies and Denmark's Morten W Sorensen both survived marathon five-game thrillers to reach the last four - Davies, from Caldicot, fighting back from 1/2 down to beat New Zealand's third seed Campbell Grayson 11-10 (2-0), 8-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-9 in 85 minutes, and the 27-year-old Dane from Copenhagen toiling for 64 minutes to upset second-seeded Frenchman Romain Tenant 8-11, 11-5, 11-4, 9-11, 11-7.

The pair then met in the semi-final, with 25-year-old Davies prevailing 11-8, 11-3, 8-11, 11-9 in 55 minutes to reach his first PSA Tour final.

Irishman John Rooney is the only qualifier to have come through the event without dropping a game. After beating unseeded South African Regardt Schonborn in the quarters, the Galway-born 27-year-old faced English Premier League St George's Hill team-mate Joe Lee in the semi-finals.

Lee, 17, reached his first Tour semi-final after a 60-minute triumph over unseeded compatriot Neil Hitchens, surviving a two-game deficit to win 7-11, 6-11, 11-1, 11-7, 11-2.

But it was the fresher Rooney who claimed the other place in the rare all-qualifier final, beating Lee 11-6, 11-7, 11-3 to also record his maiden appearance in a PSA Tour climax.


Final:
Rooney Celebrates Maiden PSA Title In Historic Salzburg Open

Irishman John Rooney celebrated his PSA Tour title debut in the historic Austrian city of Salzburg after beating fellow qualifier Ricky Davies in the final of the Salzburg Squash Open.

The Satellite PSA event lived up to its staging in the city famed as the birthplace of Mozart by creating its own place in squash history. For the first time on the Tour, all four qualifiers made it through to the semi-finals - after the two seeded players who survived the first round were ousted in the quarter-finals!

Galway-born 27-year-old Rooney beat his English Premier League St George's Hill team-mate Joe Lee in straight games in the semi-finals to reach the final without dropping a game.

Davies, however, had battled through an 85-minute quarter-final before securing a four-game win in 55 minutes over Denmark's Morten W Sorensen in the other semi-final.

At the beginning of the opening game of the final, the rallies were close and level, but from the middle of the game it was Rooney who took control and dominated his opponent.

It was one-way traffic thereafter as the Irishman stormed to his 11-6, 11-2, 11-2 victory to secure his first international Tour title.

"Ricky looked to be tired after his marathon match yesterday while John let him work hard again, but Ricky could not stand the pressure and after just 26 minutes the final was over," said tournament organiser Aqeel Rehman.