Frost
Scores Sekisui Success
Kristian Frost Olesen
collected the fifth PSA World Tour title of his career - and
confirmed his status as Denmark's top squash player - when he beat
compatriot Rasmus Nielsen in the final of the Sekisui Open,
the PSA Challenger 5 event at Sportpark Pilatus Kriens in
Kriens, Switzerland.
The
23-year-old top seed from Odense reached the final - his seventh on the
Tour - after overcoming fourth-seeded Frenchman Julien Balbo in
four games.
Third
seed Nielsen, also from Odense, made his breakthrough in the other semi
with an impressive straight games upset over Jens Schoor, the No2
seed from Germany.
The
final was the Danes' first Tour meeting since 2008 when 29-year Nielsen,
then the higher-ranked of the two, beat Frost in the Danish Open
qualifiers.
But
Frost has now overtaken his senior Danish team-mate in the world
rankings - and last month won his third national title in a row.
And
the favourite, ranked 69 in the world, duly justified his top billing by
beating Nielsen 11-4, 11-9, 4-11, 11-9 to notch up his fourth PSA title
since December.
1st
round:
[1] Kristian Frost Olesen (DEN) bt Patrick Miescher (SUI)
11-8, 11-7, 11-8
Carlos Cornes Ribadas (ESP) bt Jonas Daehler (SUI) 11-3,
11-6, 11-5
Reiko Peter (SUI) bt [Q] Karamatullah Khan (PAK) 11-7,
11-5, 11-7
[4] Julien Balbo (FRA) bt Lukas Burkhart (SUI) 12-10,
11-5, 11-4
[3] Rasmus Nielsen (DEN) bt Ondrej Ertl (CZE) 11-4, 11-1,
11-7
Andre Haschker (GER) bt [Q] Michael Harris (ENG) 13-11,
9-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-3
Nathan Lake (ENG) bt [Q] Carsten Schoor (GER) 11-5, 11-7,
11-6
[2] Jens Schoor (GER) bt [Q] Jerome Dadot (FRA) 11-2,
8-11, 11-1, 11-3
Quarter-finals:
[1] Kristian Frost Olesen (DEN) bt Carlos Cornes Ribadas
(ESP) 11-5, 9-11, 11-2, 11-5
[4] Julien Balbo (FRA) bt Reiko Peter (SUI) 15-13, 11-4,
11-9
[3] Rasmus Nielsen (DEN) bt Andre Haschker (GER) 7-11,
11-8, 11-6, 11-2
[2] Jens Schoor (GER) bt Nathan Lake (ENG) 11-4, 11-7,
11-6
Semi-finals:
[1] Kristian Frost Olesen (DEN) bt [4] Julien Balbo (FRA)
11-9, 11-3, 7-11, 11-5
[3] Rasmus Nielsen (DEN) bt [2] Jens Schoor (GER) 11-5,
11-5, 11-7
Final:
[1] Kristian Frost Olesen (DEN) bt [3] Rasmus Nielsen
(DEN) 11-4, 11-9, 4-11, 11-9
|