Final: [2] Bernardo Samper (Col)
bt [1] Scott Arnold [Aus)
11-8 11-3 11-6 (38m)
Top seeds in final ... Scott Fitzgerald reports
An impressive performance dashed local hopes last night as Number 1
seed Scott Arnold defeated Scott Fitzgerald in 3 straight games.
Arnold found his rhythm from the very first rally and quickly put
Fitzgerald under pressure with his consistent length and high pace.
After racing away with the first game, Fitzgerald then started to
find a little bit of rhythm himself to get back into the match. But
again, Arnold, who hit very few mistakes was always just that little
bit ahead and took the second 11-8.
The third game was the closest and could have gone either way.
Arnold remained error free, but Fitzgerald gave one last push and
took control of the game. He went to a 7-4 lead, but a number of
hard rallies proved just a little too much and Arnold clawed his way
back in to take the game and the match. The match was a great
example to all the spectators watching with a lot of mutual respect
and only 3 decisions all night.
Arnold will now face the Number 2 seed Bernardo Samper. after racing
away with the first 2 games through playing at a very fast pace,
Bernardo consumed a little too much effort, too early on. Bradley
reacted by coming out in the third, slowing the game down and
started to control the ball much better.
Hindle took the third and with great, tight squash, he took a big
lead in the fourth. At 10-6 up, Hindle started to tire, and although
he won that game, Samper hung in there long enough to make sure that
he consumed as much energy as possible. The fifth was a great
battle. Samper was always just ahead and after 73 minutes, the
Colombian continued his impressive run in PSA Events by reaching yet
another final.
Both matches were at the highest of quality leaving the Boca Raton
crowd, not only amazed but also very appreciative. The two winners
played extremely well to reach the final, and the two losers left
everything they had on the court. We now look forward to a great
final to cap off a very successful week here in Florida.
Scott Arnold def. Scott Fitzgerald 41 minutes
11/3, 11/8, 11/8
Scott Arnold " I thought we
played a good match, i started really well and slipped straight into
the groove i was in last night and scott was a bit sluggish out of
the blocks to be honest. but with all those people there cheering
for him it was never going to stay that way and he played a lot
better in the 2nd and 3rd and especially in the 3rd started to put
me under a lot more pressure and i had to really work hard to get
back on top again. but really pleased to be in the final and hoping
to finish the year on a high note!"
Scott Fitzgerald "I came out tonight very flat, but Scott
didn’t help me get into the match at all. His length was exceptional
and never once let up on the pressure. I felt better halfway through
the second, and although I was still being put under pressure, I
felt as though I was just starting to gain some control myself. I
felt I played a very good game in the third.
I gave my hardest effort to play as high paced as possible but
started to get Scott on the end of a few long rallies, but at 8-7 we
just had one hard rally too many and after a few hard days with
organising and playing, I had nothing more left in the tank.
Congratulations to Scott, he played a fantastic match and a huge
thank you to everyone that has come to support me this week. Sorry
to have not continued my run but I gave it my all!!"
Bernardo Samper "I started
playing really well the first two games. I kept the pace up and my
shots tight to the wall which created more opportunities to take the
ball short. I was moving really well and moving the ball around the
court comfortable. On the third game I had a mental shut down and he
played perfect squash.
He slowed down the pace and took the ball in short really well. All
credit to him, he played perfect game. On the 4th I tried to get
back into my mental mode, trying to be more aggressive and it worked
but in parts. It made me do some unforced errors that made the
different of that game. It was a hard and long game. In the
beginning of the 5th game, the ball broke and we warm a new ball. I
knew this was going to help me, because it was faster.
He was already used to the other ball and he was comfortable playing
at that pace. He was hitting really good lengths which I was
struggling a bit. With the new ball the pace became higher and I
knew it was a matter of hanging in there.
It was a great game of squash and now I have to rest for tomorrow’s
match.
Bradley: 'Really enjoyed the match and was such a battle.
Played pretty well in general Bernardo played bit better and was bit
more something in end than I was, but happy with how my game is
coming. Looking forward to next year.'
Scotts to contest Semi ... Scott Fitzgerald reports
With 70 players starting in this years Florida State Open Amateur
Tournament, another packed crowd came out to watch the 1/4 finals of
the Betty F. Griffin Memorial Squash Tournament last night, and once
more they were treated to some great matches.
First up, number 1 seed, Scott Arnold defeated Stuart
Crawford in 3. Scott's ball control and length was just too much for
Stuart to deal with and unlike his 5 game match from the night
before, Stuart was unable to make the 0-2 comeback.
Local interests were kept alive when club pro Scott Fitzgerald
defeated Scotsman Jamie Macaulay in a fast paced 3-1. Scott raced to
a 2-0 lead with help of some nice drop shots and control but also
some unforced errors from Jamie towards the end of the games. Jamie
came out at a faster pace to run away with the third, but both
players produced a solid 4th game which resulted in an exciting
finish. Scott went ahead to a 4-2 lead but Jamie kept himself in the
match with some incredible pick ups and defensive play which took
him to a 7-5 lead. Scott then regained control to pull back the
deficit and take the 4th 11-8. It will now be a battle of the two
Scott's who face off for a spot in Sundays final.
The bottom semi final will take place between Bradley Hindle
and Bernardo Samper. Bradley defeated Esteban Cesario in a
tough 3-0 where just a few points here or there made the difference
between winning or losing. Although it was 3-0, the scores didn’t
reflect the match as the rallies were drawn out and were very well
contested. The 3rd game came right down to the wire, but Bradley
held his nerve to win that and the match to progress to the semi
finals to face Bernardo.
Bernardo is another local favourite here after playing in Boca Raton
previously. He didn’t take long to find his rhythm and was
comfortable through out the match. Dave put up his strongest fight
but Bernardo was just a little bit too good with his ball control
and came away with a 3-0 victory.
With another spectacular poolside club party, all the players are
loving their time here and I think a few more flights will be
getting postponed!!!!
Scott Arnold def. Stuart Crawford 32
mins
11/5 11/6 /11/0
Scott: "Tonight i got the feel
for things much quicker and was a lot more switched on. i knew
stuart had played 5 games last night but i still thought he would
pull up ok so i was trying not to think about that so much as i was
keeping my focus on my game plan. i think stuart in the end was a
little off his game tonight but overall much better. looking fwd to
tomorrow night, i'm just going to pretend the 10,000 locals cheering
for 'scott' after every point is actually for me!"
Stuart: "Thought I played okay in the first 2 games but Scott's
length was just too good. I tried to break up his rhythm but he was
controlling every rally and I felt under pressure the whole match.
In the 3rd I got a bad start and suddenly my urge from yesterday
took over!"
Scott Fitzgerald def. Jamie Macaulay 45
mins
11/8 11/5 4/11 11/8
Scott: "Was another tough match.
I felt more relaxed than yesterday and was really able to move Jamie
around. I thought I played pretty well in the first 2 games and was
controlling the match. He's a very quick boy and I took that for
granted in the 3rd as I went short way too early. Halfway through
that game, my mind switched to get ready for the 4th. Again, with
the help of my local support, I was able to come back and get the
win. I'm now excited for the semi finals. I've never played Scott
before but know he's obviously a very solid player. The pressure is
more on him now and I have nothing to lose so will go out there,
fight my hardest, enjoy every moment and hopefully produce another
upset. I hope my support will be bigger again, I'll definitely need
them!!!"
Bradley Hindle def. Esteban Casarino 49
mins
11/5 11/8 12/10
Bradley: "Great match. Estaban
played well but I'm very happy to be off in 3. I'm now really
looking forward to the semi final"
Esteban: "I always feel when playing guys of this level that
I get better within the match, unfortunately it didn´t last enough
for me. The first half I tried to attack more and then swithced to a
more patience mode, it worked on the third where I got a game ball,
but could not close it. He is a very steady player and he deserve
the win, he did things better, definetly.
I would like to thank all the people here, besides been a great
place, they treat us very well and congrats to Scott for running
this in a very professional and at the same time, friendly way"
Bernardo Samper def. Dave Glass 30 mins
11/5 11/2 11/3
Bernardo: " I played really
well. I was confident and moving really well around the court. It
just felt like everything was right and completely on the zone. I
dictated my game from the first point of the match all the way to
the end. I was attacking when I had the opportunity and putting
pressure all the time. I am feeling good today for the semi-final
match and I will make sure I warm up well and prepare well mentally
so I can be in the “zone” like last night’s match"
Three upsets on busiest night Scott Fitzgerald reports
There were three major upsets on the busiest night of the Betty F.
Griffin Memorial tournament in Boca Raton with 3 unseeded players
making it through to the 1/4 finals. First up, Dave Glass of
Canada defeated number 5 seed Chris Truswell of England 3-0.
Qualifier Jamie Macaulay of Scotland continued his best ever
PSA tournament by defeating number 8 seed Matt Serediak of Canada.
The win sets up a good old Welsh/Scottish rivalry against the local
pro and organiser Scott Fitzgerald of Wales. Scott came back
from 1-2 with the help of a packed and vocal local crowd to win 11-8
in the fifth against number 4 seed Wade Johnstone of Australia. His
win guarantees an unseeded player to reach the semi finals.
Top seed Scott Arnold overcame a second game blip to beat
qualifier Jonathan Ramos of Mexico 3-1 whilst Stuart Crawford
doubled the Scottish contingent by coming back from a 0-2 deficit to
defeat Lekgotla Mosope of Botswana 11-9 in the fifth. After spending
over 3 hours on court in the last 2 matches, nobody can say Lekgotla
didn’t leave it all on the court!!!
Bradley Hindle, Estaban Cesario and Bernardo Samper
ended the last of the Mexican contingent with routine 3-0 wins over
Salvador Martinez, Fernando Lopez and Jose Becerril respectively.
With a great atmosphere and great players. Organisers, spectators,
players and sponsors are having a great time and now cant wait for
tonights 1/4 finals.
Scott Arnold def
Jonathan Ramos
11/9, 6/11, 11/6, 11/8
Scott: "First match on courts that are very different from
last week and in weather that's very different from last week! the
courts are really hot and bouncy and he was just running everything
down, early I was just making too many errors but by the end i felt
like I was starting to find a better rhythm. pleased to get past the
first match and feel a lot better about going into tomorrow"
Scott: "I'm very happy with that. I never really know how im
playing until I get on there as I don’t have any games here in
Florida. So it was great to get a few hits in this week with the
players arriving on monday! its also tough when you are the
organiser of the tournament. I started off extremely nervous and
anxious. my drops were a bit too fast which resulted in making too
many mistakes but as the match went on, I started to become more
comfortable and felt stronger. it was a tough match, but the crowd
were really behind me and they helped me dig deep to come back to
win. now I look forward to tonight's match, but I'm not looking
forward to scheduling the 70 amateurs playing!!!!
Wade: "Scott played well, he had the crowd behind him and was
just a little more hungry than I was. Its disappointing for me but
there's always next time. Good luck to Scott in the rest of the
tournament"
Jamie: "Matt played fast and hard squash but I managed to
keep the pace high enough to put him under pressure and force
errors. Chuffed with the result but disappointed that the beers,
beach and beach sight seeing will have to wait!!!"
Matt "Was a tough match. Didn't play as consistent as I needed to at
the end of the games, and made too many errors. Jamie played well
and played the big points really tough. The venue for the event is
fantastic and I'm loving being down in Florida in the middle of
December, especially since Toronto is getting battered with snow
right now."
Bradley Hindle
def Salvador Martinez 32 minutes
11/5, 11/3. 11/5
Bradley: "Nice 1st match. Salvador played really well in
patches, I got a good feel for the ball and court and now im looking
forward to playing again tonight."
Salvador: "I didn't feel comfortable on court, for me it was
really difficult to get use to the bounce of the ball, i was always
hitting the ball a little late, never found the right tempo, after
the first game he never let me get in to the match, all credit to
him. Now I just wanna have a glass of water and of course a beer!!!
Perfect date for this tournament... thnx..."
Stuart Crawford def
Lekgotla Mosope 92 minutes
7/11, 4/11, 11/8, 11/7, 11/9
Stuart: "Got a horrible start. Lekgotla was controlling the pace
of the rallies and I couldn't keep the ball out of the tin for the
first 2 games. At 2-0 down the temptation to hit the ball into the
tin another 11 times and head straight to the beach seemed pretty
appealing but I managed to string together a couple of tough rallies
at the start of the 3rd and noticed he was starting to look tired so
I just tried to make him work hard for every point. The 5th could
have gone either way but I managed to keep my concentration just
enough to stumble over the finish line!"
Dave Glass def
Chris Truswell 35 minutes
12/10, 11/6, 11/3
Dave: " I played well and I am happy I won! Chris played well
today. I played consistent squash and didn't make to many unforced
errors. i am having a great time down here in Boca Raton! Everyone
working with the tournament have been very friendly, and oh ya the
weather hasn't been that bad either"
Chris 'very disappointed to lose, more so with the way I played. he
handled the court better than me and was more patient. after losing
the first from 10.8 I seemed to lose my confidence."
Bernando Samper
def Jose Becerril 41 minutes
11/9, 11/7, 11/3
Bernardo: "I knew he was one of the strongest qualifiers but
it was good to have a strong match first round. In the first game I
was adjusting to the court and I couldn’t find a proper length. It
was a lot of loose balls and many errors from my part. It was a good
start to my last tournament and I am looking forward for tomorrows
match
Esteban Casarino
def. Fernando Lopez 39 minutes
11/6, 11/4, 11/5
Esteban: " I felt better than I thought on the court, in
South America we don't have panels courts which are very different
than ours. I think coming two days earlier helped me a lot. I felt
moving well and sharp at the front. I hope I can add some good
length to that tonight because Bradley is a very experienced player,
I'm looking forward to play him. To me, every match is a new
challenge and that is a good feeling"
Qualifying complete in Boca Raton Scott Fitzgerald
reports
The final Qualifying round produced another great night of
squash!
Lekgotla Mosope beat Anthony Graham
6/11 8/11 11/6 11/6 12/10 - 85mins
This match had it all. Anthony raced
to a 2-0 lead before Lekgotla started to gain a little more control
to bring himself back to 2-2. The fifth had excitement all the way,
with both players pushing themselves to the limit. As the game went
on, Anthony started to become more and more frustrated with his
opponents slow play and rest! After saving one match ball at 10-9,
Anthony then hit the ball down the middle and got caught by
Lekgotlas racket to give away a stroke and the match.
Jonathan Ramos beat Lyall Patterson
11/9 4/11 12/10 11/3 55 mins
Jonathan Ramos : "On this match I
felt strong physically. I was quite nervous at the beginning of the
match but as the match progressed I felt very confident and felt my
short shots were getting better. Now to rest and focus on my next
match."
Lyall Patterson: "At 1-1 and 9-4 up, I relaxed, lost concentration
and lost 12-10 as a result. I couldn’t get that 3rd game out of my
head and my game fell apart in the forth. Very disappointing, was a
great chance to qualify for a super satellite."
Jamie Macaulay
beat Bryan Bonilla
12/10 11/6
11/2 32 mins
Jamie Macaulay: "I started slowly,
continued slowly and ended slightly slower but am now looking
forward to the main draw."
Bryan Bonilla: "I was extremely happy running around the court and I
got some balls I never expected to get. at the beginning, I felt
like I was controlling the match unlike yesterday. And although I
lost, I'm happy with my performance in this tournament."
Jose Becerril
beat Joseph Ehalan
11/9 12/10
11/7
Under way in Boca Raton Scott Fitzgerald
reports
A great amount of squash players and fitness members showed up for
the first round of qualifying for the Betty F. Griffin, Florida
State Open, held at Life Time Athletic Club in sunny Boca Raton,
Florida. The enthusiastic crowd weren't disappointed, and are now
licking their lips ready for the remainder of the pro event, as well
as getting amongst it in their own amateur category. We don't get
too much professional squash in this part of the country, so it’s a
real treat and everyone is very much appreciated by the
professionals level of skill and also their demeanor off the court.
As often the case, when I bring players into town, I think there
will be one or two flights changed to extend their trip as the
weather and surroundings are being enjoyed by all.
Anthony Graham beat Thomas Brinkman
10/12 11/6 11/2 11/8
45mins
Anthony Graham "I'm really glad to get through. I always find
qualifying rounds a bit nerve wrecking. The courts are very hot and
the ball was flying everywhere. In the first we were both over
hitting our length which made the rallies long and both of us were
tentative about going in short. But as it went on i found more of my
length and some more confidence as i started to relax more. I'm just
glad to get through and i'm feeling pretty good at the moment
looking into tomorrow. Thank you"
Thomas Brinkman "The first game we were both finding our length. The
courts are hot and very bouncy. He started to push the ball short in
the last couple of games and I was having a hrad time moving up to
the front"
Jonathan Ramos best Jonas Laursen
11/8 11/5 11/7 32 minutes
Jonathan Ramos " I felt so fast. it was a good hard match and im
looking forward to tomorrow"
Jonas Laursen " Not good, not good at all!! im not going to say too
much about it. Too much body contact and I got angry. Now time for
beach and beer!! Thanks to Scott for putting this event on. Great
place, nice people - Merry xmas and happy new years!! hi mum!
Lyall Patterson "Good clean match, very enjoyable. Sergio hit some
nice winners, but as soon as I started to extend the rallies, I
could feel he was tiring. Looking forward to tomorrow. Loving Boca
Raton!! Desperate to stay for as long as possible!!
Sergio Lopez "I think it was a good match. Good rallies and was very
clean. I just had to attack the ball more. Now time to enjoy the
city!"
Bryan Bonilla "I felt very well, a little nervous, but I could get
into the match. Now I have to focus and rest again ready for
tomorrow"
Armando Olguin "I think I played a lot better than expected since im
coming back from injury. I needed to keep the rallies a bit longer.
The longer they were, the better my chances but Bryan hung in there
and came through at the end as I lost my head with some of the
calls. But all in all, I enjoyed the match and now I look forward to
enjoying Boca Raton"
Jamie Macaulay "I enjoyed the match today. Clean rallies, true
courts and the nicest temperature.........In the world!!!! Think im
staying here all winter!!!!"
Joseph Ehalen beat Fred Reid
14/12 11/7 11/8 11/13 11/6 78mins
Joseph Ehalen "I had a game plan for the game, I knew he was
streaking in front of the court so i decided to play the my ball
back and he cold not play from the back court"
This was the match of the night. With close games that could have
gone either way. Ehalen kept the crowd watching with his athleticism
and speed, with Fred controlling much of the play with deception and
flicks. Fred will be very disappointed in not closing out the match
after having a 10-6 lead in the fourth. But all credit to Ehalen, he
kept pushing and with his back to the wall, came up with his best
squash. In the fifth, Fred looked to have been still thinking about
the game that got away and was always playing catch up, with Ehalen
coming away with a hard fought victory.
