Krajcsak Wins
Tenth Title At West of Ireland
Hungarian
number one Mark Krajcsak claimed the tenth PSA World Tour title of
his career when he upset favourite Joe Lee in today's final of the
Paddy 'Whack' West of Ireland Open, the PSA International 10 squash
event in its sixth year at Galway Lawn Tennis Club in Galway.
The two top
seeds arrived in the final in contrasting styles - Englishman Lee brushing aside
third seed Rasmus Nielsen in straight games in just 34 minutes, while the
record nine-time Hungarian champion needed 65 minutes to overcome local hero
Arthur Gaskin in four games.
"But, as play
got under way, it was very clear from the beginning that Krajcsak was fully
prepared and hungry to add another trophy to his collection," explained
tournament organiser Edwin Brennan. "He started like a bullet train
setting a high pace from the strike of the first ball. Both players worked hard
in the early stages rallying up and down the wall with a mix of attacking
volleys and beautiful drop shots. Lee struggled to find his form as Krajcsak
never allowed him time on the ball to try and change the pace."
Krajcsak,
currently ranked 60 in the world - five places above his opponent - took the
opening game and outclassed Lee in the second to open up a two-game lead.
And from
two-all in the third, Krajcsak changed the tempo once again - winning nine
straight points to close out the match 11-4, 11-3, 11-2 in 45 minutes.
"You know it's
pretty funny because earlier in the week I said it wasn't my day," said the new
champion afterwards. "But today was the opposite because I played really close
to my best. Somebody from the crowd just told me I only made two mistakes the
whole match.
"I don't think
that Joe played badly - but I think I had the answer today and I was full of
energy, I was really fresh and I was surprised because I spent nearly twice as
long as him on court this week," added the 28-year-old from Budapest.
"My legs were
heavy yesterday but my girlfriend gave them a massage last night and that help a
lot. I really enjoyed my time in Galway - it's a lovely small city which has
some great restaurants. Today was special for me as it's my 10th tour title!
"My coach
Colin White is from Ireland, which gives my win an extra special feel. I am
looking forward to him coming back to Budapest and getting on court with him
again. I still feel that I can push harder and work to reach my best which I
believe I have in me."
Top Seeds Get
To Galway Final
The top two
seeds Joe Lee and Mark Krajcsak will line up in the final of the
Paddy 'Whack' West of Ireland Open after prevailing in today's
contrasting semi-finals in the PSA World Tour International 10 squash
event in its sixth year at Galway Lawn Tennis Club in Galway.
English
favourite Lee had a comfortable 11-3, 11-1, 11-7 win over Rasmus Nielsen,
the No3 seed from Denmark, to claim the eight final World Tour appearance of his
career.
Nine-time
Hungarian champion Krajcsak took on local hero Arthur Gaskin, the Irish
qualifier who pulled off two impressive upsets to claim a shock place in the
event's last four.
"A large local
crowd gathered for the match and were willing Gaskin on from the start, which
had to be a help to the Irishman," said tournament organiser Edwin Brennan.
"As always with matches of this level the opening game always has more than its
fair share of long and punishing rallies.
"Krajcsak, I'm
sure, wanted to keep the pace high and rallies long keen to exploit any fatigue
Gaskin may have been suffering from. However Gaskin looked quite fresh
considering. Krajcsak dictated the pace early on and worked Gaskin extremely
well playing a combination of very tight drops and lovely lengths."
But it was the
end of the line for the brave Dublin-born 27-year-old who is the reigning Irish
champion as Krajcsak battled through to an 11-5, 11-8, 9-11, 11-2 victory in 65
minutes to reach the 15th Tour final of his career.
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