|
|
|
Thu 26th, Day THREE: Round One:
[3] Azlan Iskandar
(Mas) bt [Q] Steve Finitsis (Aus)
11/9, 11/4, 11/6 (33m)
Simon Rosner (Ger) bt [5] Joey
Barrington (Eng)
9/11, 12/10, 11/4,
7/5 rtd (60m)
[8] Julian Illingworth (Usa)
bt Chris Ryder (Eng)
9/11, 11/13, 11/9,
11/5, 11/5 (69m)
[7] Davide Bianchetti (Ita) bt [Q] Dylan Bennett
(Ned)
11/5, 11/4, 9/11,
11/8 (67m)
[6] Tom Richards (Eng) bt Piedro Schweertman
(Ned)
11/4, 11/5, 4/11,
11/7 (40m)
[1] Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) bt [Q] Nicolas
Mueller (Sui)
11/4, 11/5, 11/4
(35m)
[4] Daryl Selby
(Eng) bt Kashif Shuja (Nzl)
12/14, 11/5,
7/11, 11/4, 11/4 (75m)
[2] Cameron Pilley (Aus) bt [Q] Ryan Cuskelly
(Aus)
11/9,
11/8, 11/7 (52m) |
Daily News, Thu 26th |
|
|
|
|
[3] Azlan
Iskandar (Mas) bt [Q] Steve Finitsis (Aus)
11/9, 11/4, 11/6 (33m)
Fair enough for Azlan
Third seed Azlan Iskandar moved comfortable enough into the
quarter-finals, seeing off a spirited challenge for
qualifier Steve Finitsis in straight games.
From the outset the ball was flying fast and bouncing high,
meat and drink for the Aussie, who more than held in own in
the first, Iskandar just clinching the last two point to
take a very close game.
In the next two however, Finitsis was a little too impatient
to finish the rallies, and a few crucial errors in each game
gave the momentum to Iskandar, who needed no second
invitation.
Despite the bouncy conditions the match was played in
tremendous spirit, both players playing the ball whenever
possible, good to see.
 "After
watching the matches last night I was waiting for the ball
to start dying, but it never did, it was so fast!
"That's what you get when two players are attacking the ball
I guess, we were both getting some racket head speed on it.
"Steve played well in the first, I was glad to take that
one. It was to my advantage that he had a tough match last
night and was first on today, but I'll take it.
"That's a good start though, to get off in three in half an
hour, I can look forward to the rest of the tournament now
..."
 |
|
Simon
Rosner (Ger) bt [5] Joey
Barrington (Eng)
9/11, 12/10, 11/4,
7/5 rtd (60m)
Rosner earns his quarter-final place
German youngster Simon Rosner recorded his first win over
Joey Barrington, and boy did he earn it. This was a tough
match, brutal at times with some ferocious hitting, some
bumping and barging, and plenty of very, very, determined
rallies.
Rosner could easily have won 3-0, he led 9-5 in the first
but allowed some errors to creep into his game as Barrington
took six points in a row, and let a 7-2 lead in the second
slip in the same manner. This time though he saved game ball
at 9-10 and went on to level.
Always in charge in the third, Rosner maintained the
momentum into the fourth, and after a couple of particularly
tough rallies Barrington decided enough was enough and
offered his hand.
"On about the fifth or sixth point of the match I stretched
into the back corner and tweaked something in my glute,"
said Barrington. "I probably shouldn't have come out for the
third, and by the fourth it was just too bad to be worth
carrying on."
"That was a pretty tough match. It got a bit physical at
times, but we're both tall players, it's always likely to
happen.
"He's such a good player, you have to be on your toes all
the time. I had a good lead in all the games but then I was
a bit too laid back which made me lose the first and nearly
the second.
"He was getting a bit tired towards the end, I had to just
keep pushing all the way, not letting him get back into his
game.
"I've lost to him a couple of times so it's nice to get a
first win over him, it was a great help that my coach could
come over from Paderborn."
|
|
 |
[8] Julian
Illingworth (Usa) bt Chris Ryder (Eng)
9/11, 11/13, 11/9,
11/5, 11/5 (69m)
Illingworth pulls through
Eighth seed Julian Illingworth could quite easily have lost
this match 3/0, but ended up winning it with some ease. Off
the pace and making too many unforced errors in the first,
the American fell behind to Chris Ryder who maintained a
steady pace throughout.
Illingworth appeared to have got himself back into he match
in the second, only for more unforced errors to creep in at
the death, allowing Ryder back from 10/8 down, taking four
points in a row to double his lead.
It almost happened in the third too, a good lead for
Illingworth which he let slip to 8-all, but this time
managed to finish the game off without undue drama.
He was pretty much in control for the last two games, his
greater weight of shot keeping the Englishman moving and
forcing mistakes rather than making them.
 "I
was a little off the pace in the first, although he came out
pretty accurate and was moving well. I just didn't have any
confidence with my shots, I changed my racket after the
first and again after the second to try to make a
difference.
"I got stuck in more in the second, had game balls, then in
the third I just wanted to make a game of it. Once I took
the third my confidence started going up, his was going down
a little, and I started to feel pretty comfortable and was
hitting some good nicks.
"I'm happy to get through, this is the first time I've made
the second round of a four or five star event, so it will be
good to get a match against one of the top boys - probably
Daryl, but I wouldn't be too disappointed if a qualifier
upset him!"
 |
|
[7] Davide
Bianchetti (Ita) bt [Q] Dylan Bennett
(Ned)
11/5, 11/4, 9/11,
11/8 (67m)
Bianchetti tested by Bennett
It was looking like a comfortable straight games win for
seventh seed Davide Bianchetti, but Dylan Bennett improved
to make it a real struggle for the Italian in the end.
Bianchetti was well in control for the first two games, with
Bennett struggling to get a foothold in the match and
getting more and more frustrated - he received a conduct
warning for racket abuse towards the end of the second.
But in the third the Dutchman improved his level greatly,
and suddenly it was a close match. He pulled one back in a
tight ending to the third - Bianchetti received one warning
for querying a decision, another for exclaiming "Mamma Mia",
and started the third a point down after making comments at
the end of the game.
Bennett added three quick points to take a 4/0 lead, but
Bianchetti started working his way back, levelling at 5-all.
It was still a good contest, but it ended somewhat
disappointingly for the Dutchman - from 8-all Bianchetti
buried one into the backwall nick, Bennett hit an unexpected
tin, then couldn't scrape it off the sidewall on the next
rally.
But Dylan can take heart from a good couple of weeks, and
Bianchetti can look forward to the quarter-finals ...
 "In
the first two games I played the right game against him, but
then he changed his game and started playing better and I
lost a bit of my reading of the game.
"The court's quite difficult to play on, it feels bouncy but
it's not really, and if you can get it to the back corners
it dies.
"He's definitely improved since I last saw him play, he's
stronger and makes less mistakes. He won a tournament last
week and qualified here, so you have to be playing well to
win six PSA matches at any level."
"I'm really not sure why I got those conduct warnings, I
actually thought it was one of my better matches! But at
least I won, eventually ..."
 "I
struggled in the first two, I just couldn't get it past him.
Tommy kept telling me I had to find a way to get the ball
deep, and I did that in the third and fourth, and he got
frustrated.
"Overall I'm happy, considering where I was ten days ago
it's a big improvement."
 |
 |
|
 |
[6] Tom
Richards (Eng) bt Piedro Schweertman
(Ned)
11/4, 11/5, 4/11,
11/7 (40m)
Richards dents Dutch hopes
 The
dream is over for one Dutchman as Tom Richards put out
wildcard Piedro Schweertman in four entertaining games.
The Englishman was well in control in the first two games,
both played at a cracking pace. "Is something wrong with
Piedro," asked someone on the chat. No, just that Richards
was playing well and the Dutchman was struggling to get a
foothold in the match.
He did that in the third, taking an early lead, and a couple
of errors from Richards left him adrift as he let the final
few points go.
He was back on son in the fourth though, despite some heroic
retrieving and lovely shotmaking from Schweertman, and was
soon enough in the quarters.
 "I
felt pretty comfortable at the start, but I knew he'd come
into it. He got a lift from the crowd in that third game, I
played a couple of cheap rallies and it got away from me.
"You could see he got confident, he got a lot of balls back
and hit some great shot, made it difficult for me which is
what I expected.
"I'm glad to get through, now it's my training partner
Azlan, we always hit together when we're in London, so it
should be interesting."
 |
|
[1] Laurens Jan
Anjema (Ned) bt [Q] Nicolas
Mueller (Sui)
11/4, 11/5, 11/4
(35m)
LJ powers through
Home favourite and newly-installed top seed Laurens Jan
Anjema made a sound start to add the Dutch Open title to his
National crown with a comprehensive win over Swiss youngster
Nicolas Mueller.
After a cagey opening the Dutchman steamrollered ahead to
take the first. Mueller made his opponent work much harder
in the second, but still Anjema won it with points to spare,
and come the third the crowd were cheering as their
favourite dominated, firing in some cracking winners towards
the fast-approaching end.
"I played pretty tight in the first and third, and even
though it was a little chaotic in the second I still ended
up winning it comfortably, so overall I'm happy with that
performance.
"I felt exactly the right level of nervousness, I was
relaxed but knew it was important, it felt good and I hope I
can keep that feeling for the rest of the week.
"It's great to play at home, I've had some memorable
encounters on this court against the likes of Thierry Lincou
and Joe Kneipp, and this club has a great atmosphere ..."
 |
 |
|
 |
[4] Daryl Selby (Eng) bt Kashif Shuja (Nzl)
12/14, 11/5,
7/11, 11/4, 11/4 (75m)
Selby survives Shuja attack
What a match, and what a mighty first game. It started with
an absolutely enormous rally that ended in a let, and
finished with a lovely backhand overhead drop into the nick
by Kashif Shuja.
In the half hour between those two rallies, Daryl Selby had
worked his opponent hard to earn a 9/4 lead, let it slip to
9-all with a series of careless errors, only to see his
opponent sneak the game on extra points.
The game plan was sound, the execution flawed, but the
Englishman went back to keeping the rallies long and hard,
trying to squeeze the magic out of his opponent's magic
racket. And it worked.
By the time he had taken the second game a 3/1 win looked
likely, but the Kiwi came out firing in the third,
surprising Selby with a series of delightful touch winners
to retake the lead.
It was back to basics again for Selby, and after taking
early leads in the fourth and fifth games there was no
looking back. Shuja started guessing a little too often,
mostly wrongly, and by the middle of the fifth there was
only one winner.
It was a relieved Englishman who put the final shot away
though, he knew this could easily have been an upset ...
 "I
was annoyed losing the first from so far up, but I have to
give a lot of credit to Shuja, he played really well and put
me under a lot of pressure.
"He's fantastically talented with the racket and when he's
pumped up for it like he was tonight he's really dangerous,
he's taken some very big scalps.
"It was a very fast start, but the ball went a bit dead in
the third. He spotted it before me and started putting the
ball in short.
"I was a bit up and down and made a few uncharacteristic
errors. We've had a lot of squash recently, maybe that's
taken its toll. I was proud of myself mentally, of how I dug
in though, pleased with that."
 |
|
[2] Cameron
Pilley (Aus) bt [Q] Ryan Cuskelly
(Aus)
11/9,
11/8, 11/7 (52m)
Pilley progresses ...
The final match of the day saw second seed Cameron Pilley
prevail in one of those matches that must have left Ryan
Cuskelly thinking "how did I lose that 3/0?".
Three close games, played at a fast pace with no little
skill and deal of humour, but it was Pilley who just managed
to close out all three.
"That was close ... he had nothing to lose, he was always
going to go for his shots and he did!
"A 3/0 win is good but he could easily have sneaked one or
two of those games and then it would have been a different
proposition. It certainly pumped up the lungs a bit ...
"We grew up near each other, and we had a few practice hits
together, but that's the first time we've played each other
in a real match, which is always different ..."
 |
 |
|
