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TODAY at the KIG: Thu 7th Jan
Steve Cubbins in LA |
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Photo Galleries
Extras #2, Irvine |
Round One
[1] Tarek Momen (Egy) bt [Q] Ido Avron (Isr)
11/2, 11/5, 11/7
(21m)
[8] Chris Simpson (Eng) bt Matthew
Karwalski (Aus)
11/5, 11/8, 5/11,
11/8 (52m)
[6] Aaron Frankcomb (Aus) bt [Q]
John Rooney (Irl)
4/11, 12/14,
11/9, 11/9, 11/1 (107m)
[3] Shahier Razik (Can) bt [Q] James
Snell (Eng)
11/6, 11/2, 11/4 (36m)
Yasir Butt (Pak) bt [5] Rafael Alarcon
(Bra)
12/10, 9/11, 11/9, 12/14, 11/5 (74m)
[4] Tom Richards (Eng) bt [Q] Neil Hitchens (Eng)
11/5, 11/9, 5/11, 11/5 (42m)
Stefan Casteleyn (Bel) bt [7]
Martin Knight (Nzl)
11/8, 11/7, 11/2 (38m)
[2] Omar Mosaad (Egy) bt Stéphane Galifi (Ita)
11/9, 11/4, 9/11, 12/10 (52m)
Quarter-finals from 17.00 Friday
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Stefan's the man ...
The LAAC crowd got the result it wanted on the opening night of
the inaugural KIG Open as club pro and local favourite Stefan
Casteleyn upset the seeding to advance to the
quarter-finals.
Casteleyn beat seventh seed Martin Knight in straight games and
now meets second seed Omar Mosaad, who survived an
entertaining encounter with Stéphane Galif, for a place in the
semi-finals.
Top seed Tarek Momen looked in good form as he despatched
qualifier Ido Avron to set up a meeting with Chris Simpson,
one of two Englishmen to reach the quarters.
In contrast to Momen's quick win, sixth seed Aaron Frankcomb
needed 107 minutes to overcome the challenge of qualifier John
Rooney. The Irishman was two games and 7/4 up before Frankcomb
mounted a remarkable recovery.
Frankcomb's next opponent is Shahier Razik, the Canadian
third seed who has a reputation for long matches, but who beat
qualifier James Snell in quick time today.
Completing the quarter-final lineup are England's Tom
Richards and Pakistani Yasir Butt, who prevailed in a
see-saw encounter with fifth-seeded Rafael Alarcon. |
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[8] Chris
Simpson (Eng) bt Matthew Karwalski
(Aus)
11/5, 11/8, 5/11,
11/8 (52m)
Simpson satisfied
The first round proper got under way with a contrasting pair of
matches, as sixth and eighth seeds Chris Simpson and Aaron
Frankcomb advanced to the quarter-finals.
Simpson started off in determined mood against Matthew Karwalski,
easing ahead in the first after an opening of several extended
rallies.
The Australian who started the second better, moving to an 8/4
lead before Simpson struck back with a run of seven points to
double his advantage. "I just choked in the second, I needed to
win that one," he admitted afterwards.
Attacking more he took the third, but it was the Englishman who
found the necessary winners at the end of an even fourth game to
take the win.
 "It's
quite hard to get back into it after the Christmas break, you
feel refreshed but after some hard rallies the lungs went a bit.
"I felt good for the first two games, then lost a lot of speed
in the third. He hits the ball hard and is good at taking the
crosscourt, but if you play straight too much he he gets used to
it, very clever play.
"The courts take a bit of getting used to, they don't really
take a shot in the front, and sometimes you think you've played
a good shot but he latch onto it and you're on the defensive.
"Glad to get off in four, and that will have done me good, it's
the first time I've really opened up my lungs since the break."
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[6] Aaron
Frankcomb (Aus) bt [Q] John Rooney
(Irl)
4/11, 12/14,
11/9, 11/9, 11/1 (107m)
Frankcomb wears Rooney down
Meanwhile on the adjacent court, qualifier John Rooney was in
the process of creating an upset. True, it was taking him a
while, but when he took a two-game lead after 64 minutes it was
looking good for the Irishman.
As you can imaging, the rallies were long, very long. There were
a few decisions and discussions, but it was the squash that was
taking the time.
Rooney led7/4 in the third too, but Frankcomb is becoming
something of an expert at these marathon matches, and slowly
worked his way back, taking the game after 80 minutes.
18 minutes later it was all square, the Australian establishing
an early lead then holding of a late fightback.
They had a couple of tough rallies at the start of the fifth,
and then it was all over. Rooney, who has been plagued with
health problems, had reached the limit and could make only a
token effort for the rest of the match.
 "I
knew it would be tough going into the match, he's a good player
who's had a few health problems, I feel for him.
"I was a bit too defensive in the first two games, in the third
and fourth I tried to get in front of him, tried to dominate a
bit more.
"It was a hard start to the fifth, but all through the match I
had it in my mind that if I kept it hard and long he might find
it too tough, and after those first few rallies it was obvious
that that had happened."
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[3] Shahier
Razik (Can) bt [Q] James Snell (Eng)
11/6, 11/2, 11/4 (36m)
Shahier in a hurry
Third seed Shahier Razik took to the court against qualifier
James Snell shortly after Rooney and Frankcomb had started their
third game, and amazingly, the Canadian famed for his lengthy
matches came off court well before that match had finished.
Apart from a spell in the first when he let an 8/2 lead come
under threat, Razik was always in control and progressed to the
quarters with something to spare.
 "I
made it my new year's resolution last year to give up those
monster matches, I'm hoping to keep to it this year too!
"I play a lot on these courts so I always feel comfortable on
there, it was a good match to get the season under way.
"I haven't done too much over the break, there's not a lot of
guys around to hit with, but there's a lot of tournaments coming
up over the next three months so there will be lots of squash to
be had ..."
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Stefan
Casteleyn (Bel) bt [7] Martin
Knight (Nzl)
11/8, 11/7, 11/2 (38m)
Stefan's the man
This was the match that the LAAC faithful wanted to see, and
they weren't disappointed as local favourite and club pro Stefan
Casteleyn made it through to the quarters with a straight games
win over seventh seed Martin Knight.
The Belgian former world number seven managed to stay just ahead
through two tight opening games, and a quick start to the third
saw him home, to the delight of the LAAC crowd.
 "I
was happy to keep ahead through the match, I wasn't looking
forward to a big comeback!
"I don't have a plan when I go on court, I play the way I play
and if it doesn't work I'm in trouble, thankfully it worked
today. It was a faster pace than I'm used to, I really felt it
in a couple of rallies, but I managed to slow it down enough to
be in control of the rallies.
"Having the crowd on your side, and playing on home courts,
obviously helps, it gives you a real morale boost, but it wasn't
until I was 6/0 up in the third that I thought I'd won it.
"Omar killed me the last time we played, 18 months ago. He's so
big, hits it so hard and the pace is so fast ... but let's see
..."
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Yasir
Butt (Pak) bt [5] Rafael Alarcon (Bra)
12/10, 9/11, 11/9, 12/14, 11/5 (74m)
 "I
wasn't expecting a five setter, it was my first proper match for
two or three months. I was very nervous in the beginning, but
slowly got into my game.
"I lost concentration in the second, that's why I needed to
rally and make it hard in the third.
"I lost a couple of match balls in the fourth, but I was always
confident I'd win the fifth if I just stuck to my game.
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[4] Tom
Richards (Eng) bt [Q] Neil Hitchens (Eng)
11/5, 11/9, 5/11, 11/5 (42m)
 "He
played well, but I dropped my concentration a little in the
third, although to be fair he played some outrageous winners in
that game, he's improved a lot recently.
"Last time I played Yasir was six or seven years ago in the
British Junior Open, so there's not a lot of history there."
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[2] Omar Mosaad
(Egy) bt Stéphane Galifi (Ita)
11/9, 11/4, 9/11, 12/10 (52m)
The final match of the day was
an entertaining affair for the remaining crowd, who appreciated
the power and control of Omar Mosaad in the early stages, and
warmed to the delicate skills and amusing banter of Stéphane
Galifi as he worked his way back into the match.
The Frenchman displayed some silky skills as he threatened to
take the match to a decider, but the Egyptian held firm to take
five points in a row to finish the match off.
"I played well in
the first two, playing a fast game which was working. I lost my
concentration a lot in the third, and in the fourth he played
some good shots and was good mentally.
"I was pleased to come back and save those game balls in the
fourth, I really didn't want it to go to a fifth."
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