Sun 27th, Final:

[1] Emma Beddoes (Eng) bt [5] Miranda Ranieri (Can)
            11-9, 4-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-8

Beddoes goes one better in Winnipeg
Cam Mundle reports

The 2011 Meadowood Pharmacy Open came to a fitting end on Sunday afternoon as Emma Beddoes, runner-up in last year's event,  and Miranda Ranieri, the Canadian champion who ousted second seed Dominique Lloyd-Walter in the semis, went the distance in a five game thriller.

The match was locked at one game each when Ranieri upped the tempo to go up 2-1. Her pace and deceptive flicks completely caught Beddoes off guard, her first sign of weakness of the tournament.

However Beddoes dug deep going back to her fundamentals, “tight length up and down the wall.” The fourth and fifth were close hard fought battles, but Beddoes prevailed with her amazing control and shot-making.

Tournament organizer and head pro Trevor Borland was very pleased with the final, as he remarked “we were lucky to have these two players in the final; they both displayed great sportsmanship and are perfect role-models for our juniors.”

Reflecting on the match and the tournament, Beddoes was thankful for the tournament organizers, Meadowood Pharmacy and all the sponsors, and particularly the squash enthusiasm in Winnipeg: “there is always such a great crowd, we (the players) are treated so well and feel comfortable and at home when we come to this tournament.”

The Winnipeg squash community was thrilled to host a weekend of incredible squash and competition, and thoroughly enjoyed the company of such world-class athletes.

We hope to see more athletes back for next year’s tournament, which was all started by former WISPA player Alana Miller and the Younger family.

Thanks for following our coverage and live streaming, tune in next year for another great event.
 

11/4, 11/7, 11/2

[7] Emily Whitlock

11-9, 4-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-8

[5] Miranda Raneri

15/13, 5/11, 11/6 rtd

[2] Dominique Lloyd-Walter

2009 Event

23-Feb Qualifying Finals:
 
Carrie Ramsey (Eng) bt Tara Chawla (Usa)                        11-6, 11-1, 9-11, 11-6
Kristen Lange (Usa) bt Lily Lorentzen (Usa)                                11-9, 11-5, 11-8
Nikki Todd (Can) bt Kimbley Palterman (Zim)                             11-6, 11-3, 11-2
Katja Amir (Ger) bt Rachel Hinton (Can)                    11-6, 4-11, 6-11, 11-9, 11-4

22-Feb, Qualifying Round One:

q1 Nikki Todd (Can) bt Leanne Glass (Can)                                 11-5, 11-0, 11-7
q2 Rachel Hinton (Can) v Ashley Malenchak (Can)                       11-2, 11-9, 11-9

Emma Beddoes proved why she is the tournament favourite today by advancing over countrywoman Emily Whitlock in decisive fashion.

Whitlock put up an impressive fight but it wasn’t enough to match the blistering pace set by Beddoes. Emma was content to be the counter puncher today, she allowed Whitlock to move the ball to the front and then she’d quickly snap it to the back. It was these fast rallies that took a toll on Emily and after a few of them, Emily was forced to rush her decisions, prematurely going for winners.

In the post game interview, Beddoes spoke glowingly of the progress that Whitlock has made “Emily is a great player. To be only 17 years old, playing in an international WISPA semi final speaks to how much potential she has.” Congrats to Emma on reaching her second consecutive final here in Winnipeg.

Dominique Lloyd Walter succumbed to the combination of a nagging foot injury and some exciting squash from Miranda Ranieri in the second semi final this afternoon.

After losing the third game 11-6, Dominique was forced to retire. Previously, Dominique looked very strong as she bounced back in the second game to tie the match at one game all but she must have been hiding the pain because only a few minutes later she had to stop.

The crowd was disappointed that such a high quality match was cut short, but the spectators were more concerned as to the well being of Lloyd Walter. The table is now set for what surely will be an excellent final tomorrow featuring the tournament favourite, Beddoes, and Canadian crowd favourite Miranda Ranieri.

Tune in to squashsite tomorrow to catch the action streamed live from Winnipeg.
 

The first quarterfinal of the evening featured the number one seed, Emma Beddoes, and Leonie Holt, also of England. It was clear that Beddoes’ confidence level was high going into this match as she cruised to a first game victory. The second and third games were more competitive as Holt was able to sustain some pressure and hang in some longer rallies. Ultimately, Beddoes’ pace and consistency were too much for Holt as the top seed advances via a 3-0 win.

In the first major upset of the tournament, third seeded Lucie Fialova succumbed to English youngster, Emily Whitlock. Lucie began the match in firm control, she dominated the T and was clearly setting the pace. But Whitlock was not deterred as she carefully increased her pace and aggressiveness, responding to Fialova’s attacks. Knotted at 10-10, a quick Fialova error followed by a brutally long rally gave the first game to Whitlock. The second game was a similar story, with the score tied at 12, Whitlock managed to produce two points to grab a firm handle on the match. The third game was somewhat of a formality as Whitlock induced a few errors from Fialova and carried the momentum from to previous game to the finish line. Some stunning squash from the young Whitlock, the crowd in Winnipeg is excited to see where she can take her game in the semi final.

In the most thrilling match of the quarter finals, the Winnipeg crowd was treated to an all Canadian battle. The reigning National Champion, Miranda Ranieri, displayed a very diverse game of squash from her attacking ability to some excellent retrieving. Alexandra Norman has a more consistent brand of squash, she was smashing a very flat backhand to the back corners and sprinkling in some deftly crafted drop shots. This match was neck and neck down to the wire. The momentum swung between either player in the fifth game and we can only think that fitness gave the edge to Ranieri. In the end, both players deserved the victory but only Miranda advanced to the semi final.

Although the final match of the day, between second seed Dominique Lloyd-Walter and Sam Cornett, only went to three games, Dominique was pushed to the brink by Sam. Both the first two games were square at 9-9 until the athletes played some exceptionally challenging rallies that always ended in Lloyd Walter’s favour. The difference could be attributed to Dominique’s veteran savvy as she was able to force Sam into an error. Dominique now faces Miranda Ranieri in the second semi final tomorrow.
 

Emma Bedoes bt Stephanie Edmison (can) 9, 1, (9), 6
Leonie Holt bt Tara Chawla(can) 9, 4, 3
Lucie Fialova bt Nikki Todd(can) 4, 9, (7), 6

Crowd favourite Nikki Todd took on the high-seeded Czech Lucie Fialova. Fialova’s high pace and deceptive kill shots were too much for Todd in the first two games. In the third, Fialova let up with the pressure allowing Todd to capitalize with tight length and a deadly forehand drop. Fialova was back on top in the fourth and took the match 3-1. When asked about her match, Fialova was happy with the hot courts and is looking forward to her game against the young UK junior Emily Whitlock.

Emily Whitlock btTamika Saxby 7, 3, (7), 8
Miranda Ranieri bt Kristen Lange (9), (9), 5, 10, 8

The most exciting match of first round play featured American Kristen Lange and Canadian favourite Miranda Ranieri. Lange came out guns-a-blazing as she took the first two games. On the verge of upset Miranda rallied back from two match balls and pushed the match to a fifth game. At 10-9 the match came to an unfitting end when Ranieri’s loose length flattened into a dead roll. Tough luck in Winnipeg for Lange.

Alexandra Norman bt Carrie Ramsey  7, 4, 4

Canadian Alex Norman defeated the young Brit Carrie Ramsey in a quick three set match. The first two games were close as Ramsey countered Norman’s aggressive shot making with impressive retrieval. However once the nerves settled down and the players found their pace, Norman was able to seal the third game and the match with her dominant squash.

Samantha Cornett bt Katja Amir (W) 10, 5, 4

Cornett credited her consistent play this evening to her gracious billets, “Nikki Todd is a great host!!” Samantha looks forward having her match streamed online tomorrow so that her friends and family can follow her progress.

Dominique Lloyd-Walter bt Genevieve Lessard 3, 3, 4

The second seed, Lloyd-Walter, put on an impressive display of ball control and shot making as she dominated Canadian Lessard in 3 games. Lloyd-Walter was poised and confident on court as she has fully recovered from a six month foot injury. Intense under-water rehabilitation has paid off as Lloyd-Walter is looking like a top favourite to take the 2011 title.