Bahl & Gaynor Cincinnati Gaynor Cup 2018
07-10 Feb, Cincinnati, Usa, $25k

FINAL: [2] Donna Urquhart (Aus) 3-0 [2] Victoria Lust (Eng)
                      11/9, 13/11, 11/5 (36m)

The 3-0 score line against second seed Victoria Lust didn’t reflect the intense physical of the game or how close the first two games really were.

Both players looked a little edgy at the start of the match, not surprising as the typical result between the two players has ended in five games and they sit at 15 and 16 in the world rankings.

Donna produced some great flicks to clinch games one and two in big pressure points which left Vicky with a mountain to climb trailing 2-0.

Donna’s week of consistency and fantastic shot making continued in the third and despite a resilient display from Vicky, Donna was able to take home the prize.

“You dream of weeks were it all comes together and you keep playing at the top of your game, I just can’t believe it happened here, I am so happy,” Donna said in her acceptance speech.

Vicky didn’t really do too much wrong, it was just Donna’s week.
 

09-Feb, Semis:
Five star Donna sets up a Lusty final…
Nathan Dugan reports

Donna Urquhart produced a un-Donna like performance as she played a flawless match again teenage sensation Rowan Elaraby in the Semifinals of the Gaynor Cup in Cincinnati.

With her attacking style of play, Donna is used to riding a rollercoaster each match, as purple patches where she can’t miss blend with lapses and errors. Not tonight, right from the first rally she made her shots and simply never started missing.

Rowan looked a little edgy compared to her first two rounds, but it would have taken something really special to have taken down the Aussie the way she played.

The 3-0 score line didn’t flatter Donna, rather emphasized her quality tonight.

Second seed Victoria Lust reached her 23rd PSA tour final in a physical match with Mariam Metwally.

Referee Jon Geekie, a PSA tour player on the men’s side, did a great job controlling the match as right from the first point Mariam ran into the back of her opponent resulting in a no let call.

Bumping continued for the duration of the match but Vicky’s superior agility enabled here to come out on top despite some excellent racquet work from the Egyptian.

At 8-3 in the third and the match running away from her, Mariam retired due to a recurring ankle injury, setting up and intriguing final between the world numbers 15 and 16.

Two nights in a row, it’s the Elaraby show!

Rowan Elaraby continued her giant killing run in Cincinnati by claiming the scalp of world number 25, Millie Tomlinson, in her second clinical performance in two nights.

Rowan, the conqueror of top seed Emily Whitlock yesterday, controlled the match from the start.

Millie made a valiant comeback in the first game which may have dented the seventeen year olds confidence had she clinched it, but once Rowan held her nerve to close it out, she never looked like losing the match.

Rowan’s victory set up a semifinal with Australian, Donna Urquhart. Donna, still to drop a game in Cincinnati, was a convincing winner in her quarterfinal with Hollie Naughton.

Hollie aided in her own demise this evening by finding the tin with too much regularity, as an edgy performance prevented her from showing the crowd what she is capable of.

Donna joined the ‘tin tin’ train herself for a spell in the second, before finding the tracks and finishing the job off. The semifinal with Rowan will be a rematch of the Monte Carlo semi that Donna prevailed in last year, but the form Rowan is showing here this week, could mean it will be even money with the betting.

The top two seeds in the bottom half both prevailed in their quarterfinals but they reached the semis in contrasting fashion.

Victoria Lust let a 9-7 lead in the first game slip through her fingers, but that just encouraged her to step up her level and she was able to control the following three games, moving smoothly and controlling the center of the court.

Misaki Kobayashi pulled off some entertaining attacking shots but not enough to force a fifth.

It was not as smooth sailing for Mariam Metwally in the final quarter as she joined Vicky tomorrow’s semi.

A close match had been predicted between Mariam and Samantha Cornett with only two places separating the two players in rankings, 21 and 23 respectively.

Samantha looked to have won the first as she took a 10-6 lead but Mariam, who got through last night after saving a match ball, never game up the fight and she won it 13-11. Samantha steamrolled through the second which showed how crucial the first ended up being, as a two game lead would surely have been an insurmountable task.

The third game stayed tight the whole way with Mariam winning and the celebratory shrieks getting louder from the Egyptian. Everyone in the crowd readied themselves for the first five setter of the night as Sam held a 10-7 lead in the fourth, but lightning struck the Canadian twice as two good shots and lucky nick off the back wall levelled the scoring at 10-10.

With the semifinal now just two points away, Mariam gave one final piercing battle cry and the players shook hands as the match ended in four. Vicky will certainly have the fresher legs for tomorrow’s match but will that be enough for her to reach her 23rd tour final?

Before the matches last night losing first round players entertained Cincinnati juniors with an opportunity to play the pro, thank you to those players who inspired these future stars.
 

 TAGS :   Previous Events | Search |