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Orange County Open 2011
06-11 Sep, Irvine, California, Usa, $9k |
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11-Sep, Final:
[1] Dipika Pallikal (Ind) bt
[Q] Yathreb Adel (Egy)
11-6, 12-10, 11-9
(60m)
Top seed Dipika Pallikal ended the spectacular run of Egypian
qualifier Yathreb Adel to claim the Orange County title at Sports
Club/LA in Irvine.
10-Sep, Semis:
Dipika faces unexpected opposition in final
Top seed Dipika Pallikal
claimed her expected place in the final of the Orange County Open
with a 3/1 win overMisaki Kobayashi, but the Indian number one faces
unexpected opposition for the title after Egyptian qualifier
Yathreb Adel continued her tremendous run with a 3/1 victory
over seven-time US champion Latasha Khan, the second seed.
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photos on Facebook
Sports Club/LA
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 Orange
County Open 2011
06-11 Sep, Sports Club/LA, Irvine, $9k |
Round One
08 Sep |
Quarters
09 Sep |
Semis
10 Sep |
Final
11 Sep |
[1] Dipika Pallikal (Ind)
11-3, 11-7, 11-4
[Q] Kristen Lange (Usa) |
[1] Dipika Pallikal
11-5, 11-6, 11-8 (40m)
[5] Siyoli Waters |
[1] Dipika Pallikal
11-9, 13-11, 11-6 (40m)
[8] Misaki Kobayashi |
[1] Dipika Pallikal
11-6, 12-10,
11-9 (60m)
[Q] Yathreb Adel |
[5] Siyoli Waters (Rsa)
11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6 (40m)
[Q] Diana Elise Garcia (Mex) |
[3] Manuela Manetta (Ita)
14-12, 12-10, 12-14, 4-11, 11-2
[Q] Salma Hany (Egy) |
[3] Manuela Manetta
9-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-8 (45m)
[8] Misaki Kobayashi |
[8] Misaki Kobayashi (Jpn)
11-2, 11-7, 11-3
Nayelly Hernandez (Mex) |
Stephanie Edmison (Can)
11-5, 7-11, 11-4, 7-11, 11-7 (60)
[7] Thaisa Serafini (Bra) |
Stephanie Edmison
11-5, 11-6, 11-5 (24m)
[Q] Yathreb Adel |
[Q] Yathreb Adel
9-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-9 (50m)
[2] Latasha Khan |
[Q] Yathreb Adel (Egy)
11-4, 11-3, 11-4 (19m)
[4] Miranda Ranieri (Can) |
Ivonne Diaz (Mex)
11-5, 11-5, 11-2 (20m)
[6] Milou Van Der Heijden (Ned) |
[6] Milou Van Der Heijden
11-5, 11-6, 11-7 (25m)
[2] Latasha Khan |
Karen Kronemeyer (Ned)
11-2, 11-5, 11-4 (20m)
[2] Latasha Khan (Usa) |
09-Sep, Quarters:
Adel and Kobayashi gatecrash
Orange County semis
Egyptian youngster
Yathreb Adel continues to impress at Sports Club/LA in Irvine,
Orange County, as the 15-year-old qualifier overcame Canada's
Stephanie Edmison in straight games to reach the semi-finals.
There she will meet the USA's own second seed Latasha Khan,
who beat Milou Van Der Heijden, also in straight games.
In the top half of the draw India's top seed Dipika Pallikal
met Siyoli Waters, champion last week in the DreadSports Series #1
event, and now meets Misaki Kobayashi after the young
Japanese produced the only upset of the day in beating third-seeded
Manuela Manetta in four games.
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08-Sep, Round One:
Edmison and Adel upset the seedings
A surprise semi-finalist is
guaranteed in Irvine, after qualifier Yathreb Adel and
unseeded Stephanie Edmison both upset seeded opponents to set
up a quarter-final meeting.
Adel beat fourth-seeded Miranda Ranieri in straight games while
Edmison won a one-hour five setter against Thaisa Serafini, the
seventh seed.
The winner will meet either second seed Lataasha Khan or
Holland's Milou Van Der Heijden.
In the top half of the draw top seed Dipika Pallikal will
face Siyoli Waters, while third seed Manuela Manetta,
who came through a tough five-setter with Egyptian qualifier Salma
Hany, meets Misaki Kobayashi.
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photos on Facebook
Sports Club/LA
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07-Sep, Day Two:
Lange denies Egyptian hat-trick
 Double
success for Egypt in the qualifying finals as top seeds Yathreb
Adel and Salma Hany both came through in straight games,
against Tesni Evans and Alix Younger respectively.
Diana Elise Garcia won her all-Mexican shootout with Karina
Heredia, that one in straight games too, with the final spot being
taken by the USA's own Kristen Lange, coming from two games
down to deny an Egyptian hat-trick as she beat Merham Amr Mahmoud in
the longest match of the day.
Lange's reward is a meeting with top seed Dipika Pallikal,
while, in a draw that gives scant reward to the efforts of the
qualifiers, the other three winners get to play the 3rd, 4th and 5th
seeds.
06-Sep, Day One:
Boats and Beauty in Irvine
What a lovely way to start a tournament, as one of the members of
the mightily-impressive Sports Club/LA
in Irvine takes the WISPA players out on a boat trip on the eve of
the event.
 Another
treat in store for the girls this week is that they get to be guinea
pigs as Geoff Thompson of JT Brands asks them to decide which
of three fragrances specially created for
World Squash
Day 2011 (here come the girls) they prefer.
More on the fragrances to follow, but comments are flooding in on
the facebook page ...
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Photos by Sally Norgate
and Geoff Thompson
More photos on Facebook |
Qualifying Finals
Siyoli Waters reports
 The
toughest contest of the day was between Merhan Amr
Mahmoud and Kristen Lange.
 Mahmoud
was the first to settle into the game well by starting
off with a 6-0 lead, then taking the first game 11/2.
The second game was closer with each player fighting
hard for each rally. Mahmoud closed off the game with
great drops to the front.
In the next game, the momentum began to change in favour
of Lange. After a few unforced errors from Mahmoud,
Lange won two rallies with a straight drops; one on the
backhand and the other on the forehand. Lange takes the
game 11/3.
In the fourth game, the scores were neck and neck, with
a few lets and strokes, until 7-7. Lange won the next
point to make it 8-7. The following rally was exciting
to watch, where the Egyptian tried to twist the American
with cross courts, but Lange took control and won the
next points with a forehand boast, then a backhand
cross-court drive nick, then a backhand trickle boast,
to take the game 11/7.
The final game brought lots of excitement. The score
line went something like this…1-0 to Lange, 1 -1, 2 -1
to Lange, then drop shot nick, 3-1, trickle boast in
front on forehand 4-1; Mahmoud plays deep to backhand
2-4; a backhand trickle boast by M 3-4; error from L,
4-4; drop error from M, 5-4; forehand deep drive from M,
5-5; forehand cross court drive nick from M, 6-5; a long
rally then forehand trickle boast by L, 6-6,; another
long patient rally, then L plays cross court drive,
7-6,; then 8-6; an error from M, 9-6; a dead nick lob
cross court from M, 7-9; backhand kill drop from L,
10-7; deep backhand drive, 8-10, error from M after
retrieving so well in that last rally.
Game. Match to Lange. 11/8.
 In
an all-Mexican match Diana Fierro lead the first
game quite comfortably, being 7-0 up, to win it 11/2.
Karina Heredia came back in the second game to lead
5-2, then Fierro found her cross court volley drop that
helped her to get back into the match. The score line
then reached 5-5, 6-5, 7-5 to Fierro. Gonzales played a
volley drop kill to make 6-7, then an error from Fierro
makes it 7-7.
A stroke against Gonzales gives Fierro the lead, which
she capitalizes to close off the second game. In the
third game Fierro had match ball at 10-8, but Gonzales
managed to save the game, but Fierro carefully finished
off the game to qualify for the main draw event.
 Salma
Hany and Alix Younger both played fast and
aggressively. Hany had 9-6 lead in the first game, and a
7-3 lead in the second. She played great drop shot kill
shots throughout the match, which saw her become the
third qualifier into the main draw.
The 15 year old Yathreb Adel from Egypt was in
full control of the first game against Wales' Tesni
Evans, winning it 11/4. Abdel is quick onto the ball
and takes loose balls out of the air with great ease.
In the second game, there was not much that separated
the players until Abdel got the edge at 7-6, where some
tight drives down the line and volley cross court nicks
helped her to close off that game 11/7, and the next one
11/6.
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07-Sep, Qualifying Finals:
Yathreb Adel bt Tesni Evans
11/4, 11/7, 11/6 (25m)
Diana Elisa Garcia bt Karina Heredia
11/2, 11/7, 12/10 (25m)Kristen Lange bt Merhan Amr Mahmoud
2/11, 8/11, 11/3, 11/7, 11/8 (45m)
Salma Hany bt Alix Younger
11/7, 11/8, 11/7 (30m)
06-Sep, Qualifying Round One:
Yathreb Adel (Egy) bye
Tesni Evans (Wal) bt Bine Malund Lind (Den)
8/11, 11/7, 11/3, 11/4 (45m)
Diana Garcia Ferro (Mex) bt Genevieve Lessard (Can)
11/13, 11/6, 11/4, 11/6 (35m)
Karina Heredia (Mex) bye
Merhan Amr Mahmoud (Egy) bt Jackie Moss (Can)
11/6, 11/6, 11/9 (25m)
Kristen Lange (Usa) bt Sally Skaarenborg (Swe)
4/11, 9/11, 11/3, 11/7, 11/8 (36m)
Alix Younger (Can) bt Imelda Salazar (Mex)
11/9, 11/7, 12/14, 11/9 (45m)
Salma Hany (Egy) bye
Siyoli
Waters reports
Kristen Lange v Sally Skaarenborg was an explosive
match of power and speed. A great match to watch with both
players moving each other around the court. The Danish
player had the upper hand at first, but Lange found some
great tight lengths to the backhand that Skaarenborg just
could not retrieve. Lange did well to close the match as the
winner after being 2-0 down.
 There
was not much that separated Alix Younger and Imelda
Salazar, as you can see by the score line. It was neck
and neck all the way, with each player fighting hard to stay
in the game.
Diana Fierro used the cross court length effectively
to keep her opponent Genevieve Lessard twisting. This
was a physical match with a lot decisions to be made by the
referee. Even though Lessard took the first game, Fierro
proved to be too strong for her today.
 Bine
Lind started off strongly, keeping the pace high, and
Tesni Evans behind her, safe and clean play. Evans
turned things around in the second by slowing things down
and looking like the more composed player. In the third
game, Evans brought out her great drops and delayed shots.
The fourth game saw some great rallies exchanged between the
two players, but at this stage, Tesni was in complete
control and closed the game off in good style.
The match between Merhan Amr Mahmoud and Jacky
Moss started with both players playing patient squash,
and the game score close. Then the Egyptian picked up the
pace and moved her opponent well around the court to finish
off with a back hand trickle boast. 8-5 to the Egyptian. She
closed off the game comfortably. In the third game, Moss
came back from being being 9-3, but Mahmoud managed to
finish what she had started.
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The Sports Club/LA
From
the PSA KIG Open, Jan 2010
 You
don't see many clubs like this in the UK, that's for sure.
Situated in the Irvine Business Area, just off the 405
Freeway in Orange County (and next to John Wayne airport),
this is where qualifying took place for the inaugural KIG
Open.
Initial impressions are impressive, as you approach through
the wide avenues, Palm Tree-adorned parking facility,
beautifully designed skyscrapers set in their own spacious
gardens.
When you reach the club itself, the assorted collection of
Ferraris, Bentleys and Porches outside let you know you're
somewhere special, and inside doesn't disappoint.
 Four
storeys tall, spacious, modern and packed with all the
latest fitness equipment, bar, cafe, and multiple function
rooms, you can see why one of the squash-playing members
described it as "the best club in the world".
Squash is on the fourth floor with five glassbacks and one
Racketball court) that's a mad game that is).
Viewing is limited, but then there's so much else to look
at, like the atrium which looks down onto the other floors
and out onto the freeway.
I didn't dare enquire about the cost of membership, and
wasn't technically allowed to take photos (but I managed to
sneak a few). If you want to know more,
visit the club site. |
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