|
 |
TODAY at the Dunlop British Open
Daily reports from
Liverpool on the
'Wimbledon of Squash' |
Wed 7th May, Day TWO:
The second day's play at Liverpool Cricket Club sees the men's
qualifying finals and women's qualifying round two - eight
matches each from 12.00 to 20.00, another loooong day ...
Aaron Frankcomb bt Ben Ford
11/4, 11/6, 7/11, 11/7 (57m)
Jon Harford bt Robbie Temple
11/7, 7/11, 11/5, 11/5 (61m)
Wade Johnstone bt Mark Fuller
11/6, 11/9, 13/11 (38m)
Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan bt Shaun Le Roux
11/4, 11/9, 11/9 (46m)
Jesse Engelbrecht bt Steve Coppinger 4/11, 11/5,
9/11, 15/13, 11/3 (68m)
Scott Arnold bt Mathieu Castagnet
11/9, 11/7, 11/5 (51m)
Tom Richards bt Scott Handley
11/3, 11/4, 13/11 (30m)
Farhan Mehboob bt Campbell Grayson
11/6, 7/11, 11/6, 11/4 (45m)
Men's
Draw & Results
Men's Reports
Madeline Perry
bt Joshna Chinappa
9/4, 10/8, 9/1 (25m)
Emma Beddoes bt Lauren Briggs
9/1, 9/6, 3/9, 10/8 (64m)
Engy Kheirallah bt Delia Arnold
9/3, 3/9, 9/3, 10/8 (85m)
Dominique Lloyd-Walter bt Sarah Kippax
9/0, 9/1, 9/2 (43m)
Isabelle Stoehr bt Lauren Siddall
10/9, 9/2, 9/0 (46m)
Jaclyn Hawkes bt Louise Crome
9/5, 9/3, 4/9, 9/1 (57m)
Annelize Naude bt Suzie Pierrepont
9/6, 10/8, 4/9, 9/2 (67m)
Kasey Brown bt Dipika Pallikal
9/2, 9/0, 9/1 (24m)
Women's Draw & Results
Women's Reports |
|
|
Men's Qualifying Finals ... Framboise
reports |
|
 |
|
Aaron Frankcomb
bt Ben Ford
11/4, 11/6, 7/11,
11/7 (57m)
BEN WOULDN'T GO QUIETLY…
If Ben Ford did look a bit tired and lacking of motivation in
the first game, he seemed to find his game, pace and game as the
match unfolded, slowing the pace at will, counter attacking
beautifully, and forcing the Australian to keep way back there
in the back corner.
But if Aaron makes normally between 4 and 5 unforced errors each
game, today, he took him two games and six points to actually
make his first error. And that changes everything, as the
opponent can’t expect to be given point after point.
I thought that Ben was going to be able to come back to 2-all,
he was lobbing superbly today, and he seemed fitter than his
young opponent at some moments of the match. But he must have
still been tired, and in the fourth went for a few shots far too
early, that either opened the court, or ended in the tin.
It was close, very close, much closer than the score tells, but
Aaron proudly gets into his first ever British Open main draw…
 "I was
just slow to start today, although it may have looked like I
couldn’t be bothered! I did! But I was playing too negatively,
and hoping something would happen, and nothing did…
"So, Scott told me that I needed to get more positive, and I
guess I went straight to the extreme, played too fast, tried too
many winners, and made too many errors. I wish I’d found a
better balance between defensive shots and attacking…
"In the fourth it was really tight, but I wasn’t tired at all,
which is unusual for me, that’s normally the reason why I lose
matches… I thought also that I got a couple of bad decisions,
and that he asked for strokes that he shouldn’t have got… But he
played very well in the end…"
|
 "My
unforced errors tend to vary depending against who I play. I
don’t have the confidence against players with a lower ranking,
who I should beat. So I go for too much I guess. But when I play
against a player that I consider being above me, then, I seem to
switch on…
"I’m pretty happy, I played hard from the start, I stuck in
there, and tried to keep on top of him. But in the third, he
started to cut down on the errors, and I maybe started to force
things a bit too much.
"He managed to take a good lead, I tried to come back, but he
was able to keep 2, 3 points ahead. I don’t think he played his
best today, still, if he takes the 4th, it’s anyone’s match.
"I’m so glad to qualify for my first British Open, and to play
one of the top guys tomorrow…"
 |
|
 |
|
"He is such a talented player, did you see the shots he got,
from behind him, for everywhere! We actually grew up together, I
met him the first time when he was three, and he is really one
of the players I want to see do well.
"Robbie has moved to London to train and there is a vast
improvement, he just needs to sort his head out, he gave me too
many points today…
"Last year, I lost 3/2 in the finals of the qualifiers, so I’m
so happy to qualify this year for my first British Open, and so
looking forward to tomorrow…"
 |
Jon Harford
bt Robbie Temple
11/7, 7/11, 11/5, 11/5 (61m)
CLOSE ENCOUNTER
What a stunning young player that Robbie Temple is, he plays
squash with a funny double hander lefthander kind of movement,
and at some point, I even had the impression that he was
swapping hands! And he found some shots, you know, Tim Vail
style, out of nowhere…
The second game was not the best, as Jon made five unforced
errors, against seven for Robbie, who still won the game 11/7!
But after that, they both decided to attack at will, play at a
mad pace despite the heat on the there, retrieved like two
lunatics impossible front winners, and produced a stunning third
and fourth.
A bit more concentration for Robbie, and the boy, now training
with Peter Genever, will be raising up the ranking…
 "Jon
played really well, he is so tough to play against, you’ve got
to fight for every point, he doesn’t give you anything cheap.
But it’s so hard to switch on the “killer instinct” against him,
as we’ve grown up together… Still, I’ve got to learn to do that,
as I’m bound to play against my friends…
"Today, my concentration was not at its best, wasn’t there
really."
 |
|
Wade Johnstone
bt Mark Fuller 11/6, 11/9, 13/11 (38m)
 "I
snapped that one through!
"The first two games, I was pretty relaxed, but then, I went on
thinking that I could actually win the match, and get myself in
the first round of the British Open, and went on trying to win
the match too much.
"And he started playing very well, retrieved everything, my
brain sort of went, I started to make errors, and got really
worried!
"On previous tournaments, it happened too many times that I went
to be negative, booking my flight too early, I know, it’s only
on a psychological level, but this time, I’m booked to stay
nearly until the end.
"Since I’ve arrived, I’ve played with no pressure, and see where
it takes me. So far, it’s been great, I’m extremely happy to
have qualified for the British Open at my first attempt."
Wade Johnstone
"Really disappointed.
 Yesterday,
I never believed I could win the match, and even when I got
match ball, I was glad because I got a match ball.
"Whereas today, I started thinking, and expected a lot of
myself. If yesterday, I didn’t expect to win, today, I felt I
thought I should have…"
Mark Fuller |
Tricky for lobs ...
 |
|
 |
"On Azlan's recommendation, I’ve
been training with Peter Genever for about a year now, and I
spend two months here, two months over there, and I’m very
grateful to my government for helping me.
"I’m so glad I won in three, because normally, when I play a
five setter, I’m dead the next day!
"Peter just told me to relax, enjoy the game, and play the right
shot at the right time. And when I was in the 3rd, and I started
to get tense, and Shaun was coming back, that’s what I kept on
telling myself. “Enjoy, this is not everything, and if you lose,
this is not the end of the world”…
"I’m so happy to have qualified this year, last year, I lost in
the first round, so this time, I proved to my government I can
play good squash.
"And Peter, thank you…"
 |
Mohd Nafiizwan
Adnan bt Shaun Le Roux
11/4, 11/9, 11/9 (46m)
IMPRESSIVE WAN…
When I asked Mohamed Nafiizwan Adnan how was I supposed to call
him – for Beng Hee for example, Ong is his family name – he
said, “well, it’s a pretty long name, so, everybody calls me
Wan.” That simplifies my life, I can tell you!
Well, today, Wan was all over the court, and when I arrived, I
saw him slip on a very sweaty court, his racquet flew out of his
hands, fell on the floor. Well, Wan picked it up in a flash,
went right back on his feet, and ended up getting a let after 35
more shots… I thought to myself that that boy was probably not
going to lose the match.
And God knows Shaun – a perfect gentleman today I must stress –
played his racquet off today, that boy never went negative,
always accurate, always attacking, always on the move, but Wan
had all the right answers, and the body explosiveness to go with
it.
Funny, Wan looks to me like a mixture between Thierry Lincou –
he’s got his deliberate racquet move and his physical stamina –
and Beng Hee – his backhand in particular. Weird….
And that determination, that energy, that hunger for victory
gave the Malaysian wings. Mind you, to be honest, I thought that
had he lost the third, he’d probably would have lost the
encounter, as he was largely in the red from 6/2 in the third…
But hey, let’s not rewrite history here, and this is a very
important day for his country, as it will be the first time ever
the British Open counts three Malaysians in the main draw.
Well done boys…
 "He
is quick, he picks up everything. He doesn’t do too much with
the ball, he is limited, but what he does, he does extremely
well. He is very fit, very strong physically.
"I needed to win the second or the third, because he looked
pretty tired to me, he was breathing pretty heavily.
"I should have done more in the first, I was playing too fast,
hitting the ball too hard, and David Campion told me to slow
down and get some length, because I didn’t need to hit that hard
with the kind of pace he plays at…
"It was very hot on there, but he played extremely well… "
 |
|
 |
|
Jesse
Engelbrecht bt Steve Coppinger
4/11, 11/5, 9/11, 15/13, 11/3 (68m)
A MATCH OF MUCHNESS…
 As
Jesse described the match afterwards. My version? Two bleeping
lunatics that were running after the ball endlessly, attacking,
counter-attacking, retrieving, lobbing, visiting the court, and
the one next door, and still running, and still hitting, and
still retrieving.
Oufffff. I’m tired, I’m exhausted, just thinking about those
two, and thinking that next month, they get to do it all over
again for the Nationals in South Africa…
Steve was a bit more physical today, as ever, and covered an
awful lot of ground, and seemed to overpower Jesse for parts of
the match. But then, the speed of the little Weasel allowed him
to retrieve and counterattack so well, he actually twisted and
turned poor Steve inside out.
The turning point was in the fourth, when Steve couldn’t
transform his match ball, Jesse finding the nick on the return
of serve. The momentum then turned in favour of Jesse, who still
had to battle 12 long minutes for what appears on paper as an
“easy last game”, 11/3…
|
"Bloody tough.
"It’s so hard to play your fellow countryman, especially as he
is the National Champion, and I’m the number one player as my
ranking is ranking. A bit of nip and tuck that one was….
"We seemed to know each other’s game rather well, whereas we
only played together four times officially. But we play a lot of
team competitions together, and we give each other advice, we
are good friends off court…
"I can’t believe I served out at 13/12 in the 4th! I thought I
was straight back in Canary Wharf, where I was 9/9 in the third
against Renan, and ended up losing the match. I thought I was
going to do the same thing all over again.
"He is a tough boy to play…"
 |
"I was able to get a couple of good
weeks training before the event, that gives me the confidence to
play at the pace I want without having to worry about saving
energy.
"Did you notice I volleyed a bit more? It’s thanks to your
article you wrote in Canary Wharf! It’s funny, your coach,
everybody can tell you the same thing over and over again, you
don’t hear it. And suddenly, someone else tells it, and you just
do it! I’ve been working pretty hard on that volley actually, to
include it in my game..
"I was pretty happy with my length today, that allowed to
control the T, and I think that at the end of the 2nd, Mathieu
started to feel the hard match he had yesterday…"
 |
Scott Arnold
bt Mathieu Castagnet
11/9, 11/7, 11/5 (51m)
MAT GAVE IT ALL
 I
had no doubt in my mind today when I got to see the game at 9/9
in the first, that Scott was going to win that one. Mathieu
always looked “à la pêche”, on the back foot, and he ran the
poor boy, and he retrieved so hard, slipped so many times, got
back on there, and ran some more.
But the Australian – spit image from Bozza, it’s unreal – was on
a different planet today, finding some volley drop shots and
boast that damaged the Frenchman legs so much, as he needed
that, poor thing, well set up with stunning length.
Still, Mat gave it 250%, and at the end of the day, nobody can
ask anymore of him than that. Not even himself…
 "I’ve
got more and more trouble getting over my defeats in PSA, it’s
getting harder and harder, the players are tougher and tougher,
and I do train so hard, I wish I could have a bit more return on
my investment!!!!!!!!!!!
"At the moment, I feel that not everybody is gifted like Ramy,
Thierry, the top guys, who are so precise. I’m not so gifted,
I’ve got limitations, and at the moment, I just can’t find
solutions…
"He played too well today, he was more accurate than I was.
Also, I think that he felt pretty good physically, whereas he
really pushed me and took me by the jugular… I know I gave it
all, but too good, too strong, too precise…."
 |
|
Farhan Mehboob
bt Campbell Grayson
11/6, 7/11, 11/6,
11/4 (45m)
IN SHORT…
No rallies. Hard hitting. Stunning attacks. Fast pace. Clipped
tins. Or not. Patchy….
Farhan is one of the most gifted players on the circuit at this
point in time. He has so much skill in that left hand of his,
honestly, maybe even as much as a Ramy. But as with most
extremely gifted people, he’s got it too easy, and doesn’t like
constructing rallies. Zoom, a nick, zoom, a kill, zoom, a
winner. Flash boom flash, and the points are just reeled off….
 OK,
he lacks patience and length, agreed. Against a top 100 player,
that’s fine. But against a top 10, he’s going to get eaten
alive… We know that, he knows that too…
Campbell did extremely well today, he weathered the storm
throughout, even putting enough pressure on the Pakistani to get
a game. But to play at such a pace, asks not only a lot of
energy, but a lot of mental alertness, and in the 4th, Campbell
just ran out of gas.
Of gas, yes, but not of heart. That boy really stuck in there,
until the last shot was played. And it’s astonishing to see how
hard he worked tonight. He made the error of getting sucked into
Farhan’s game, who just dwells on that sound barrier pace.
But really, what a joy to see that 19 year old play, he just
shot all over the court, from all angles, he never disputed the
ref’s decision, maybe just a look, he is such a fair player, and
an honour to his country…
|
"My uncle Jansher says that I’ve got to watch the top players,
and my favourite players are Greg and Shabana. My uncle says
that I’ve to go run like Greg, and play like Shabana and Greg in
the future…
"In the first game, I played pretty well, I didn’t make many
mistakes, but in the second game, l relaxed a bit and he started
to play really well. So in the third, I decided to play a normal
game, slowing down, playing up and down the wall [yeah, right!
FG], drop shots and volley, and being more patient. And in the
fourth, I just relaxed, I was happy to be able to play my game
again…
"So happy to qualify for the second time for this prestigious
event…"
"I’m happy to play at a fast pace, but today, apart from the
second game, I just couldn’t find a proper length, I was too
impatient, and game over. I needed to slow it down.
"He is so good with a racquet, so fast with his hands, down
below, like so many Pakistanis, but also on the volley, and in
the end, I just ran out of legs…"
 |
|
Women's Qualifying Round Two ... Steve
reports |
|
 |
|
Madeline Perry
(Irl) bt Joshna Chinappa (Ind)
9/4, 10/8, 9/1 (25m)
Joshna up and down
The Indian number one has a game that doesn't rely too much on
rallying, and can go through spells of hitting series of lovely
winners or series of unforced errors, and we saw both sides of
Joshna's game in the opening women's match.
The Irish number one, playing a more controlled game, eased
ahead from 5/4 in the first to take a lead and continued to
dominate as she took a 4/1 lead in the second. That was when
Joshna's shots started to go in as she fired in the winners to
reach 8/4. Madeline came back though, saving game ball and
winning the next six rallies as Joshna's shots started hitting
the tin.
Madeline came out for the third putting more pace on the ball,
and when Joshna started guessing - mostly wrongly - where the
ball would go the end was nigh ...
 |
"I tried to rally with her more than I normally do, aiming to
keep the ball in play longer, but she's very consistent and
keeps the ball really tight at the back giving you nothing to
attack.
"That helped her, and my unforced errors of course ...
 "It
tends to be winners or tins with Joshna, you just have to see
what you get. After I'd taken the second I came out more
aggressively for the third, trying not to give her opportunities
to hit those winners ..."
 |
|
 "She
took the first game to get into it, but I knew she'd come back,
she's very fit and she's a fighter, you can never relax against
her.
"I was trying to keep a good length, the court is so hot you
have to do that or it just sits up for them.
"It was a really tough game, but at 8/4 down in the fourth I
relaxed, expecting a fifth. She made a couple of errors and I
thought I'd better give it a go, and thankfully it worked."
"I lost to Madeline in the Nationals, but that was 11-scoring,
and I'm playing much better now. This is the furthest I've ever
got, so I'm just looking forward to the chance to qualify for
the main draw."
 |
Emma Beddoes
bt Lauren Briggs
9/1, 9/6, 3/9, 10/8
(64m)
Beddoes best on the day
In the early stages of this match it looked like it would be
over quickly. Emma Beddoes was well on top of her higher-ranked
compatriot, who just wasn't at the races in the first game.
But from the outset of the second Lauren Briggs was her usual
self, moving smoothly and striking the ball well. Trouble was,
so was Emma, which on a hot court was the perfect recipe for a
tough, tough battle.
Emma finished the second on a stroke - and started a point up in
the third due to Lauren's reaction to the award. Once she'd
settled though, it was Lauren who advanced to cut the deficit,
but it was never easy. And at 8/4 in the fourth it looked like a
decider was on the cards, but a couple of errors gave Emma hope
and she took the opportunity to level it at 8-all.
Lauren owned up to a double-hit on her service return to make it
match ball, and Emma finished off another tough, tough rally
with a dropshot that was just too tight.
On the day Emma played that bit better, her length in particular
was better. Only one more match to go to qualify ...
|
|
 |
|
Engy Kheirallah
bt Delia Arnold
9/3, 3/9, 9/3, 10/8 (85m)
Delia tests Engy's patience
85 minutes for four games, and it could have been much longer
had Delia managed to finish off a comeback from 6/1 down in the
fourth.
Up and down the walls, waiting for a really good chance to come
along before trying anything isn't really Engy's game, but Delia
played it almost to perfection and on the hot court Engy was
pretty much obliged to go along with it.
Go along with it she did though, although it was the Egyptian's
patience that generally broke first, resulting in an occasional
tin or winner but more often a scramble followed by another
period of safety play.
 In
the end it came down to a couple of errors at the death by the
young Malaysian, a mishit to give Engy match ball and another
scraped off the wall that just fell short.
Two years ago Engy made the semi-finals of the main draw, but
she'll be grateful this time to get away with this win in the
second round of qualifying ... |
 "That
was really, really tough. I was trying to keep the rallies going
as long as I could, I just didn't want to take the risk of
making an error.
"I wasn't thinking about the ranking difference, I just wanted
to do the best I could.
"I'm pleased to push her so close, but disappointed to lose.
"This is my first British Open - I came over for the Irish Open
and this, I'll be going back to Malaysia next week."
 |
|
 "We've
played each other loads recently, we seem to keep on drawing
each other but fortunately I always seem to play well against
her.
"I've started working a lot with Ian Robinson at Guildford and
I'm pleased with how it's going.
"That was harder than the scoreline looks but I'm still very
happy with how I was playing.
"I can't wait for the 11 scoring to come in, I think it will be
much better all round ..."
 |
Dominique
Lloyd-Walter bt Sarah Kippax
9/0, 9/1, 9/2 (43m)
A flattering scoreline
If the scoreline makes it look easy, the time gives the game
away - 43 minutes to earn just three points was poor reward for
Sarah today.
The other tell-tale sign of how tough it really was is the "what
it would have been in PAR" scoreline of 11/3, 11/5, 11/8.
Same winner, but a truer record of a match that was
well-contested, but Dominique generally having the upper hand in
the winner-to-error ratio.
 |
|
Isabelle Stoehr
bt Lauren Siddall
10/9, 9/2, 9/0 (46m)
Stoehr too strong
 Despite
her considerable exertions in Amsterdam where Isabelle Stoehr
led country to the podium with a series of fine performances,
the French number one still had enough left to see off a
rapidly-improving Lauren Siddall to reach the qualifying finals.
The Pontefract girl staged a
fine comeback from 6/1 down in the first to earn game balls at
8/7 and 9/8, but once Isabelle had thwarted those she took
increasing control over the match, having just a touch more
power and a lot more guile than her opponent today.
At 7/0 in the third an accidental collision saw Siddall take a
few minutes to recover, but the resumption lasted just two
rallies.
 "In
the first game, I was trying to keep as tight to the wall and
straight as possible, and not too high to prevent her from
volleying, and went up to 8/6. But then, I seemed to relax a bit
and she got a game ball at 8/8. But I really didn’t want to open
any door for her mentally, so I went back to put a lot of weight
in the ball, tight, and gave it a big push.
"In the second, I was able to take an early lead, and she made a
few unforced errors. I kept to my game plan, really straight and
attacking well, for the rest of the match..
"At 7/0, we had a little interruption, as we had a collision,
and she got injured. Thank God she was able to come back on
court pretty soon after that, and I kept warm and focused,
allowing me to get the two last points in…"
 |
 "I
though I was a bit unlucky with a couple of decisions at the end
of the first, but you always see it differently when you're on
court, don't you.
"I've got a bruise on my calf from that collision, but it was my
fault for not getting out of the way quickly enough.
"Overall though she was just too good."
 |
 "It's
really bouncy and hot on there, but strangely enough if you get
a good length it can die in the back and put your opponent under
pressure, so that's what I was basically trying to do.
"I stopped in the third, I was just hacking it around, but got
back into that pattern in the fourth.
"It's not a very easy draw through the qualifying but up until a
couple of days ago I wasn't even sure I'd be playing. Getting
the flu just before the British is bad timing, but I felt much
better today and I was pleased with how I played."
 |
Jaclyn Hawkes
bt Louise Crome
9/5, 9/3, 4/9, 9/1 (57m)
Another tough one
 A
warm spring day in Liverpool on a hot bouncy court, it's a
recipe for long, tough matches. That's what we've had today and
this was another one in the series - just short of an hour for
three tough games.
It was a faster-paced, harder-hitting affair than some of the
earlier matches, and compatriots or not there was no quarter
being given.
Jaclyn got the better of the first two games, Louise looked
strong as she pulled one back, but in the fourth Louise was
pressing just a little too hard and some untimely shots that
just clipped the tin did for her in the end.
 |
|
Annelize Naude
bt Suzie Pierrepont
9/6, 10/8, 4/9, 9/2 (67m)
Annelize toughs it out
This match could be subtitled, as a famous Liverpudlian might
have put it, "a lorra lorra lets." 75 decisions made, to be
precise, in 67 minutes of play.
So yes, they did get in each other's way a lot, Annelize getting
frustrated at asking so often, Suzie getting frustrated that so
many requests were responded to in the positive. But there was
some pretty solid and determined squash in the meantime.
In the end it was the nimbler Dutchwoman who came out on top,
accelerating away in the fourth game to move one step closer to
a position she had by right last year.
|
 "It's
unfortunate there had to be a lot of lets, but when you get two
players with such different physiques that's bound to happen.
Suzie played well though.
"I was fortunate enough to get straight into the main draw last
year, with so many qualifying matches it feels a little like a
continuation of the Euro Teams from last week ...
 |
|
Kasey Brown
bt Dipika Pallikal
9/2, 9/0, 9/1 (24m)
Kasey Comfortably
The last of the women's matches was the shortest. Kasey Brown, a
former British Junior Open U17 champion, took on the current
holder of that title, and the experience the Australian has
gained in the intervening years showed.
Dipika may have the smoother movement, and some lovely touch
shots, but Kasey's all-action style, power, and commitment were
too much for her to handle today.
I made the mistake of saying "one more to go" to Kasey, meaning
one more match to qualify. "I hope there's a lot more than one
to go," she retorted. It may be her first British Open, but
she's on a mission ... |
 "It's
the first time I've played the British. We work out my schedule
with the AIS and this is the first time the British has fitted
in, so it's great to play in the world's most prestigious event.
"She had some good shots which caught me out early on, so I had
to up the pace and keep it deep and after I did that it was
fairly comfortable.
"I've played Annelize a few times recently and they've all been
tough, so we'll just have to see how it goes tomorrow ..."
 |
|
|
"It's
the third time I've played the British, so it's great to qualify
for the first time. I feel like I'm playing well, and the knee
problems are fully gone now. 
