EUROPEAN INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Budapest, Hungary
Gaultier Grabs
European Hat-Trick
France's Gregory
Gaultier claimed an impressive hat-trick of European Individual
Squash Championship titleswhen hebeat Spaniard
Borja Golan in the men's final to collect the European Squash
Federation trophy for the third year in a row in Budapest, Hungary.
England's Jenny
Duncalf also completed her run in the event without dropping a game
by lifting the women's title for the first time after beating compatriot
Laura-Jane Lengthorn.
The men's final produced
a tough and entertaining climax to the event which had attracted players
from a record 25 European countries to the Hungarian capital. Gaultier,
the world No8 from Aix-en-Provence, was forced to work hard, especially
in the third game. The home crowd had hoped that Golan would win the
third and in doing so extend their enjoyment of the top-class squash
and this looked likely when the 23-year-old from Santiago led 7-5.
But the top seed
reclaimed the advantage as he strode to his 9-2, 9-0, 10-8 victory after
73 minutes.
"I'm really happy to win
this third in a row," said the Frenchman afterwards. "I really enjoyed
the event and being in Budapest. I am already looking forward to
defending my title in front of my home supporters in France next year,"
added the new champion.
Golan commented: "I'm
really happy to have won silver, especially considering that it came in
the middle of my summer training programme. I was encouraged to play by
the Spanish Federation - who now must be happy to have a second place in
the Europeans."
Favourite Jenny Duncalf
was in command throughout her 9-2, 9-5, 9-0 win over second seed
Laura-Jane Lengthorn in 34 minutes. "I've had a great time in my first
appearance in the event. In fact, I've loved all aspects of my first
visit to Budapest - the food, the city, the centres, the organisation
and especially winning! I had to work hard in the final, but I'm very
happy to be European Champion."
Lengthorn added: "I've
got mixed emotions: I'm disappointed to lose but happy to match my
seeding and claim silver. I'd felt good before the match
considering my match yesterday - but found that once Jenny started to
take the ball early, I had nothing left to give."
Gaultier In Sight
Of European Hat-Trick
France's Gregory
Gaultier is one match away from winning his third successive
European Individual Squash Championship titleafter
defeatingcompatriot Renan Lavigne in the men's
semi-finals of the European Squash Federation event in
Budapest, Hungary.
The world No8 from
Aix-en-Provence claimed victory midway through the third game when
Lavigne, a 5/8 seed, sustained an ankle injury which caused him to
concede the match with the score at 9-3, 9-5, 4-0 in Gaultier's
favour.
The defending champion
will not meet Czech champion Jan Koukal in a repeat of the 2005
final. Koukal, the 9/16 seed who reached the last four at the expense
of England's No2 seed Peter Barker, met his match in Spain's
Borja Golan.
The 3/4 seed from
Santiago brushed aside the Czech No1 9-0, 9-5, 9-0 in 36 minutes to
reach the final for the first time.
The women's climax
will be the predicted all-England affair between favourite Jenny
Duncalf and No2 seed Laura-Jane Lengthorn. Duncalf, the
world No6 from Harrogate in Yorkshire ended the run of Belgium's
Annabel Romedenne, beating the 9/16 seed 9-0, 9-1, 9-2 in 23
minutes, while Lengthorn battled back from two games down to overcome
France's 3/4 seed Isabelle Stoehr 3-9, 7-9, 9-4, 9-1, 9-6 in 63
minutes.
Barker Bows Out In
Budapest
Peter
Barker
became the only top seed to fail to make the semi-finals of the
European Individual Squash Championships when he was forced to
concede his quarter-final match in Budapest, Hungary, after a recurrence
of an ankle injury.
The
England international, seeded two in the men's event, aggravated the
injury during his 9-5, 9-1, 9-0 victory over Sweden's 9/16 seed
Christian Drakenberg in the third round. The lucky recipient of
Barker's scheduled semi-final berth is Jan Koukal, a 9/16 seed
from the Czech Republic, who pulled off the only third round shock when
he upset 5/8 seed Dylan Bennett, from the Netherlands, 9-6, 9-8,
9-4.
The star
of the women's event on the second day of action was Annabel
Romedenne. The 9/16 seed from Belgium took out France's 3/4
Camille Serme 9-6, 9-6, 1-9, 2-9, 9-2 in the second round - and then
swept through to the semi-finals after a 3-9, 9-7, 9-1, 9-2
quarter-final victory over fellow 9/16 seed Frania Gillen-Buchert,
from Scotland, in 65 minutes
Mixed Fortunes
For Locals In European Championships There were mixed fortunes for
Hungarian players on the opening day of action in the European
Individual Squash Championships in the capital Budapest, with three
players making it through to the men's last sixteen but local hope Edina
Szombati crashing out in the first round of the women's event.
Szombati was one of two seeding casualties in the women's championship the 9/16 seed failing to capitalise on two leads to go down 3-9,
9-3, 4-9, 9-7, 9-7 to unseeded Aneta Paprnakova of Slovakia.
Paprnakova's compatriot Linda Hruzikova caused the other upset in the
women's event when she beat 9/16 seed Vaso Karasava-Hambides, from
Cyprus, 9-3, 10-8, 9-3.
Budapest-based Mark Krajcsak led the Hungarian success in the men's
event with a 2-9, 9-0, 9-3, 9-4 victory over Tom Hoevenaars of the
Netherlands. The 5/8 seed will now meet the only unseeded player to make
the last sixteen Sweden's Rasmus Hult, who upset France's 9/16 seed
Julien Balbo 9-5, 10-9, 1-9, 9-7.
The two other Hungarians, both 9/16 seeds, made it to the men's last
sixteen after dramatic five-game battles: Andras Torok came back from
0/2 down to topple Scotland's Alan Clyne 9-10, 2-9, 10-8, 9-2, 9-0,
while Sandor Fulop stemmed a fight back by Petros Tzamaloukas to conquer
his Greek opponent 9-4, 9-5, 4-9, 2-9, 9-3