[4] Raphael Kandra 3-1 [2] Jan Koukal
         12-10, 9-11, 11-6, 11-4 (55m)

Kandra claims Ciutat title

Young German Raphael Kandra claimed his third PSA title when he beat the experienced Jan Koukal in the climax in Barcelona, completing a tournament which saw him begin by beating two Spanish players before taking out the top two seeds in the semis and final.
  

27-Sep, Semis:
Kandra and Koukal to meet
in Barcelona final ...

Germany's fourth seed Raphael Kandra pulled off a major upset in the semi-finals at the Club Natació Sant Andreu in Barcelona, beating top seed Kristian Frost in straight games.

It wasn't to be a German double though, as Czech second seed Jan Koukal overcame Jens Schoor, seeded three, in three games although extra points were needed in two of those.

For Koukal this will be his 43rd PSA final, with 23 titles already in his locker, while Kandra, 8 years younger at 22 but at #77 currently ranked one place higher than his final opponent, will be making his 8th PSA final appearance.
 

11-9, 11-2, 12-10

[4] Raphael Kandra

[4] Raphael Kandra

12-10, 9-11, 11-6, 11-4 (55m)

[2] Jan Koukal

13-11, 11-8, 13-11

[2] Jan Koukal

25-Sep, Qualifying Finals:

Dani Pascual (Esp) 3-1 Alex Phillips (Eng)                       11-7, 11-6, 11-13, 11-7
Iker Pajares (Esp) 3-0 Jerome Dadot (Fra)                                11-9, 11-4, 11-4
Richie Fallows (Eng) 3-1 Robert Downer (Eng)                   7-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-8
Christophe Andre (Fra) 3-0 Jan Van Den Herrewegen (Bel)         11-8, 11-7, 11-1

25-Sep, Qualifying Round One:

Alex Phillips (Eng) 3-0 Nilo Vidal (Esp)
Dani Pascual (Esp) 3-1Anthony Brindle (Gib) 
Richie Fallows (Eng) 3-0 Joel Jaume (Esp)
Robert Downer (Eng) 3-2 Ivan Flores (Esp)
Jerome Dadot (Fra) 3-0 Xavier Blasco (Esp)
Iker Pajares (Esp) 3-0 Tristan Eysele (Eng)
Christophe Andre (Fra) 3-0 Richard Williams (Eng)
Jan van den Herreweggen (Bel) 3-2 Bernat Jaume (Esp)

Richard Williams reports

Raphael Kandra bt Kristian Frost 3-0 (11-9, 11-2, 12-10)

In the 1st game both players started patiently to feel themselves into the match and to work out the other players play. As expected there were some long rallies with both players showing good court craft and movement around the court. However, it was always Kristian slightly in the lead throughout and he took a 9-7 lead. Raphael came back at the Danish player and played 4 solid points in a row to steal the game 11-9.

In the 2nd game Raphael started off very strongly and was starting to be play some excellent winning shots. Whether it be drop shot nicks, dying lengths, deceptive holds, etc, this was a perfect game played by Raphael. He was using a lot of variation and was making Kristian do a lot of work. Kristian just didn't know what to do at that point and when he was 8-2 down or so he didn't waste much more energy in a comeback attempt as to save energy for the 3rd game. The game ended 11-2.

With the disappointment of the 2nd game, Kristian started off very focused in the 3rd game. Kristian started to hit tighter shots and more meaningful attacks when he had the chance. And with a few errors from Raphael for the first time he took a commanding 8-3 lead. It looked like we were going into a 4th. However Raphael was not thinking like that and he found his game again like in the 2nd and reached match ball at 10-9. Kristian managed to save the match ball but Raphael wasn´t to be denied and took the game and match at his next opportunity 12-10.

The duration of the match was approximately 60 minutes.

Jan Koukal – Jens Schoor 3-0 (13-11, 11-8, 13-11)

The 1st game like in the first semi-final started off with both players feeling their way into the match. Both players were very evenly matched and the rallies were long. Also there were a lot of lets and some tension between the players which is to be expected considering what they were playing for. It was Jens who got to game ball first at 10-9 which Jan saved. Again Jens had another chance at 11-10 but Jan who always looks very calm took the next 3 points to take the game 13-11.

In the 2nd game it was much of the same. However Jan was always a couple of points ahead with Jens making a couple of mistakes. Jan wasn´t giving Jens any free points and was playing very consistently. With his what seems effortless movement he was retrieving some excellent attacks from Jens at the front and then either counter punching or lobbing his way out of trouble. This worked well and Jan went on to take the game 11-8.

The 3rd game started off with some excellent attacking play from both players. The rallies had become a bit shorter as both players were finding winners and we were locked in at 5-5. However as we were now getting to the business end of the game the rally length increased and it was eventually Jens that had game ball at 10-9. However just as in the 1st game Jan saved the game ball and on his second match ball took the match as Jens hit a drop shot into the tin. The game ended at 13-11.

This semi-final was slightly longer than the first with a duration of approximately 70 minutes.
 

Kristian Frost 3-1 Yann Perrin 11-6, 8-11, 11-3, 11-2

The 1st quarter final was between no 1 seed Kristian Frost and the talented Frenchman Yann Perrin. In the 1st game Kristian made a steady start and soon took a 6-2 lead. He then continued to maintain this advantage to close out the game 11-6.

Up to this point we had not yet seen the Frenchman produce some of the attacking squash we know he can. However in the 2nd game from 3-1 down he suddenly found his form and with some outrageous shots took 7 points in a row. This was too much of a lead for Kristian to claw back and Yann leveled up the match by taking the game 11-8.
Immediately at the start of the 3rd Kristian knuckled down and by keeping the ball tight didn´t allow Yann the chances to attack.
 However Yann still did try attack but as shots weren’t relly on then most of his attempts hit the tin. Kristian took a 2-1 game lead by taking the game comfortable 11-3.

Much of the same in the 4th game with Kristian closing out the game and match 11-2. Although the score was 3-1 there were not too many long rallies and this should serve Kristian well for his semi-final in the evening.

Raphael Kandra 3-1 Alex Garbi  11-6, 1-11, 11-2, 11-8

This was a tough match on paper for Raphael considering that Alex was in a moment of good form. The 1st game started off evenly with some long rallies and we were at 5-5. At this point Raphael stringed 4 good points in a row to open up a lead which he held on to and closed out the game 11-6.

In the 2nd game things changed dramatically with Alex racing to a 7-0 lead. He had increased the pace and was dominating the points with an excellent length game. He soon closed out the game 11-1.
In the 3rd game this match changed suddenly changed again with it now being Raphael taking charge. From 2-2 he won 9 points in a row to take the game 11-2.

The 4th game was more equal and we were going point for point to 8-8. The points were brutally tough and Alex was doing slightly more work than Raphael. This was important in the end as Raphael was able to close out the game and match 11-8.

Jens Schoor 3-0 Joan Lezaud  11-8, 11-7, 15-13

Next up was the match between the 3rd seed Jens Schoor and the Frenchman Joan Lezaud. The 1st game was fairly even but Jens was more able to put the ball away and took the game 11-8.
In the 2nd game Joan started really well and played very consistently to open up a 6-2 lead. However this lead was soon eaten up by Jens as he won 7 points in a row. Soon after he closed out the game 11-7.

In the 3rd game we were treated to some exceptional squash. Joan played the better squash and was getting back anything Jens could throw at him and he deservedly got to game ball at 10-7. However Jens was desperate to get off in 3, and he kept his nerve to save the 3 game balls to take us into a tie-break. Both players then had 3 game balls each and failed to convert. On two of Joan´s game balls he went for a crosscourt nick and made an error. Jens with showing a little more patience eventually took the game and match 15-13.

Jan Koukal  3-0 Christophe Andre 11-7, 11-4, 11-2

The last match of the day was between the 2nd seed Jan Koukal and the tall Frenchman Christophe Andre. It was obvious at the start that Jan had a game plan to keep Christophe on the run to limit his attacking play and to test his fitness. This worked well for Jan who played a lot of moving shots to move Christophe to all parts of the court as to not let him settle into his rhythm. With this tactic Jan took the 1st game 11-7.

Much of the same in the 2nd and Christophe began to get tired and started to make frequent errors. This allowed Jan to take the 2nd and 3rd games relatively easily 11-4 and 11-2 to close out the match.

Kristian Frost bt Richie Fallows 3-1

The first round of the main draw kicked off with Kristian Frost and the young English qualifier Richie Fallows who locked in a fierce tight battle, even though rankings suggest otherwise. Both played at an extremely high intensity really demonstrating the physicality of the game. Kristian started the better of the two and opened up a 2 point lead but only for Richie to respond to take 7 points in a row to take a 8-6 lead. He then managed to keep hold of this lead to win the 1st game 11-9.

In the 2nd game Kristian reacted by raising the tempo and took the game commandingly 11-3. The 3rd game in contrast was a very close affair and things were starting to get a little scrappy with a lot of lets being called. Richie took a 9-8 lead but Kristian then reeled of 3 points in a row to take the game 11-9.

The 4th game was also a long affair but Kristian took control by taking a 8-4 lead. However Richie did manage to react and close the deficit bringing it back to 7-8. However the experience of Kristian showed and he closed out the match 11-8.

This match was a very competitive affair lasting approximately 90 minutes. Although Kristian won the match, Richie showed that he is one to look out for in the future.

Yann Perrin bt Hernan D´Argangelo 3-1

This match on paper looked like it could be a close encounter which it turned out to be. The 1st game especially showd this the points been shared evenly throughout and we were into a tie-break at 10 all. Yann kept his nerve better and took the game 12-10.

The 2nd game saw a more confident Yann and he raised to a 9-2 lead after stringing together a run of 8 points. Soon after he took a 2 game lead by winning it 11-4.

The 3rd game started off quite evenly but Hernan started to find his game won the last 6 points of the game to take it 11-4.

We now had a match on our hands and could the match turn in the favor of Hernan? It looked like we were going into a 5th game as Hernan took a 9-7 lead. However Yann was having none of it and played an excellent 4 points to sneak the game and match 11-9.

Alex Garbi bt Tom de Mulder 3-0

Alex Garbi started his campaign today against the young Belgium Tom de Mulder. Alex has been showing some great form recently by winning his first PSA tournament in Brazil last week. Therefore it was always going to be tough for Tom and that´s how it proved to be.

Tom was able to keep up with Alex until the middle part of each game and showed some good touch at times. However Alex´s play was too consistent for the younger player and he ran out a comfortable winner 11-8, 11-8, 11-5. This guaranteed that a Spaniard would be contesting a quarter final to the locals delight.

Raphael Kandra bt Iker Pajares 3-0

The young 17 year old Catalan player who had come through the qualifying had a step up in level against the strong German player Raphael Kandra. The German started consistently and took an 8-5 lead which he managed to keep hold of to win the game 11-8.

In the 2nd game we were neck and neck throughout and with some patient and calculated play from Iker he was at game ball at 10-9. Raphael showed his fighting spirit and saved game ball and then another at 11-10. The crowd were getting behind the local player but it was Raphael who came out on top to take the game at 13-11.

This highly competitive 2nd game had taken its toll on Iker and so he was unable to sustain the same level in the 3rd. Raphael took the match by winning the game 11-4. Despite the loss Iker should be happy with his performances over the last 2 days and I am sure we will be seeing more of him in the future on the PSA.

Jens Schoor bt Carlos Cornes 3-2

The german Jens Schoor had a tough opening round against the Spaniard Carlos Cornes. The higher ranked german made a good start in the 1st game and looked to be on his way to taking it as he opened up a 7-4 lead. However, this sparked Carlos into action and with some great shots and a few errors from Jens took the opening game 11-7 after winning 7 points in a row.

Carlos continued this run in the 2nd game and with the same means ran out to a 7-2 lead. He looked comfortable and duly took the game 11-6 to take a 2 game lead.

Jens was not happy with how he was playing and so started the 3rd game very concentrated. He started to get more balls back then before and was turning the errors into winners of his own. He went on to take the 3rd game 11-4 and it looked like the tables were turning.

Jens rejuvenated started the 4th game in the same manner and quite quickly was 8-2 up. He then duly closed out the game also 11-4 to take us into a 5th.

In the 5th it started more evenly and Carlos took a 4-3 lead early on. The crowd were jeering him on but it was to no avail as Jens won 7 points in a row to get to match ball. Soon after he closed at the game and match 11-5. This match was a game of two halves, Jens was very relieved to have turned it around.

Joan Lezaud bt Dani Pascual 3-1

The giant killing Catalan player Dani Pascual who had fought his way through qualifying came up against the experienced Joan Lezaud. Joan started very well and Dani looked a little off the pace because maybe because of his hard matches the day before. Joan took full advantage of this and gave the young Catalan player no chances by taking the opening 2 games 11-5 and 11-3 respectively.

In the 3rd Dani found a new lease of life and a commanding 6-2 lead. This lead was pegged back by Joan and we found ourselves into a tie-break. However it was Dani who triumphed and took the game 12-10 the locals delight.

In the 4th Joan was determined not to let this pattern continue and returned to taking control of the rallies moving Dani to all 4 corners of the court. This time Dani could not react and Joan took the game and match 11-5.

Although falling short in this match, Dani should be proud of his performance and lets hope he can keep going to establish himself on the PSA circuit.

Christophe Andre bt Michael Harris 3-0

This match looked like it could be close encounter on paper as the higher ranked Englishman Michael Harris took on the qualifier Christophe Andre.

The first 2 games were almost identical in how they went. In both games they were locked in at 7-7 with some excellent and clinical rallies being played from both players. However in both games at this point Christophe used his exceptional flair to win the last 4 points of the game to take a 2 game lead 11-8, 11-8.

The 3rd game ended up being the closest of the match and Michael with some good attacking squash took an 8-5 lead. Christophe rallied a little but it was Michael who had game ball at 10-9. However as in the previous game Christophe hold his nerve and rattled off 3 points in a row to take game and match 12-10. His excellent run continues from qualifying and he is still yet to lose a game.

Jan Koukal bt Edmon Lopez 3-0

The experienced and well travelled Jan Koukal took on the up and coming Catalan player Edmon Lopez. Edmon was the wildcard in the event after coming top in a mini league which was disputed by some of the local players in the event. The 17 year old had a difficult introduction to the PSA circuit in facing Jan. This showed immediately with Jan racing to a 6-0 lead with Edmon making an understandably nervous start. Jan went on to take the game 11-4.

In the 2nd game Edmon started to find his way into the match and actually took a 5-2 lead and then a 9-8 lead. However this wasn´t to continue as Jan used his experience in playing the big points well and snatched the game 11-9.

In the 3rd game Edmon was able to keep up with Jan until the middle part of the game and showed some good touch at times. He took a 6-5 lead but this was when Jan stepped up the pace which enabled him to close out the game comfortably in the end 11-6 to move into the quarter finals. Edmon showed a good account of himself and it will be interesting to see how he progresses in the future.
 

Draws & Results