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22-Nov:
Delasaux boasts Saskatchewan title
Brad Birnie reports
England's Laurence Delasaux came all the way from qualifying to
claim the Saskatoon Boast title in Saskatchewan, Canada.
In the final Delasaux played solid, straight squash with
exceptional retrieving giving top seed Aaron Francomb very little
opportunity to gain any advantage. Francomb has played better squash
as he had trouble finding his usually deft short game.
We can only speculate how much yesterday's semi-finals took out of
both players, however it was obvious that Frankcomb wasn't himself.
Delasaux is a deserving champion and well on his way to a top 100
ranking very soon.
We'll see when the rankings are updated Dec. 1. Many of the players
are off to Richmond, B.C. for next week's B.C. Open.
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 Saskatoon
Boast 2009
17-22 Nov, Canada, $10k |
Round One
19 Nov |
Quarters
20 Nov |
Semis
21 Nov |
Final
22 Nov |
[1] Aaron Frankcomb (Aus)
11-2, 12-10, 12-10 (33m)
Matthew Serediak (Can) |
[1] Aaron Frankcomb
11-5, 5-11, 11-8, 11-8 (71m)
[7] Eddie Charlton |
[1] Aaron Frankcomb
11-9, 13-11, 3-11,
7-11, 11-6 (93m)
Lewis Walters |
[1] Aaron Frankcomb
11-7, 11-3,
11-5 (42m)
[Q] Laurence Delasaux |
[7] Eddie Charlton (Eng)
11-3, 11-4, 11-6 (21m)
[Q] Justin Todd (Can) |
[4] Cesar Salazar (Mex)
11-5, 11-9, 11-6 (35m)
Daniel Sibley (Can) |
[4] Cesar Salazar
12-10, 11-2, 5-11, 11-4 (49m)
Lewis Walters |
[8] Tyler Hamilton (Can)
11-3, 11-4, 11-7 (26m)
Lewis Walters (Eng) |
[Q] Andrew Schnell (Can)
7-11, 9-11, 11-2, 11-8, 11-3 (64m)
[5] Robin Clarke (Can) |
[5] Robin Clarke
3/1
[3] Scott Arnold |
[5] Robin Clarke
11-7, 7-11, 11-6, 11-3 (72m)
[Q] Laurence Delasaux |
Dave Glass (Can)
7-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-4 (38m)
[3] Scott Arnold (Aus) |
[Q] Laurence Delasaux (Eng)
11-9, 11-5, 11-6 (7m)2
[6] Neil Hitchens (Eng) |
[Q] Laurence Delasaux
3/0
[2] Arturo Salazar |
[Q] Jethro Binns (Wal)
11-6, 11-4, 11-5 (29m)
[2] Arturo Salazar (Mex) |
20-Nov:
Semis in Saskatchewan
Brad Birnie reports
Aaron Frankcomb btCesar Salazar
Game one saw a very close battle with mostly straight squash.
Frankcomb mixed it up quite a bit more in the 29 minute second game,
leading to many spectacular gets by Salazar. After several
wrong-foots and a couple of nicked overheads, Frankcomb finally
prevailed with a Salazar tinned drop. The pace took its toll on both
players, with Frankcomb clearly taking a break in games three and
four. It was a different hard pace to start the fifth and it paid
off for Frankcomb as he took advantage of a few early mistakes by
Salazar. After several comebacks by Salazar, the Australian strung
together enough points to finish off the determined Mexican.
Lawrence Delasaux bt Robin Clarke
A very even match to start with patient length and only a few short
rallies. It was anyone's match after they split the first two games.
Delasaux took control of the third game with his precision length
seeming to be the difference. A quick 4-0 start in the fourth gave
Delasaux the edge and he never looked back, winning 11-3.
Both players had very testing, tiring semi-finals, so the final may
be determined by who has enough gas left to finish off the other.
Both are pretty straight players, but both can also make some
unbelievable shots look very simple. It will be a great final match.
20-Nov:
Quarters in Saskatchewan
Brad Birnie reports
Aaron Frankcomb bt Eddie Charlton
Over 30 lets characterized this difficult, physical battle.
Frankcomb easily took the first game as Charlton seemed a little
tight. Charlton came back and played more aggressively in the
second, taking the ball far earlier and displayed a good variety of
drops. The third was very tight, back and forth with numerous lead
changes and ties. Frankcomb played his best squash late in both last
games and made fewer errors than Charlton down the stretch.
Cesar Salazar bt Lewis Walters
Walters was the aggressor in the first game, but Salazar played very
steady, consistent squash to take the first and second. Walters came
on and Salazar lost concentration in the third, but regained his
form to take advantage of Walters' early mistakes to take the fourth
and move on to a semi-final match-up with top-seeded Frankcomb.
Robin Clarke bt Scott Arnold
Both players knew each other's games pretty well as they had battled
just weeks earlier with Arnold coming out on top. Very evenly
matched in the first two games, they displayed similar styles with
great reach and deception. Clarke retrieved a little better than
Arnold and played a cleaner last two games to take this one. Great
squash! He'll need much the same in the semis against Delasaux.
Laurence Delasaux bt Arturo Salazar
In what could have been the match of the night, Delasaux dominated
the last part of the match as Salazar became disabled with a lower
back strain. The first game was an indication that these two could
have gone at each other well into the night. However, with Salazar
up 9-7, he stretched and slid for a Delasaux drop. There seemed to
be an injury, with Salazar taking extra time before the next point.
Delasaux won the next 4 points to win the game and Salazar didn't
seem to be the same after that. All credit to Delasaux, however, who
played solid, determined squash.
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19-Nov:
Round One in Saskatchewan
Brad Birnie reports
The First Round of the Main Draw saw eight matches in about 4 hours
and record attendance for much of it:
Aaron Frankcomb bt Matthew Serediak
The last two game scores were an indication of how close this match
was after Serediak struggled to find any consistency in the first.
All credit to Frankcomb, however, who made fewer mistakes at the end
of the second and third to finish it off.
Eddie Charlton bt Justin Todd
Charlton dominated this match in many ways, having an answer for
everything Todd threw at him.
Cesar Salazar bt Daniel Sibley
Salazar played level, basic, unspectacular squash and that was all
that was needed. Sibley held his own for the first couple and then
seemed to tire in the third. Salazar retrieved everything.
Lewis Walters bt Tyler Hamilton
Walters dominated mid-court and the T, keeping Hamilton around the
perimeter. Hamilton has played much better, but met his match
tonight in Walters.
Robin Clarke bt Andrew Schnell
Easily the most entertaining and closest match of the evening,
Schnell came out strong winning the first two, keeping pressure on
Clarke and playing very mature squash for a teenager. Clarke,
however, showing the experience that has taken him to # 76 in the
world, tightened his game and patiently worked his way back into the
match winning the third and the fourth. Giving Schnell no
opportunities in the fifth, Clarke seemed to get to know all that
Schnell had to offer and had a response for it, closing it out
quickly.
Scott Arnold bt Dave Glass
Glass showed some strength in the first game while Arnold started
very slowly with many errors. In the second and third games, Arnold
started to find his length and had numerous holds, flat-footing
Glass. The last game saw Glass tire somewhat and Arnold play
relatively mistake-free.
Laurence Delasaux bt Neil Hitchens
Delasaux had his game face on against his English mate and good
friend. His immaculate length and the odd wrong-way gave him the
edge in an otherwise even match-up. Hitchens battled gamely, but
Delasaux's accuracy won the day, or rather the night.
Arturo Salazar bt Jethro Binns
Salazar's retrieving, speed and consistency gave him a decided edge
over Binns who became very frustrated with his own game as well as
his inability to get anything past his opponent. Binns hit some very
good shots, but Salazar got to everything and didn't make many
mistakes. It is obvious that it is very tough to kill the ball
against Salazar.
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18-Nov, Qualifying
Finals:
Jethro Binns (Wal) bt Fred Reid (Can) 11-3, 11-8,
11-1 (20m)
Binns dominated the front court and took advantage of loose
cross-courts while Reid struggled to find his backhand touch
and length. In Game # 3, Binns showed that he has at least
one more gear, which almost certainly he will need in his
next match versus Arturo Salazar, the # 2 seed.
Justin Todd (Can) bt Paul Mathieson (Ita) 11-6, 9-11,
11-7, 11-5 (33m)
Todd dictated the pace of the first game which took its toll
on Mathieson, who while playing very steady, couldn't keep
up with Todd's pressure. Both players slowed down a little
after that, with Mathieson seeming to tire more than Todd.
Laurence Delasaux (Eng) bt Thomas Brinkman (Can)
11-3, 11-6, 11-8 (27m)
Delasaux kept Brinkman at the back of the court, while
playing the majority of his shots from mid-court in a
display of precision squash. Brinkman showed grit to come
back in the 3rd game, but in the end was outclassed this
time. Delasaux showed no weeknesses and will be a tough
opponent the rest of the week.
Andrew Schnell (Can) World bt Graeme Wilson (Nzl)
11-9, 11-5, 11-5 (35m)
In what appears to be a major upset, Schnell played
relatively error-free and retrieved most everything Wilson
threw at him on this night. Wilson obviously didn't play his
best squash and is a much better player than he showed, but
Schnell, our reigning Canadian Junior Champion, appears to
be very comfortable at this level of professional play. Time
will tell, but this observer is wondering if we are
witnessing the beginning of a great career for the Albertan.
If you are a Canadian squash fan, follow this player!
17-Nov,
Qualifying Round One:
Fred Reid (Can) bt Chris
White (Can) (11-3, 11-6, 11-2) 20 m
Paul Mathieson (Ita) bt Michael Russell (Can) (11-6, 11-1,
11-3) 18 m
Laurence Delasaux (Eng) bt Tim Landeryou (Can) (11-1, 11-3,
11-3) 18 m
Thomas Brinkman (Can) bt Sarfarez Ahmed (Can) (10-12, 9-11,
11-7, 11-7, 11-7) 46 m
Andrew Schnell (Can) bt Russ Warner (Can) (11-4, 11-3, 11-3)
17 m
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