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29-Aug, Day TWO:
Qualifying Finals
No shortage of quality matches
today, as sixteen players battled it out for the last places in the
main draw. For the men it was the higher-ranked players who
prevailed, while in the women Aisling Blake and Latasha
Khan pulled off convincing upsets.
Blake is rewarded with a meeting with compatriot Madeline Perry,
while Khan now faces Omneya Abdel Kawy.
Spare a thought for Badr Abdel Aziz - after being on last two
nights in succession, not only does he now have to face world
champion David Palmer, but he's on last again ...
Women's Qualifying
Finals:
Aisling
Blake (Irl) bt Dominique Lloyd-Walter (Eng)
9/5, 9/0, 9/2 (34m)
plays Perry
Isabelle Stoehr (Fra) bt
Tricia Chuah (Mas)
9/7, 9/0, 9/0 (31m)
plays Botwright
Annelize Naude (Ned) bt Louise
Crome (Nzl)
10/8, 9/6, 9/0 (45m)
plays Atkinson
Latasha Khan (Usa) bt Lauren
Briggs (Eng)
9/1, 9/5, 9/5 (40m)
plays Abdel Kawy
Men's Qualifying Finals:
Mathieu Castagnet (Fra) bt
Piedro Schweertman (Ned)
11/6, 11/9, 11/2 (34m)
plays Bianchetti
Julien Balbo (Fra) bt Jesse
Engelbrecht (Rsa)
11/7, 11/5, 11/8 (37m)
plays Tuominen
Bradley Hindle (Aus) bt Lucas Buit
(Ned)
12/10, 11/4, 9/11, 11/7
(49m) plays Bennett
Badr Abdel Aziz (Swe) bt Luca
Mastrostefano (Ita)
11/8, 11/5, 9/11, 11/6
(47m) plays Palmer
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Day One Gallery |
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the luck of the Irish ... |
Guess whose birthday ... answer at the bottom |
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Aisling Blake (Irl) bt
Dominique Lloyd-Walter (Eng)
9/5, 9/0, 9/2 (34m)
Aisling accelerates
into main draw
If the start was tight, the finish was anything but. Aisling pulled
away towards the end of a very even opening game which featured
solid squash by both players, long rallies with limited attacks and
few errors.
The deceptive boast with which the Irish girl finished the game was
an omen of things to come though, as she went on to dominate the
next two to claim a valuable entry into the main draw.
"The first was
anyone's, even though it was 9/5, but I still felt pretty relaxed.
After that I just tried to do what Liz told me - 'keep it deep and
squeeze those corners'- and it was working fine. If I was in trouble
I started serving higher and giving the ball more height, the lights
on this court are tricky and they make it harder for your opponent
to volley."
"It's only the third gold tournament I've qualified for, so
obviously I'm really pleased!"
"She set herself up well for the rallies and went out to the ball
beautifully, but she played a great length which was the key.
"She's been working hard for two years and it's really beginning to
pay off now. It's going to be a good period coming up, that's top
sixteen material she was playing today."
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Isabelle Stoehr (Fra) bt Tricia
Chuah (Mas)
9/7, 9/0, 9/0 (31m)
Stoehr sails through
In the second of three consecutive matches featuring French players,
Isabelle Stoehr overcame a sticky start before going on to qualify
comfortably.
It was Tricia Chuah who started the stronger, taking a 4/0 lead in a
competitive start to the match. Isabelle stuck in though, and
battled back to level at 6-all after a series of well-contested
rallies.
She reached game ball with drop, took it on a stroke, and,
maintaining the edge she had earned, was never seriously challenged
thereafter. Tricia looked uncomfortable during that first game
interval, and clearly had something troubling her as she conceded
rather tamely in the next two games.
"In the first I was tense, I felt a bit slow and sleepy. I tried to
make myself awake and to get into the game. But Tricia played well
in the first game.
"At the end I pushed so hard to win the first and then I got more
relaxed in the second, as my shots went through. I tried not to give
her more points, and made her move harder.
"I'm happy to win this, tomorrow I'm going to be fresh and I'm
looking forward playing anyone tomorrow.
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Annelize Naude (Ned) bt Louise
Crome (Nzl)
10/8, 9/6, 9/0 (45m)
Annelize takes local derby
Training partners in Amsterdam, these two know each others' games
well, and for the first two that was clear to see in a tough
opening.
After three quick point for Annelize to start the match Louise took
the initiative as the rallies lengthened, leading 7/5, then living
to regret two game balls missed at 8/6.
Undeterred the Kiwi got the better start again in the second, but
this time saw a 5/2 lead slip away more easily.
Annelize made a reprise of her three quick points trick to start the
third, and it never looked as though Louise - who heads back home
for the NZ Nationals next week - would make an unlikely comeback.
"I was quite happy
with how I played today, the first two games were good but I made
too many errors in the third. I though I might have got a couple of
decisions when I had her in my backswing, it might have been
interesting if I'd taken the first.
"I'm generally happy with how I'm playing, I'm moving well and
didn't fell tired, which is what we're training for. We're doing a
lot of fitness work as a group and it seems to be paying dividends.
"After the Nationals it's a series of big events in Madrid, Qatar,
Hong Kong, and I'll probably do Monte Carlo so I won't be back here
properly until November."
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"It's a shame we played each other because we train together in
Amsterdam. She's a top player and I knew it would be a hard match
and that I had to play my best game to get through this.
"She started well in the first game…and I'm happy to get through
quickly in the last game."
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Latasha Khan (Usa) bt Lauren Briggs
(Eng)
9/1, 9/5, 9/5 (40m)
200% better for Latasha
 When
these two met in Los Angeles a few weeks ago Latasha, to put it
bluntly, didn't get a sniff. Laura was onto everything like a flash,
putting it back with interest, and Latasha just couldn't find an
answer.
Tonight was a completely different picture. Lauren was the
error-prone one, and Latasha's play had a more positive, more
penetrative quality to it from the outset.
It was the American who was driving the ball to a length, making it
die in the corners, and picking up the odd nick and generous bounce
along the way.
It went to 4-all in the second before Latasha accelerated away, but
the first and third games were pretty much one-way traffic. Lauren
saved match ball at 3/8 with a sidewall nick that you wondered about
being a turning point, but it was only a couple of points later that
Latasha was glueing a drive down the backhand wall and raising a
fist in delight.
"That was awful. Felt
bad, played even worse ..."
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 "I'm
a lot fitter now, I've been working on my fitness a lot, and like my
Dad told m, if you're fit you should play as if you're fit.
"So instead of going for the short stuff and hitting the tin, I was
keeping it to a length and making use of my fitness.
"Apart from hitting the top of the tin, it was pretty much the same
game as in LA, it just worked for me this time.
"But Lauren's a nice player, and it's always a nice game when we
play."
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Mathieu Castagnet (Fra) bt
Piedro Schweertman (Ned)
11/6, 11/9, 11/2 (34m)
Home run for Mathieu
It's been a long, hard run for young Frenchman Mathieu Castagnet,
from Bishops Stortford to Amsterdam with tough matches all along the
way.
Understandable then that he wasn't in sparkling for today against
Piedro Schweertman, but he did enough to quell the challenge of the
Dutchman who himself came through the pre-qualifying competition to
get this far.
Mathieu was in control for the majority of the match, Piedro
threatening briefly to take a game as he clawed a few points back
towards the end of the second, but by the third he was a spent
force.
Mathieu will need to take all the rest he can for tomorrow, and with
both top seeds lying in wait for two of today's qualifiers tonight's
draw will be awaited with interest ...
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"It's very difficult in my head, it's my second tournament, fifth
match in a row at the start of the season. I was really tired and
I'm envious of my home, of sleep.
"I knew he was a very good player, I played him in Rotterdam in a
league match, and although it was 3/0 it was hard, so I knew I
couldn't afford to relax.
"The centre court is very hard to play on after the other courts,
it's very slow, and the high tin makes it hard to play drops and
volleys like we're used to.
"I'm very happy to qualify, and if I play David Palmer or Davide
Bianchetti I don't mind. I'd like to have a match against Dylan
Bennett, but if I have to play Palmer then so be it …"
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Julien Balbo (Fra) bt Jesse
Engelbrecht (Rsa)
11/7, 11/5, 11/8 (37m)
Balbo makes it
3 for France
Julien Balbo ensured that France gained a third extra spot in the
main draw with a solid victory over Jesse Engelbrecht that left the
newly-registered South African frustrated and quickly booking a
flight home.
Julien took and maintained the lead in all three games, with his
opponent contributing just enough errors to maintain it in each
case.
"I was so scared,
shaking as I was going to serve even. I was really tight, went for
everything short I could, but nothing was working, I even put the
ball straight into the tin off the serve on match ball.
"I've been playing really confidently recently, been preparing well
and putting the work in. I'm probably just expecting the results to
come too quickly – I was trying to play perfect squash out there,
but as soon as I made a couple of mistakes that was it. I haven't
played like that for, well forever.
"I managed to get the last spot into the English Grand Prix, so I'll
go there and just play relaxed, not try to play perfect squash …
only Ramy can do that."
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"I'm happy to have passed through the
qualifications. I had a difficult week so mentally I wasn't
motivated enough to win two matches. It' always hard to play Jesse,
he's a good player so I'm satisfied to win 3/0…it's an extra
bonus…now everything's good and I'm going to sleep easily tonight!"
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the Referees |
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Bradley Hindle (Aus) bt Lucas Buit
(Ned)
12/10, 11/4, 9/11, 11/7
(49m)
Pupil masters Coach
Another matchup between training partners, but this time with the
added twist that Lucas is Bradley's coach. You'd think that would
mean a nice friendly game, but, as Bradley put it, "we hate each
other on court and play like it, always have done."
Nothing nasty, but they were both very committed, and as they know
each others' games so well it meant lots of attempts at outfoxing
the other, and lots of scrambling recoveries.
Good, entertaining stuff, but in the end it was the pupil who
triumphed, and the master wasn't happy ...
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"He's a legend; though he's 40 years
old his body is younger than many players on tour. To him squash is
chess and that's how he plays it. Today I had to be mentally solid
on every point, every rally.
"The match was so close and I'm happy to win. He's my coach which
sometimes helps and sometimes doesn't. He's a credit to the sport."
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Badr Abdel Aziz (Swe) bt Luca
Mastrostefano (Ita)
11/8, 11/5, 9/11, 11/6
(47m)
Another late night for Badr
The last man to qualify, Badr Abdel Aziz's reward for victory over a
too error-prone Luca Mastrostefano is another 21.00 match, but this
time against world champion David Palmer ... sleep well, Badr,
you'll need it!
"Happy to win this…I
played better than yesterday…it’s my first tournament after a couple
of months, so I tried to find the rhythm… "It was a good game today,
Luca played some good rallies…He played well…
"I’m happy to be in the main draw of such a big tournament…see who
will I play tomorrow…"
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 "Tough
match...He’s a good player so you have to keep the ball tight and
the pace high. You mustn’t leave the ball loose because he’s got
good winners.
"I wasn’t tight enough and my rhythm wasn’t high enough…well, that’s
almost the story of the match!”
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