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CSC Delaware Open 2015
04-08 Feb, Delaware, Usa, $10k |
08-Feb:
Third time a Charm as Sam stops
Maria's run in Delaware final
Ramon Chan-A-Sue reports
An enthusiastic crowd turned up at the Vicmead Hunt Club, eagerly
anticipating an awesome display of squash by previous two time
finalist here, Samantha Cornett and surprise finalist
Maria Toorpakai.
They were not disappointed as both players continued where they left
in last night’s semifinals. The first game saw Cornett take a lead
that she never relinquished but still making Toorpakai work very
hard, retrieving and placing enormous amount of pressure on
Pakistani player. This strategy would take its toll later on in the
match. Cornett would go on to win the first game 11-7.
 This
did not faze Toorpakai as she has been digging herself out of holes
all week, and in the second game this was no different. She quickly
jumped out to an 8-2 lead with the aid of some Cornett drop shot
errors and her flicks and holds. She closed out the game at 11-5.
The third saw Cornett try to establish her length again along with
stepping up and cutting the ball off. This strategy forced Maria
into some unforced errors. The rallies were long and hard, with Sam
covering most of Maria’s shots and counter attacking at the same
time. In the end it was just too much and Cornett won the game 11-6.
In the third, Cornett looked like a woman possessed, as she came out
and keep the pressure up from the previous game, and really moving
Toorpakai, and pouncing on anything loose. A tiring Toorpakai
finally had run out of tricks and was done and dusted.
Cornett closed out the game and clinched her first Delaware title on
her third try, 11-3.
This is Cornett’s first Tour 10 win and sure to be just a sample of
things ahead.
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Download the tournament program (pdf) |
  Delaware
Open 2015
04-08 Feb, Delaware, Usa, $10k |
Round One
05 Feb |
Quarters
06 Feb |
Semis
07 Feb |
Final
08 Feb |
[1] Tesni Evans (Wal)
11/6, 4/11, 11/6, 11/9
[Q] Maria Toorpakai (Pak) |
[Q] Maria Toorpakai
4/11, 11/8, 5/11, 11/4, 11/5 (68m)
[5] Nouran El Torky |
[Q] Maria Toorpakai
11/9, 11/5, 11/8 (45m)
[4] Deon Saffery |
[Q] Maria Toorpakai
11/7, 5/11, 1/6, 11/3 (45m)
[2] Sam Cornett |
[5] Nouran El Torky (Egy)
8/11, 11/8, 11/9, 12/10
Nikki Todd (Can) |
[4] Deon Saffery (Wal)
11/5, 11/4, 7/11, 11/8
[Q] Catalina Pelaez (Col) |
[4] Deon Saffery
11/5, 11/4, 11/4 (26m)
Tamika Saxby |
[7] Cecilia Cortes (Usa)
7/11, 12/10, 11/9, 11/4
Tamika Saxby (Aus) |
[8] Hollie Naughton (Can)
11/7, 11/4, 11/8
Cyrielle Peltier (Fra) |
Cyrielle Peltier
11/5, 3/11, 11/8, 9/11, 11/9 (61m)
[3] Amanda Landers-Murphy |
[3] Amanda Landers-Murphy
11/5, 12/10, 11/8 (38m)
[2] Sam Cornett |
[Q] Menna Nasser (Egy)
12/10, 11/13, 6/11, 11/8, 12/10
[3] Amanda Landers-Murphy (Nzl) |
[6] Sabrina Sobhy (Usa)
11/7, 11/7, 14/12
Millie Tomlinson (Eng) |
Millie Tomlinson
11/7, 11/4, 11/6 (30m)
[2] Sam Cornett |
[Q] Nayelly Hernandez (Mex)
11/2, 11/3, 11/9
[2] Sam Cornett (Can) |
Qualifying:
Menna Nasser (Egy)
3-0 Giselle Delgado (Chi) 11/0, 12/10, 11/3
Nayelly Hernandez (Mex) 3-1 Thaisa Serafini
(Bra)
17/15,11/9,5/11, 11/5
Maria Toorpakai (Pak) 3-0 Georgina Stoker (Eng)
11/7, 11/9, 11/8
Catalina Pelaez (Col) bye
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07-Feb:
Maria marches on in Delaware
Ramon Chan-A-Sue reports
When do you stop calling a match an upset?
It is when a player like Maria Toorpakai keeps topping the
previous night’s work, by going one better three nights in a row.
Tonight the Maria train continued to roll. She was playing tour
veteran Deon Saffery who had looked solid all week long.
Credit to both players that the match was not as chippy as the
previous matches in the tournament. Notwithstanding, Maria’s
confidence has grown the past three days and tonight it was very
evident, as her shot making was audacious as her coach Jonathan
Power. She made Saffery guess on all her shots and anything loose
was promptly deposited into the nick or hit inches above the tin.
After a nervous start in the first game, in which Saffery went up
6-0, it was all Toorpakai from there.
Tomorrow she will try to become the first qualifier to win this
event which is almost unheard of in the game of squash.
She will face a tough challenge as she plays Sam Cornett of
Canada. Cornett, like Toorpakai trains in Toronto at the NSA there.
The added challenge is that Cornett is also playing some of the best
squash of her career.
This was on total display tonight as she volleyed and drop anything
that was loose, and when those opportunities did not present itself,
she was patient enough to hit the tight length necessary to create
the openings.
Amanda Landers-Murphy simply had no answers, which was
evident in the second game where she benefitted from a few unforced
errors from Cornett, to go up 9-4 and then 10-6, only to have
Cornett storm back to take the game 12-10.
So tomorrow’s final sets up an interesting matchup, one which the
members and their guests eagerly look forward with delight. Could
this be the tournament that is the catalyst to send both of these
players higher up into rankings? We do know that it will be a “Super
Sunday” for one of these players.
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Download the tournament program (pdf) |
06-Feb:
Upsets continue in Delaware quarters
Ramon Chan-A-Sue reports
Maria Toorpakai of Pakistan is certainly making a name for
herself as a giant killer. Last night in the first round she knocked
off the number one seed and tonight she came back from being two
games to one down to win in five against the number five seed Nouran
El Torky of Egypt.
It appeared that El Torky was going to run away with this match
after the third game but a loose fourth game gave Toorpakai a
lifeline, which she carried over in the fifth.
She will now move on to face Deon Saffery of Wales in the
semifinals. Saffery, won her match in very convincing style against
Tamika Saxby of Australia. She dominated all the long rallies and
seem to have an answer for everything Saxby could throw at her.
Samantha Cornett continues to look very strong as she
dispatched up and coming English woman and former National Colligate
champion Millie Tomlinson in straight. Sam’s pace and short game
being the deciding factor in this one.
Cornett will face Amanda Landers-Murphy of New Zealand, who
played her second consecutive five setter tonight against Cyrielle
Peltier of France. While last night’s 12-10 win in the fifth was
dramatic, tonight’s win was epic, down 9-6 in the fifth, she
attempted a drop off the serve that rolled out of the nick. From
there she rolled off five consecutive points to win 11-9.
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Download the tournament program (pdf) |
05-Feb:
Seeds tumble in Delaware round one
Ramon Chan-A-Sue reports
Four
seeded players were knocked out of the 2015 CSC Delaware Open here
tonight at the Vicmead Hunt Club, and it could have been a
fifth, had Amanda Landers-Murphy not pulled out a win 12-10
in the fifth.
The biggest shock of the night was the #1 seed Tesni Evans of Wales
going down to Maria Toorpakai of Pakistan. In what was a very
physical match, Maria walked away with a four set win to advance to
tomorrow nights quarterfinals against Nouran El Torky.
El Torky survived a loose first game against Canadian Nikki Todd to
go on to win in four.
Millie Tomlinson of England continued her strong play from
January to knock off Sabrina Sobhy of the USA. She is definitely one
to watch, as she works her way up the rankings.
She will be tested tomorrow when she plays the number two seed from
Canada Sam Cornett, who easily dispatched qualifier Neyally
Hernandez of Mexico in three straight games.
 Landers-Murphy
looked down and out against qualifier Menna Nasser but dug deep in
what was another chippy affair. After being down 2-1 , she managed
to keep her nerve in the fourth and then surviving two lost match
balls opportunities in the fifth to close out the match in five
games.
She will now play French woman Cyrielle Peltier, who
dispatched another Canadian Hollie Naughton in three games.
Past champion here Deon Saffery looked pretty strong in her
match as she beat Catalina Palaez in four games. Palaez made her
work for it, but in the end Saffery’s experience won out.
She takes on Tamika Saxby of Australia who defeated Cece
Cortes of the USA in four games.
The quarterfinals will present an interesting contrast of match ups
and don’t be surprised if the upsets continue as long as the full
moon is out.
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Download the full tournament program (pdf) |
04-Feb:
Qualifying complete in Delaware
Ramon Chan-A-Sue reports
After the sad news of the withdrawal of Donna Urquhart because of a
twisted ankle before the
first match was played, the qualifying matches got underway this
evening.
The highlight was the battle royal between Nayelly Hernandez
of Mexico surviving a tough encounter with Thaisa Serafini of
Brazil.
These two have played many times and it was evident from the
beginning with the long rallies that included some great retrieving.
Hernandez' consistency won out in the end.
The Georgina Stoker v Maria Toorpakai match was a see saw
battle, with Stoker running out to leads every game only for
Toorpakai to reel her back in with a nice blend of pace and
deception.
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