24/05/2007
MAYCAMAS RANCH AMERICAN OPEN
Iskandar Wins North American Open
Mayacamas Ranch North American Squash Open
San Francisco, USA
Final:
[3] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) bt [1] John White (SCO)
10-11 (4-6), 11-8, 11-2, 11-7
Semi-finals:
[1] John White (SCO) bt [7]
Shawn Delierre (CAN) 11-9, 11-6, 11-5
[3] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS)
bt [2] Adrian Grant (ENG) 11-4, 11-10 (11-9), 4-11, 11-7
Quarter-finals:
[1] John White (SCO) bt [Q]
David Phillips (CAN) 11-4, 11-6, 11-8
[7] Shawn Delierre (CAN) bt
[4] Shahier Razik (CAN) 11-10 (2-0), 8-11, 11-3, 3-11, 11-9
[3] Mohd Azlan Iskandar
(MAS) bt [8] Chris Simpson (ENG) 11-9, 11-3, 11-4
[2] Adrian Grant (ENG) bt
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) 11-9, 11-7, 11-5
1st round:
[1] John White (SCO) bt [Q] Wade Johnstone (AUS) 11-8, 11-10 (2-0), 11-5
[Q] David Phillips (CAN) bt [5] Liam Kenny (IRL) 11-8, 11-10 (2-0), 2-11, 6-11, 11-10 (3-1)
[4] Shahier Razik (CAN) bt Yasser El Halaby (EGY) 11-8, 11-3, 11-6
[7] Shawn Delierre (CAN) bt [Q] Chris Walker (ENG) 11-4, 9-11, 10-11 (2-4), 11-4, 11-6
[8] Chris Simpson (ENG) bt Ryan Donegan (USA) 11-6, 11-6, 11-8
[3] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) bt Omar Elborolossy (EGY) 8-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-10 (4-2)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) bt [6] Eric Galvez (MEX) w/o
[2] Adrian Grant (ENG) bt [Q] Raj Nanda (AUS) 5-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-3
Qualifying finals:
Chris Walker (ENG) bt Stuart Crawford (SCO) 11-9, 11-5, 11-10 (2-0)
David Phillips (CAN) bt Mark Allen (ENG) 11-4, 11-9, 11-6
Raj Nanda (AUS) bt Robin Clarke (CAN) 11-5, 11-8, 11-6
Wade Johnstone (AUS) bt Jose Angel Becerril (MEX) 7-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-7
Iskandar Wins North
American Open
Malaysia's Mohd Azlan
Iskandar claimed his second higher-ranked scalp in two days when he beat
favourite John White in four games to win the Mayacamas Ranch North
American Squash Open at the San Francisco Bay Club in San
Francisco.
The $25,000 PSA Tour
event in the USA has unleashed a notable return to form for the 24-year-old
from Kuala Lumpur who has slipped seven places down the PSA World Rankings
since achieving a career-high No12 position more than a year ago.
The Sarawak-born third seed
made his Californian breakthrough in the semi-finals when he beat England's
No2 seed Adrian Grant 11-4, 11-10 (11-9), 4-11, 11-7.
But in his 14th PSA
Tour final - yet, remarkably, his first ever Tour meeting with John White -
Iskandar recovered from losing a long opening tie-break game to beat the world
No9 from Scotland 10-11 (4-6), 11-8, 11-2, 11-7.
The triumph marks Iskandar's 9th
PSA Tour title, but the first since the Malaysian won the Kuala Lumpur Open
on home soil in February last year.
Iskandar Ousts Grant In North
American Open Upset
England's No2 seed Adrian
Grant was denied his anticipated place in the final of the
Mayacamas Ranch North American Squash Open after losing to Malaysia's
Mohd Azlan Iskandar in a dramatic semi-final clash in the $25,000 PSA
Tour event at the San Francisco Bay Club in San Francisco.
Third seed Iskandar made his
breakthrough in the second game, edging through 21-19 after one of the longest
'tie-break' games since the introduction of 11-point scoring three years ago.
Left-hander Grant recovered to
take the third game, but the 24-year-old from Kuala Lumpur - ranked four places
below his opponent in the world top 20 - extended his advantage to win 11-4,
11-10 (11-9), 4-11, 11-7.
Iskandar is celebrating his 14th
PSA Tour final appearance - but his first since October last year.
Top seed John White ended
the brief 'giant-killing' run of Canada's Shawn Delierre, comfortably
beating the No7 seed 11-9, 11-6, 11-5 to mark up his 31st PSA Tour
final appearance - and the eighth in the USA since the former world number one
from Scotland moved to Philadelphia two years ago.
Shawn Takes Shahier In
Canadian Shake-Up
Shawn Delierre
upset fellow Canadian Shahier Razik in the quarter-finals of the
Mayacamas Ranch North American Squash Open at the San Francisco Bay
Club in San Francisco to claim the first victory over his
higher-ranked compatriot in five Tour meetings.
Delierre, the seventh seed
from Montreal, battled for five games before beating his fourth-seeded
opponent 11-10 (2-0), 8-11, 11-3, 3-11, 11-9.
The 25-year-old world No44
will now face top seed John White for a place in the final of the
$25,000 PSA Tour event in California. White, the US-based world No9
from Scotland, despatched Canadian qualifier David Phillips 11-4, 11-6,
11-8.
The other semi-final will
feature second seed Adrian Grant and third seed Mohd Azlan Iskandar
after Malaysian Iskandar beat eighth seed Chris Simpson 11-9, 11-3,
11-4 and Englishman Grant defeated Colombian Miguel Angel Rodriguez
11-9, 11-7, 11-5.
Phillips Upsets Kenny In Dramatic Frisco Opener
Canadian David Phillips became the only qualifier to survive the first round of the Mayacamas Ranch North American Squash Open in San Francisco, on the west coast of the USA, after securing a dramatic five-game upset over fifth-seeded Irishman Liam Kenny in the PSA Tour event at the San Francisco Bay Club.
After taking a 2/0 lead, Phillips stemmed a fight-back by the favoured Dubliner - then survived a tie-break in the decider to win 11-8, 11-10 (2-0), 2-11, 6-11, 11-10 (3-1).
The 27-year-old from Montreal goes on to face Scotland's John White, the US-based top seed who despatched Australian qualifier Wade Johnstone 11-8, 11-10 (2-0), 11-5.
Veteran Englishman Chris Walker enjoyed a short-lived return to PSA Tour action after three years of 'retirement'. In almost certainly his last Tour clash before celebrating his 40th birthday early next month, qualifier Walker fought back from a game down against Shawn Delierre to take a 2/1 lead over the seventh-seeded Canadian.
But the 24-year-old from Montreal capitalised on his younger legs to strike home 11-4, 9-11, 10-11 (2-4), 11-4, 11-6 - and earn a quarter-final clash with fellow Canadian Shahier Razik.
Mohd Azlan Iskandar upheld the Asian interest in the event by beating Egypt's Omar Elborolossy 8-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-10 (4-2). The third seed from Malaysia will now face England's Chris Simpson for a place in the last four.
Quarter-final line-up
[1] John White (SCO) v [Q] David Phillips (CAN)
[4] Shahier Razik (CAN) v [7] Shawn Delierre (CAN)
[3] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) v [8] Chris Simpson (ENG)
[2] Adrian Grant (ENG) v Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Walker Back On PSA Tour
Three years after retiring from the PSA Tour - and just two weeks short of his 40th birthday - former England squash captain Chris Walker showed that he has not lost his touch when he won a place in the main draw of the Mayacamas Ranch North American Open in San Francisco, USA.
Walker beat Scotsman Stuart Crawford 11-9, 11-5, 11-10 (2-0) in the qualifying finals and will now meet Canada's No7 seed Shawn Delierre in the first round of the PSA Tour event at the San Francisco Bay Club.
Walker, originally from Colchester in Essex, is now based in the USA where he is a US National coach.
Wade Johnstone's 7-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-7 victory over Mexican Jose Angel Becerril takes the Australian through to a first round clash with top seed John White, the US-based Scot who is ranked No9 in the world.
White is expected to meet fellow Briton Adrian Grant, the No2 seed from England, in the final.
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