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ACT Open 2011, 25-27 Mar,
Canberra, Australia |
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Mike & Lisa
win in
Perth in 2010
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 27-Mar,
Finals:
Top seeds pick up where they
left off in 2011
Andrew Dent reports
Top seeds Mike Corren and Lisa Camilleri
picked up where they left off last year when they took out
their respective finals at the ACT Open squash tournament in
Canberra on Sunday.
South Australian Corren downed Egyptian Basem Makram 11-3,
11-8, 11-3 while Queensland’s Camilleri was too good for
Melbourne’s Melody Francis 11-6, 11-6, 11-3.
Both Corren and Camilleri were serial winners in Australian
tournaments in 2010, Corren claiming eight titles during the
year and Camilleri nine.
And they showed no signs of easing off in 2011 as they
wrapped up their matches in straight games on Sunday.
Camilleri, 28, was playing her first tournament of the year
and said she had taken a while to settle into the match.
“I was a bit nervous at the start – a little bit too
excited,” she said. “But my coach Vicki Cardwell came down
at the end of the first game and told me to slow down, but
it took me a game and half to settle down.”
Camilleri said she had been suffering a stomach bug over the
past few days and didn’t want to stay on court for too long.
“Melody has become a lot steadier over the past 12 months
and looks to keep the rallies going, so I tried to volley
everything. I was really focused in getting off in three
games.”
The title was Camilleri’s 16th of her career, while Corren
chalked up title number 33 with his win.
“At the end of last year I made some changes and sorted some
health problems out,” the 37-year-old Corren said. “For the
last month I’ve felt like a new person and my movement has
become so much better.”
Corren said Makram looked fatigued after fighting his way
through some tough matches to make the final and he made
sure he took full advantage.
He said it was refreshing so many international players had
come to Australia for the tour.
“Every guy I played here was different (from last year),” he
said. “I was the only Australian in the last four so I
thought to myself ‘I don’t want these overseas guys coming
here and winning our tournaments’.
“But it’s good for the younger guys to see different players
and different styles of play.”
Corren now heads to Brisbane, where he is the fourth seed at
the Hibiscus Gardens Open, while Camilleri has a two week
break before the Westerfolds JDP tournament, where she is
once again the top seed.
1-Mike Corren (SA) bt 6-Basem
Makram (EGY) 11-3, 11-8, 11-3
1-Lisa Camilleri (Qld) bt 2-Melody Francis (Vic)
11-6, 11-6, 11-3 |
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Australian Squash Tour 2011
Australian Squash Tour 2010 |
Déjà
vu in Canberra
Top seeds Mike Corren and Lisa Camilleri will
be looking to take up where they left off in 2010 as they
head into their respective finals of the ACT Open in
Canberra.
Corren and Camilleri were serial winners on the Australian
Squash Tour last year and they are both favoured to start
the 2011 version with wins.
Corren takes on Egyptian surprise packet Basem Makram
in the men’s final while Camilleri us up against the second
seed, the fast improving Victorian Melody Francis.
Corren, who won four titles on the Australian Squash Tour in
2010, and another four later in the year, has played Makram
once before in 2008, winning in four games.
If he wins the ACT Open, it will be his 33rd title on the
PSA Tour.
Camilleri, a seven time winner on last year’s Australian
Squash Tour, will be aiming for her 16th career title. She
has beaten Francis in all seven of their previous
encounters, including the final of last year’s Black Knight
Open in Perth.
Francis broke through for her first tour win in January at
the Australia Day Challenge.
Quarter-finals
Men
1-Mike Corren (SA) bt 5-Sebastian Weenink (NED)
11-3, 6-11, 12-10,
11-6
3-Chris Truswell (ENG) bt Lance Beddoes (NZL)
12-10, 11-4, 11-8
6-Basem Makram (EGY) bt 4-Josh Cardwell (Vic)
10-12, 10-12,
11-8, 11-2, 11-6
Paul Coll (NZL) bt 2-Tyler Hamilton (CAN)
9-11,
11-9, 12-14, 11-5, 11-5
Women
1-Lisa Camilleri (Qld) bt Vanessa Pickerd (Vic)
11-0.
11-7, 11-6
4-Samantha Davies (Qld) bt Christine Nunn (ACT)
15-13,
11-8, 11-4
3-Sarah Cardwell (Vic) bt 7-Challen Stowell (Qld)
11-7,
11-3, 11-4
2-Melody Francis (Vic) bt 6-Bethany Brazier (Qld)
11-2, 11-5, 11-6
Semi-finals
Men
1-Mike Corren (SA) bt 3-Chris Truswell (ENG)
12-10, 11-8, 1-11, 11-7
6-Basem Makram (EGY) bt Paul Coll (NZL)
13-11, 11-3, 12-10
Women
1-Lisa Camilleri (Qld) bt 4-Samantha Davies (Qld)
11-4, 11-7, 11-8
2-Melody Francis (Vic) bt 3-Sarah Cardwell (Vic)
11-6, 3-11, 11-4, 6-11, 11-8 |
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Australian Squash Tour 2011
Australian Squash Tour 2010 |
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