Open de la Cité 2004
22-24 May, Carcassone, France, $5k 
 

24-May:
 
Final:
Corinne Castets (Fra) bt Charlie De Rycke (Bel)
     9/3, 9/1, 9/2
 
Castets wins second
WISPA title in Carcassonne
 
France's Corinne Castets denied Belgium's 17-year-old European Junior Champion Charlie de Rycke a first WISPA title, as the 39-year-old heroine of France's third-placed European Championships team repeated her Rennes win over de Rycke to claim a second career tour title in Carcassonne.

"I'm delighted about the victory, and really surprised as I received so many congratulations," said Castets. "But funnily enough, people over here haven't stopped talking about the semi-final against Amnah [El Trabolsy], the amazing 15 years old Egyptian girl. It was really an amazing match, we both gave it all, and I won because I was just that little fitter! The momentum from that match helped carry me through the final."

Castets, who amassed a record 160 caps in 20 consecutive European Team Championship appearances for France, and was French number one for fifteen consecutive years, announced her international retirement during an emotional presentation ceremony in Rennes, will feature in the next issue of the Squash Player Magazine as Player of the Month ...
 

• 2003 Event

Castets beats De Rycke

Final:
Corinne Castets (Fra) bt Charlie De Rycke (Bel)  9/3, 9/1, 9/2

Semi-Finals:
Charlie De Rycke (Bel) bt [4] Amnah El Trabolsy (Egy)  9/4, 7/9, 9/4, 9/4
Corinne Castets (Fra) bt [3] Raneem El Weleily (Egt)  9/5, 10/8, 5/9, 4/9, 9/3

Quarters:
Charlie De Rycke (Bel) bt Judith Casbolt (Nzl)  9/2, 9/4, 9/0
[4] Amnah El Trabolsy (Egy) bt [7] Kim Hannes-Teunen (Bel)  9/7, 9/5, 3/9, 3/9, 9/4
[3] Raneem El Weleily (Egy) bt [5] Line Hansen (Den)  9/4, 9/8, 9/6
Corinne Castets (Fra) bt [2] Karen Kronemeyer (Ned)  7/9, 9/4, 9/0, 9/1

First Round:
Charlie de Rycke (Bel) bt [1] Kate Roe (Eng)  9/5, 9/4, 10/8
Judith Casbolt (Nzl) bt [8] Margriet Huisman (Ned)  9/4, 7/9, 9/4, 6/9, 9/6
[4] Amnah El Trabolsy (Egy) bt Chinatsu Matsui (Jpn)  9/6, 9/7, 6/9, 8/10, 10/8
[7] Kim Hannes-Teunen (Bel) bt Evelyn Panizzi (Ita)  9/1, 9/1, 9/0
[5] Line Hansen (Den) bt Catherine Bignotti (Fra)  5/9, 5/9, 9/6, 9/2, 9/3
[3] Raneem El Weleily (Egy) bt Laurence Bois (Fra)  9/1, 9/1, 9/1
Corinne Castets (Fra) bt [6] Suzie Pierrepont (Eng)  9/6, 9/6, 8/10, 9/6
[2] Karen Kronemeyer (Ned) v Celia Allamargot (Fra)  9/3, 9/0, 9/6

23-May:
Castets & De Rycke
in Rennes Replay

The final of the Open de la Cité in Carcassonne will feature two unseeded players in a replay of their European Team Championships clash earlier this month in Rennes.

Belgium's European Junior Champion Charlie de Rycke ousted top seed Kate Roe in the first round, and moved into the final with a 3-1 victory over Egypt's fourth seed Amnah El Trabolsy.

France's Corinne Castets had already beaten the sixth and second seeds to reach the semi-finals, and continued her fine form with a 3-2 win over third-seeded Raneem El Weleily, the 15-year-old Egyptian.

"She is full of potential and promises," said Castets. "Her level is amazingly high for somebody of that age! In the first game, I was down 5/1, but fought hard to win 9/5. The second was even closer. I was down 3/8, and I clawed back to win 10/8! I lost the next two, but in the fifth, I really made my mark and eventually won the match".

The final pitches the 39-year-old Frenchwoman against the 17-year-old Belgian in a repeat of the opening match of the European Team Championships third place play-off in Rennes, which Castets won to propel France to its best ever finish.

Castets, with one WISPA title to her name, will be aiming to double her tally in the twilight of her career, while De Rycke, widely tipped as one of the top players in the near future, will be seeking her first WISPA title ...