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Volvo
Motor City Open
2004
07-10
Oct, Detroit, USA, $32k |
09-Oct, Semi-Finals:
[4] Gregory Gaultier (Fra) bt
Olli Tuominen (Fin)
11/4, 11/10 (2-0), 3/11, 11/3
Gaultier
Stops Olli's
Run In Detroit
Henry Payne reports from Detroit
French speedster
Gregory Gaultier is the 2004 Volvo Motor City Open champion,
defeating Finland’s Olli Tuominen before a sold out crowd at
the Birmingham Athletic Club Sunday. Hitting his strokes with
consistent depth, and using his quickness to chase down Tuominen’s
attacking shots, Gaultier earned his first PSA title of 2004 and
eighth career win. For his efforts, the fourth-seeded Gaultier takes
home first prize from the $30,000 tourney: a cheque for $5,225 and a
new Rolex Explorer II watch from sponsor Greenstone Jewellers.
The 21-year old Gaultier had not been tested in the quarters and
semis, as both his opponents – Mohammed Abbas and Jonathon Power – had
retired early with injuries. Nevertheless, the Frenchman came out
sharper than his Finnish opponent, jumping to a 7-2 lead on a series
of errors by Tuominen, and quickly closing out the first game, 11-4.
But losing game one had been Tuominen’s pattern all week, a week in
which he had set down three straight seeds to reach the final: #7 Mark
Chaloner, #2 Amr Shabana, and #3 Karim Darwish. True to form, he came
out ablaze in game two, seizing an 8-4 lead as his game steadied and
Gaultier made some uncharacteristic errors. A perfect, wall-hugging,
forehand drive and a brilliant reverse boast brought Olli to game ball
at 10-7. Facing three game points, Gaultier dug in.
“I tried to slow down my game,” said Gaultier later, “and make him hit
some more balls.” Two errors by the Finn, a beautifully-disguised
Gaultier cross-court forehand, and a front-court nick suddenly brought
the Frenchman to game ball. Another Tuominen error, and the game was
Gaultier’s: 11-10 (2-0).
“There are many points I wish I could have back, but that second game
especially,” Tuominen would sigh afterwards. “But I was still playing
well, so I thought I could still come back.”
Indeed, the third game was all Tuominen. Forcing the pace and nailing
his shots, Tuominen took a 3-1 lead with a cross-court forehand
winner, a 5-1 lead on a reverse backhand kill, and a 7-2 stranglehold
on the game with another crosscourt drive. A combination Tuominen
forehand drop and drive deep into the right corner gave him the
fourth, 11-3.
Still leading 2-1 in games, Gaultier really found his form in game
four. Accelerating to a quick 4-0 lead, Gaultier won a series of long
rallies, including a 75-shot marathon to give him an insurmountable
8-1 advantage. “I bad a bad start with a couple of errors,” said the
Finn, “and he was pretty patient, didn’t make any errors, and then
managed his lead very well.”
After 50 minutes of hard-fought squash, a Tuominen forehand error
handed Gaultier his first MCO title. “It was a pretty hard match,”
said the gracious winner afterwards. “It seemed a little hot today,
the ball was bouncy, and a little harder to control. After I took a
quick lead in game four, he never gave up. I just had to keep working
hard to the end.”
The loss was bittersweet for Tuominen, who took home $3,575. His three
upsets – including two players in the world’s Top Ten – had made him
the talk of the tournament, but against the world #11, he had come up
just short.
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More from Detroit
Gaultier wins - photo courtesy Birmingham
Athletic Club
Motor City Champion
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Volvo Motor City Open 2004 |
1st Round
Thu
7th |
Quarters
Fri 8th |
Semis
Sat
9th |
Final
Sun
10th |
[1]
Jonathon Power (Can)
11/8, 11/7, 11/9
Dan Jenson (Aus) |
Jonathon Power
11/7, 11/7, 11/1
Alex Gough |
Jonathon Power
10/9 rtd
Gregory Gaultier |
Gregory Gaultier
11/4, 11/10 (2-0), 3/11, 11/3
Olli Tuominen |
[8] Paul
Price (Aus)
10/11(1-3), 11-10(4-2), 11/9, 11/3
Alex Gough (Wal) |
[4]
Gregory Gaultier (Fra)
11/7, 11/7, 11/5
Viktor Berg (Can) |
Gregory Gaultier
9/11, 11/1, 11/5, 4-0 (rtd)
Mohammed Abbas |
[5]
Mohammed Abbas (Egy)
11/6, 11/6, 8/11, 11/7
[Q] Gavin Jones (Wal) |
[Q] Davide
Bianchetti (Ita)
11/6, 11/10(5-3), 11/7
[6] Graham Ryding (Can) |
Graham Ryding
11/10 (2-0), 11/8, 11/4
Karim Darwish |
Karim Darwish
6/11, 11/10(2-0), 11/5, 11/6
Olli Tuominen |
[Q] Wael
El Hindi (Egy)
11/6, 11/7, 9/11, 11/6
[3] Karim Darwish (Egy) |
Olli
Tuominen (Fin)
10/11(2-4), 11/7, 11/7, 11/6
[7] Mark Chaloner (Eng) |
Olli Tuominen
3/11, 11/8, 11/3, 1/0 (rtd)
Amr Shabana |
[Q]
Jonathan Kemp (Eng)
11/9, 11-10(4-2), 11/9
[2] Amr Shabana (Egy) |
Qualifying Finals:
Davide Bianchetti (Ita) bt Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) 11-5, 7-11,
11-8, 10-12, 11-7
Jonathon Kemp (Eng) bt Shahier Razik (Can) 11-8, 8-11, 12-10, 6-11,
11-5
Wael El Hindi (Egy) bt Cameron Pilley (Aus) 11-6, 11-9, 11-6
Gavin Jones (Wal) by Lee Drew (Eng) 5-11, 4-11, 11-3, 11-8, 12-10
Qualifying First Round:
Davide Bianchetti (Ita) Bye
Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) bt Beau River (Usa) 3/0
Jonathan Kemp (Eng) bt Rob McFadzean (Usa) 3/0
Shahier Razik (Can) bt Matt Jensen (Usa) 3/0
Wael El Hindi (Egy) bt Sam Miller (Usa) 3/0
Cameron Pilley (Aus) bt Ben Gould (Usa) 3/0
Gavin Jones (Wal) bt Ian Power (Can) 3/0
Lee Drew (Eng) bt Rodney Durbach (Rsa) 3/2
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Reports |
09-Oct, Semi-Finals:
[4] Gregory Gaultier (Fra) bt [1] Jonathon Power (Can) 10-9 rtd
Olli Tuominen (Fin) bt [3] Karim Darwish (Egy) 6/11, 11/10(2-0), 11/5, 11/6
Power
backs out as
Olli shocks Darwish
Henry Payne reports from Detroit
Olli Tuominen
continued his torrid march through the 2004 Volvo Motor City Open draw
with a semifinal upset of third seed Karim Darwish on Saturday. In the
other semifinal, injury claimed yet another late-round victim as
top-seed Jonathon Power was overcome by back spasms in the first game
of his match against France’s fourth seed Gregory Gaultier.
Tuominen takes another scalp
After dispatching seventh seed Mark Chaloner of England in the opening
round and second seed Amr Shabana in the quarters, Tuominen looked at
the top of his game for the semi-final matchup at the host Birmingham
Athletic Club. But Darwish, displaying the touch and range that won
him the St. Louis Open crown a week ago, jumped out to a quick 9-5
lead in the first game with a beautiful reverse drop across the front
of the tin. Two points later, the same shot gave him the game, 11-6.
The second game would be the swing game, and one of the best of the
tournament. Undeterred by the Egyptian’s early magic, Tuominen jumped
out to a quick 6-2 lead, hitting deep then taking his opportunities up
front. Darwish quickly came back with a dizzying display of
shot-making, tying the score at 8-all. From there, it was a battle,
both players getting physical, provoking a string of lets. The Finn
earned a game point at 10-9, but Darwish struck right back, burying an
aggressive service return for a winner. In the tie-break, Tuominen
turned his game up, hitting two consecutive brilliantly disguised drop
shots in the front court, catching Darwish on his heels to take it
11-10 (2-0).
Game three would be all Tuominen. After Darwish broke to a 2-0 lead,
Olli made few mistakes. He went up 3-2 on a beautiful winner from the
back wall, then 5-2 after a pair of loose shots from Darwish. Taking
the match’s momentum, Tuominen then sliced two winners for 8-4 before
running out the game, 11-5.
“I thought he was getting tired,” said Olli afterwards. “But I’ve
learned that you have to keep your head against him, because he’s so
talented in the front of the court.”
Darwish, looking the wearier of the pair, gave one last run in the
fourth game. At 4-4, he brought a one-two punch with a reverse corner
backhand followed by a down-the-line winner, but that would be his
last success. Playing with confidence and patience, Tuominen put
together a string of controlled points, taking the lead and never
looking back. He closed out the match, 11-6.
“That was my best game of the week,” said the elated Finn, currently
number 25 in the world, but sure to close in on the Top 20 with his
performance here. “I’ve been slowly getting better all year, and this
match is really good for me. I’ve been trying to avoid going for too
much too early, being patient, and trying to create situations for
myself.”
Power backs out
The second semifinal looked to be a struggle, featuring the creative
shot-making of world no 9 Jonathon Power against the steady backcourt
play of Gregory Gaultier, ranked 11 in the world. Power, however, had
looked physically uncomfortable at times in his quarterfinal win over
Alex Gough on Friday, and by match-time on Saturday, there were
questions as to whether Power would be able to go the distance. After
a gruelling autumn schedule, injuries had already claimed Alex Gough
and Mohammed Abbas in the MCO quarters.
They started conservatively, having played each other only once
before. A series of long rallies (61 shots, 67 shots, 40, and 40)
brought the score to 5-5. After that the pace of the match started to
pick up, with Power dishing a pair of stunning backhand kills, and
Gaultier hitting with consistent depth.
Then, at 8-8, Power began to wince with pain. Struggling around the
court to 9-10, he suddenly collapsed in a heap while chasing a deep
Gaultier drive into the forehand corner. Power’s day – and the match –
were done.
So Sunday’s final will feature two youngsters, both playing in their
first MCO final: the 21-year old Gaultier versus the 25-year old
Tuominen. The two have only met once before, in January 2003. Then,
Tuominen won in a five-set thriller: 11-15, 15-9, 13-15, 15-6, and
15-14.
These are the new faces of pro squash, and this should be a good one.
08-Oct, Quarter-Finals:
[1] Jonathon Power (Can) bt Alex Gough (Wal) 11-7, 11-7, 11-1
[4] Gregory Gaultier (Fra) bt [5] Mohammed Abbas (Egy) 9-11, 11-1, 11-5, 4-0 (rtd)
[3] Karim Darwish (Egy) bt [6] Graham Ryding (Can) 11-10 (2-0), 11-8, 11-4
Olli Tuominen (Fin) bt [2] Amr Shabana (Egy) 3-11, 11-8, 11-3, 1-0 (rtd)
Power Motors on
as
injuries take their toll
Henry Payne reports from Detroit
Friday night’s Volvo Motor
City Open quarterfinals were evidence of the physical and mental
strain that professional squash puts on its players. Top-seed
Jonathon Power, third seed Karim Darwish, fourth seed
Gregory Gaultier, and the night’s big upset winner, Ollie
Tuominen, all advanced to Saturday’s semis at the Birmingham
Athletic Club. But only Darwish’s opponent, Canadian Graham Ryding,
hadn’t retired or pulled up lame by the end of their matches.
Olli takes advantage
Finland’s Tuominen, ranked world no 25, started slowly against second
seed Amr Shabana of Egypt. More precisely, Shabana started very fast.
“He can be so good like that,” said Olli afterwards. “He can be so
strong and so accurate, and there’s nothing you can do.”
Game two was a different story, as Shabana’s level dropped and
Tuominen picked up the pace. Said the Finn: “I got back into the match
and started to move him around. I hit closer to the wall and could see
his shots better.”
In game three, it all came apart for the gifted Egyptian. Tuominen
kept up the pressure, accelerating to a 7-3 lead, at which point
Shabana, clutching his brow in apparent mental exhaustion, threw away
the last four points. When he returned for game four, he quickly threw
in the towel, retiring after the first point.
Was this the Finn’s most memorable victory against world champion
Shabana? “Actually,” said Tuominen, “I remember playing him in the
British Open Juniors when we were just 14 in a really tough match. We
go way back, and that’s the one I really remember.”
Gough backs out
The Motor City Open, presented by Suburban Volvo, is played on the
harder wood of The Birmingham Athletic Club’s courts, and the surface
seemed to take its toll on Power and his opponent Alex Gough. From the
start, their rallies were long, corner-to-corner affairs, some lasting
as many as 75 shots. The exertion seemed to take its toll on both
players’ backs. By the third game, Gough was done, his back causing
too much discomfort. Power, dictating play and finishing rallies with
brilliantly disguised shots, took the victory, 11-7, 11-7, 11 -1.
Said the MCO defending champion Power: “That one was tough. Fifty
minutes is a long game for such an easy score.” Power, 30, will play
the 21-year old Gaultier next. The pair have met only once – in New
York in February, 2003. Power dominated that outing: 15-7, 15-11,
15-5.
Gaultier eases past Abbas
Gaultier, too, was the recipient of an early victory when his
opponent, Egypt’s Mohammed Abbas, retired with a foot injury.
“From the first, I could tell he wasn’t feeling just right,” reflected
world no 11 Gaultier afterwards. “But in the first game he was going
for his shots and making winners.” Indeed Abbas was, taking game one,
11-9. But thereafter, the fast Frenchman wore down his increasingly
hobbled opponent, 11-1 in the second, then 11-5 in the third. At 4-0
in the fourth, Abbas had had enough.
No repeat for Ryding
One week ago in St. Louis, no 6 seed Graham Ryding gave eventual
champion Karim Darwish all he could handle before eventually
succumbing 2/3 in their quarterfinal meeting. Tonight they were back
in the quarters again, but this time, it would be all Darwish.
Ryding had his best chance to take the momentum of the match when he
held game point at 10-9 in the first. But a drop into the tin
squandered the opportunity, and Darwish took the next three points and
the game in overtime, 11-10 (2-0). After that, the fluid Egyptian
found his rhythm and dispatched the determined Canadian, 11-8 in the
third, and 11-4 in the fourth, setting up a semi-final duel against
Olli Tuominen.
08-Oct, Round One:
Power Motors on
as
Price and Chaloner fall
Henry Payne reports from Detroit
Alex Gough and Olli Tuominen opened the 2004 Volvo Motor
City Open with first-round upsets at the Birmingham Athletic Club on
Thursday, while top seeds Jonathon Power and Amr Shabana
were tested, if unscathed. Gregory Gaultier, Karim Darwish,
Mohammed Abbas, and Graham Ryding rounded out the
evening’s winners, all advancing to Friday’s quarterfinals.
Gough, a Motor City runner-up in 2000, returned to Birmingham’s
hardwood to score a thrilling victory over eighth seed Paul Price of
Australia. The first two games featured nail-biting, edge-of-the-seat
stuff as each game went into overtime. Price took the first, 13-11,
then Gough rallied for the second, 14-12. Game three would be the
deciding game, as Gough doggedly pursued his strategy to keep Price
off-rhythm, moving his opponent side-to-side and corner-to-corner, so
as not to allow the big Aussie his favoured volleys and kill shots.
Gough gained the third, 11-9, and with it, the momentum. A frustrated
Price seemed spent in the fourth, surrendering 11-3 for the match.
Tuominen had already tasted success this year against seventh seed
Mark Chaloner, defeating him in a five-game thriller in Chicago's
Windy City Open. This time, he needed one less game to beat the
experienced Englishman. Though just 25, Tuominen is no stranger to the
game himself. He has been on the pro tour since he was 18, though
finding players in Finland to practice against can be difficult. Olli
is currently the only Finn on the PSA tour.
“I had a slow start this year, losing to some players ranked below
me,” he explained. “I am still not my sharpest but I had a good summer
and am getting better.” He will face Amr Shabana of Egypt in the
quarters Friday.
Shabana ran into a Jonathon Kemp buzz-saw in the early going of his
match. After a gruelling five-game win against Canada’s Shahier Razik
on Wednesday to qualify for the main draw, Kemp seemed determined to
take the game right to his Egyptian opponent so as not to get into a
rally marathon. A series of hard-hit nick winners had the crowd
gasping, and Kemp stretched Shabana to 11-9 in the first game. Game
two and three were just as close, with the sharp-shooting Kemp coming
up just short in both, 14-12 and 11-9 for a closer-than-it-appeared
3-0 loss.
Top seed Power and Australia’s Dan Jensen, ranked world no 20, were
matched up in the MCO first round for the second year in a row. And
for the second year in row, Power prevailed in three tense sets. The
Canadian showman looked on form despite playing in only his second
tournament since sustaining injury in Hong Kong in late August.
“I feel okay,” said Canada’s no 1. “Last week in St. Louis was a good
warm-up. Dan played well tonight, and I think the score doesn’t
indicate how close the match was.”
Also in the top half of the draw with Power and Gough is fourth seed
Gregory Gaultier, the French speedster making his first entry in the
MCO. He won easily over Canada’s Viktor Berg, 11-7, 11-7, and 11-5.
Gaultier will face smooth Egyptian Mohammed Abbas who put an end to
qualifier Gavin Jones' solid week. “He is very fast, so I have to plan
a good point,” said Abbas afterwards. “I tried to hit the ball hard,
keep him back, then cut off anything short. He won the third game, but
I felt him getting a little tired around 5-4 in the fourth.” Abbas
closed out the valiant Jones, 11-7 in the fourth.
In the bottom half of the draw, Karim Darwish, last week’s winner in
St. Louis, dispatched countryman Wael El Hindi in four games. He will
face Graham Ryding of Canada next. Ryding won an entertaining match
against qualifier Davide Bianchetti in three games, the first time the
two had ever met.
Midway through the third, Bianchetti suddenly collapsed on the court,
clutching his foot. With wide-eyed bewilderment, he then proceeded to
pull a severed shoe-lace from his shoe. “That’s a five-minute break
for broken equipment,” courtside spectator and rule czar Jonathon
Power announced to chuckles from the gallery. Bianchetti didn’t need
that long to recover a new shoe-lace, and the match was soon underway
once more.
07-Oct, Qualifying Finals:
Long night in Detroit
With three of the four qualifying finals going the distance, it
was a long night in Detroit, but Davide Bianchetti, Gavin
Jones, Jonathan Kemp and Wael El Hindi all won
through to the main draw of the Motor City Open.
Welshman Jones, who beat top seed Rodney Durbach in the first round,
came from 2-0 down to beat England's Lee Drew. "In the first two games
he was just unbeatable,” Jones said. "So I just tried to contain him,
hit the ball straighter, and slow the rallies down." The tactic
worked, but Drew wasn't finished, and took it to 10-all in the first.
"When it got to 10-all I thought: 'Oh, hell!'" said a relieved Jones
afterwards. "But I felt alright and put two solid rallies together to
win the match."
Italy's Davide Bianchetti also needed five games to get past Laurens
Jan Anjema. "In the matches I’ve played against Laurens before, I’ve
always won,” said Bianchetti, "but this was the hardest one yet. He’s
young and getting much better."
The third five-game winner was England's Jonathan Kemp, who outlasted
Shahier Razik, while Wael El Hindi enjoyed a straight games victory
over Aussie Cameron Pilley, to set up a first round meeting with
fellow Egyptian Karim Darwish, winner in St Louis last week.
06-Oct:
Parke sits out Detroit
Qualifying action in Detroit for the Motor City Open was missing one
star name, as Simon Parke withdrew with fatigue. Parke has been
enjoying a sensational run of form, but being forced to qualify for
every tournament this season has taken its toll.
Top of the qualifying draw was Davide Bianchetti, who received
a bye, but second seed Rodney Durbach was on the wrong end of a
95-minute defeat by Lee Drew.
Local hopefuls Rob McFadzean and Matt Jensen bowed out at the hands of
Jonathan Kemp and Shahir Razik, respectively, and
Canada's Ian Power, with brother Jonathon, the top seed, looking on,
couldn't get past Welshman Gavin Jones.
Preview:
Power's Detroit Return
Having been forced to sit out the US Open through injury, Jonathon
Power will be keen to defend his Motor City Open in Detroit to
kick-start his intended surge back to the top of the world rankings.
Power beat France's Thierry Lincou in last year's final, and this time
is seeded to face world champion Amr Shabana in the final at
the Birmingham Athletic Club.
With ten of the world's top twenty in attendance, however, neither of
the top seeds can take a final place for granted. Power faces a tricky
first round tie against Dan Jenson, who took out John White in
the US Open, with France's Gregory Gaultier his likely
semi-final opponent. Shabana too faces a tough passage to the final,
with Mark Chaloner and Karim Darwish his seeded
opponents after facing a qualifier in the first round.
The event is usually held in September, but was delayed this year due
to Golf's Ryder Cup utilising the club's facilities.
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alanbrz@yahoo.com
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