French Junior Open Squash Championships,
Wambrechies, France
Holland & Lecoq Spring Surprises In French Junior Open
England's Olivier Holland and home heroine Julia Lecoq claimed
the U19 titles in the French Junior Open Squash Championships
against expectations after upsets over the top seeds in the
long-established European Squash Federation Junior Circuit event
in Wambrechies, France.
LeCoq,
a 3/4 seed in the women's U19 event, prevailed in an all-French final
against top seed Melissa Alves. Both are aged 18 - and both from
Creteil in Paris.
But
LeCoq was looking for revenge after losing to Alves in last year's
quarter-finals. Alves went on finish as 2011 runner-up.
LeCoq
battled back from 2/1 down to beat Alves 11-6, 4-11, 4-11, 11-9, 11-3 to
win the title for the first time - and consign her opponent to a
runner-up finish for the second year in a row.
It was
a victory over men's favourite Tom de Mulder in the semi-finals
that took 17-year-old Holland to the event's first ever all-English
men's final. The 3/4 seed's opponent was Richie Fallows, a 9/16
seed who had progressed three rounds beyond his seeding prediction - and
who had ousted second-seeded compatriot Tom Ford in the
semi-finals.
But
Nottingham-based Holland became the first English winner of the title
for four years when he defeated 16-year-old Fallows, from Essex, 11-8,
11-9, 11-1.
Men's
Under-19 quarter-finals:
[1] Tom de Mulder (BEL) bt [5/8] Ashley Davies (ENG) 11-7,
11-8, 11-5
[3/4] Oliver Holland (ENG) bt [5/8] Taminder Gata-Aura
(ENG) 11-7, 6-11, 11-5, 11-1
[9/16] Richie Fallows (ENG) bt [5/8] Matthew Sidaway (ENG)
11-7, 11-8, 11-8
[2] Tom Ford (ENG) bt [9/16] Lyell Fuller (ENG) 12-10,
12-10, 11-7
Semi-finals:
[3/4] Oliver Holland (ENG) bt [1] Tom de Mulder (BEL)
6-11, 11-6, 11-5, 8-11, 16-14
[9/16] Richie Fallows (ENG) bt [2] Tom Ford (ENG) 1-11,
11-7, 11-8, 11-7
Final:
[3/4] Oliver Holland (ENG) bt [9/16] Richie Fallows (ENG)
11-8, 11-9, 11-1
Women's Under-19 quarter-finals:
[1] Melissa Alves (FRA) bt [5/8] Brogan Lane (ENG) 11-2,
11-2, 11-7
[3/4] Caroline Sayegh (GER) bt [9/16] Enora Villard (FRA)
11-8, 11-8, 11-4
[3/4] Julia Lecoq (FRA) bt [5/8] Victoria Temple-Murray
(ENG) 11-9, 12-10, 1-11, 11-3
[2] Nele Gilis (BEL) bt [5/8] Katie Smith (ENG) 11-4,
11-3, 7-11, 13-11
Semi-finals:
[1] Melissa Alves (FRA) bt [3/4] Caroline Sayegh (GER)
11-9, 11-6, 11-5
[3/4] Julia Lecoq (FRA) bt [2] Nele Gilis (BEL) 10-12,
11-4, 11-5, 11-4
Final:
[3/4] Julia Lecoq (FRA) bt [1] Melissa Alves (FRA) 11-6,
4-11, 4-11, 11-9, 11-3
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