|
|
Decision Day for Qualifiers
Eight matches on the showcourt today, with the Dutch fans having
to wait until the last match to see a home player. Annelize
Naude couldn't add to the Dutch count in the main draw though,
as she fell to Lauren Briggs in a day of surprises in the
women's event.
Briggs is joined in the main draw by Ireland's Aisling Blake
and Dane Line Hansen, who both upset the seedings,
and fellow Englishwoman Dominique Lloyd-Walter.
Then men's qualifying finals were more straightforward with
three of the higher-ranked players winning through, the
exception being England's Shaun Le Roux, who survived the
longest match of the day as he beat Badr Abdel Aziz in five.
Dominique Lloyd-Walter (Eng) bt Laura Hill (Eng)
11/6,
11/5, 11/7 (43m)
v R.Grinham
Aisling Blake (Irl) bt Jaclyn Hawkes (Nzl)
11/6, 13/11, 11/4 (31m)
v Duncalf
Line Hansen (Den) bt Samantha Teran (Mex)
11/9, 11/8, 11/9 (44m)
v Atkinson
Lauren Briggs (Eng) bt Annelize Naude
(Ned)
11/8, 3/11, 11/8, 11/4 (38m)
v N.Grinham
Shaun
Le Roux (Eng) bt Badr Abdel Aziz (Swe)
7/11, 11/5, 11/9, 8/11, 11/7 (77m)
v Matthew
Bradley Hindle (Aus) bt Rob Sutherland (Wal)
11/8, 11/6, 6/11, 11/4 (41m)
v Rodriguez
Robin Clarke (Can) bt Ben Ford (Eng)
11/3, 7/11, 11/5, 11/3 (39m)
v Engelbrecht
Steve Coppinger (Rsa) bt Gilly Lane (Usa)
11/9, 14/12, 11/5 (54m)
v Bianchetti
|
Photo Galleries |
|
It's Kids Day at Frans Otten Stadion |
|
Dominique Lloyd-Walter (Eng)
bt Laura Hill (Eng)
11/6,
11/5, 11/7 (43m)
Dom dominates English affair
An English qualifier was guaranteed in the first match of the
day, and Dominique Lloyd-Walter made sure it was her as she
stayed in control for most of her match against Laura Hill.
An early lead in the first was consolidated, she eased away from
4-all in the second and from 5-all in the third, leaving Laura,
who just couldn't get into her game today, to wonder "why have I
let it get this far, why?" as she faced match ball.
 "I
haven't played Laura for a year, I won then but I felt much more
in control this time.
"I think I'm used to the court now, and I feel much better with
the scoring. Yesterday I was a bit on edge, but today I went on
knowing that every rally counts, and to attack and try to stay
on edge, not letting my concentration drop.
"I'm really pleased with that, and looking forward to the main
draw, whoever I get …"
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
Aisling Blake (Irl) bt Jaclyn Hawkes (Nzl)
11/6, 13/11, 11/4 (31m)
Blake bursts into main draw
She may have been playing an opponent who woke up this morning
with a stiff neck ("it eased up as the match went on, but it was
still sore") but Aisling Blake nevertheless played very well
today to beat Jaclyn Hawkes in straight games. The Irish number
two took a good start, held off a fightback from the Kiwi number
two in the second, and eased home in the third.
 "That
was really good. It's my first tournament back, so you never
really know how you'll be in actual matches, but I was pleased
with that, and I like this court, it always plays well for me.
"After the first game Liz told me to throw the ball up in the
air a bit more, so I tried to get a few good serves in to get me
started in rallies and that was working. There were so many time
though that she got balls back that I thought were winners, and
I had to keep on working to win the point two or three times.
"Happy to get into the main draw, and very pleased with today …"
 |
|
 |
|
Line Hansen (Den) bt Samantha Teran (Mex)
11/9, 11/8, 11/9 (44m)
Line downs
top seed Samantha
It was a good day for the world number 27 Line Hansen as she
downed top seed Samantha Teran in straight games, taking the
lead in each game and not letting the world number 17 back into
even a share of the lead, no matter how she tried - and the
Mexican's determination is legend.
"Very happy! I hadn't played her before, so I didn't know what
to expect other than she's a real battler. I tried to slow the
pace down a little and cut out the mistakes.
"I think the court suited my game better, and perhaps the
scoring too as this is already my fourth tournament using it
whereas it's her first.
"It's good to get through in three as well, it will be a tough
match whoever I draw, I'm just looking forward to giving one of
the top players a good game.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Lauren Briggs (Eng) bt Annelize Naude
(Ned)
11/8, 3/11, 11/8, 11/4 (38m)
Briggs dashes Dutch hopes
The Dutch fans had to$wait until the last match of the day to
see their only hope of qualification success, but England's
Lauren Briggs turned in an impressive display to dash those
hopes.
Briggs had the upper hand in the early stages - destite a
'wobble' in the second game when the Dutch number two looked to
be getting back into it - and by the fourth geme the result
didn't look in doubt.
 "Well
it was definitely a lot better than yesterday! I felt a lot more
comfortable out there today, I was moving better, hitting the
ball cleaner, it all seemed to come together well.
"I had a bit of a wobble in the second, but she's so dangerous,
you have to get a length against her and I just didn't do it in
that game. I got it back together in the last two, I was hitting
through the ball better and keeping the momentum.
"I do prefer this scoring. In the old scoring you could work so
hard in a rally and only get the serve back, and that could
happen time and again. In this scoring, if you put the work in
you get rewarded for a good rally with a point, which just feels
better. And if the games are shorter, at least it means you're
fresher for the next round …"
 |
 |
 |
|
Shaun Le Roux (Eng) bt
Badr Abdel Aziz (Swe)
7/11, 11/5, 11/9, 8/11, 11/7 (77m)
Shaun scrapes through
The longest match of the tournament so far saw a second English
qualifier as Shaun Le Roux survived a see-saw marathon against
Badr Abdel Aziz.
Out of sorts in the first, Shaun came back strongly to take the
next two, but Badr reasserted to take it into a decider.
Both players' rackets had taken some abuse during the match, but
when Badr flund his the length of the court as he went 9/7 down,
it was once too often for the referee who docked the Swede a
conduct stroke to give Shaun three match balls. He only needed
one.
 "I
played him last October and won 3/0, but that was three really
close games so I knew it would be hard today.
"In the first game I just couldn't pick up the ball, I was
really struggling with the black ball on the glass walls. In
between games Jonny Harford told me to hit through the ball
more, to give me time to get used to it. I did that in the
second and third and it worked.
"In the fourth I started to go short more, which is my game, but
it just wasn't working. So in the fifth I just kept hitting the
ball deep, it's boring but sometimes you just have to do it.
Luckily I got a good start and managed to hold on to it to
scrape through.
"No-one wants to get nick in the main draw, but apart from that
let's just see what happens …"
 |
 |
|
 |
|
Bradley Hindle (Aus) bt Rob Sutherland (Wal)
11/8, 11/6, 6/11, 11/4 (41m)
Home win for Hindle
Well, it wasn't quite a home win, Bradley Hindle still plays
under the Australian flag, but he's well ensconced in Amsterdam
now and very popular here. Today he just had a little too much
for Rob Sutherland, who made it hard for the qualifying top
seed, but couldn't quite make it hard enough.
"I was very happy
with how I was playing, but he had a good patch in the middle
and I didn't respond well.
"I've always admired Rob's game, but I thought I contained it
well today. He was good in the third but I played well again in
the fourth and he was just hanging in there.
"Happy with my match, with how I played, and happy to qualify.
I've been here two and a half years now, I love it, it feels
like my home crowd, and having my parents here this week makes
it even better."
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
Robin Clarke (Can) bt Ben Ford (Eng)
11/3, 7/11, 11/5, 11/3 (39m)
One too many for Ben
He wasn't really expecting to be here, and having brought his
match forward to be sure to make his flight later tonight, you
can see that Ben Ford wasn't in exactly the right frame of mind.
Robin Clarke didn't give the Englishman a chance to change his
mind - or his flight - as the Canadian held sway for most of the
match to cap his best qualification performance yet.
 "That
was pretty good! I knew he'd had a hard five-setter yesterday,
so in the first I was trying to make the rallies long and hard.
He hit four of five nicks in the second and I couldn't do
anything about it - he hits the ball so crisply, and his
forehand is deadly - but I got back on top in the third and
fourth and I think he tired a little and started hitting a few
tins.
"This is the first 3-star I've qualified for, I got a wildcard
into one but that doesn't really count, so I haven't even looked
at who the qualifiers get to play. I'll be happy with anyone,
I'm feeling fresh, feeling fit … bring it on!"
"I went on with the attitude that I only came here to get one
win - I was less tired than I thought I would be, and I was
hitting the ball better than yesterday, but I just didn't have
the right mental attitude.
"He played well though, he's good around the front and I gave
him too many chances to show it. I couldn't really expect any
more considering how little I'd played coming into the
tournament, but it's nice to find I'm in decent shape, I just
hope it stays like that for the rest of the season …"
 |
|
 |
Steve Coppinger (Rsa) bt Gilly Lane (Usa)
11/9, 14/12, 11/5 (54m)
Thanks Jonny!
Another strong performance from South African champion Steve
Coppinger, benefitting - as did others over the last two days -
from game-interval advice from Jonny Harford, who has been here
all day to support 'his' players.
The first two games were closely contested, Coppinger taking the
first but the American reached 10 first in the second. At 10/9
he thought he'd won the game on a stroke and was on his way out
of court, only to be sent back by a "no let" from the referee.
Coppinger took advantage of the reprieve, took the second and
carried the momentum into the third which he won with some ease.
"Very happy with that win, he's been playing well recently, and
to take it three-nil is a bonus. It was really tough at the end
of the second, we had a couple of game balls each before I
managed to take it, and I think that proved crucial.
"I thought I controlled the play well today, there was no
frantic squash, which I'm prone to get into, so I'm happy with
that too.
"It's good to have two South Africans in the draw, I hope we
don't get drawn together, that way we can both get through!"
 |
 |
 |
|
