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PayPal World Hardball Doubles Squash
Championships, San Francisco, USA
Results
Australia & Canada Share Honours In World
Doubles Championships
Australia
and Canada shared the honours in the PayPal World Hardball Doubles
Squash Championships - the first staging of the event which required teams
to be nominated by their countries - in San Francisco,
USA.
The championships, hosted
by US Squash, attracted 24 teams from eight countries (USA, Australia,
Canada, Egypt, England, Ireland, New Zealand, and Scotland) and drew large
crowds at the University Club of San Francisco as the top squash doubles
players in the world competed for a record $35,500 in total prize money.
The top-seeded Australian
duo of Paul Price & Ben Gould won the men's title, defeating England’s
John Russell & Clive Leach 15-11, 15-12, 15-17, 15-9 in the final. The
third-seeded English pair made their breakthrough in the semi-finals, preventing
an all-Australian climax by upsetting Damien Mudge & Matt Jenson, the No2
seeds, 15-12, 15-10, 15-17, 15-12.
The success marks the
first world title for Gould, 32, from South Australia - but the second for
Melbourne-born former world No4 Price, who won the WSF World Challenge on
home soil in October 2001.
The win also expands
Australia's hold on world doubles titles after the country successfully retained
both the Men's and Mixed World International Doubles Championship
trophies in Australia in 2006
Canadians Jessica
DiMauro & Stephanie Hewitt took home the women’s World Hardball Doubles
crown by defeating Suzie Pierrepont & Fiona Geaves of England 15-6, 6-15,
15-13, 15-12.
The top-seeded Canadian
champions had followed a tough semi-final victory over US team Dana Betts &
Emily Lungstrum the previous day. The triumph in the final marks Canada's
sole current world squash title.
"Steph and I are so
thrilled to win this event, we have been working towards it all year," said
DiMauro. "’We knew it was going to be a physical match where we had to be very
patient and wait for the appropriate opportunities. We made a conscious effort
to dictate the pace and rhythm of the match. It was very intense."
It was a creditable
performance from the US-based English pair Pierrepont & Geaves who, seeded
three, upset Australian sisters Narelle Krizek & Natarsha McElhinny, the
No2 seeds, 15-11, 12-15, 15-8, 15-3 in the semi-finals.
Results
Men's quarter-finals:
[1] Paul Price & Ben Gould
(AUS) bt
[5/8] James Hewitt &
Michael Pirnak (CAN) 15-10, 15-10, 10-15, 17-14
[5/8] Preston Quick &
Whitten Morris (USA) bt
[4] Viktor Berg & Gary
Waite (CAN) 15-11, 15-9, 15-9
[3] John Russell & Clive
Leach (ENG) bt
[5/8] Raj Nanda & Mark
Price (AUS) 11-15, 15-11, 15-5, 15-13
[2] Damien Mudge & Matt
Jenson (AUS) bt
Greg Park & Morris
Clothier (USA) 15-8, 15-5, 15-13
Semi-finals:
[1] Paul Price & Ben Gould
(AUS) bt
[5/8] Preston Quick &
Whitten Morris (USA) 15-8, 15-5, 11-15, 15-11
[3] John Russell & Clive
Leach (ENG) bt
[2] Damien Mudge & Matt
Jenson (AUS) 15-12, 15-10, 15-17, 15-12
Final:
[1] Paul Price & Ben Gould
(AUS) bt
[3] John Russell &
Clive Leach (ENG) 15-11, 15-12, 15-17, 15-9
Women's 1st round:
[1] Stephanie Hewitt &
Jessica DiMauro (CAN) bye
[4] Dana Betts & Emily
Lungstrum (USA) bt
Alexandra Clark & Lisa
Aitken (SCO) 15-5, 15-13, 15-6
[3] Suzie Pierrepont &
Fiona Geaves (ENG) bt
Amy Milanek & Margaret
Rux (USA) 15-10, 15-11, 15-7
[2] Narelle Krizek &
Natarsha McElhinny (AUS) bt
Marci Sier & Miranda
Ranieri (CAN) 16-17, 15-10, 17-15, 15-13
Semi-finals:
[1] Stephanie Hewitt &
Jessica DiMauro (CAN) bt
[4] Dana Betts & Emily
Lungstrum (USA) 3/1
[3] Suzie Pierrepont &
Fiona Geaves (ENG) bt
[2] Narelle Krizek &
Natarsha McElhinny (AUS) 15-11, 12-15, 15-8, 15-3
Final:
[1] Stephanie Hewitt &
Jessica DiMauro (CAN) bt
[3] Suzie Pierrepont &
Fiona Geaves (ENG) 15-6, 6-15, 15-13, 15-12
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