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• FINALS • SEMIS • QUARTERS • Round ONE • Qualifying 2 • Qualifying 1 • EN BREF • Sheikha Fadia • Adel • Robert • Opening • Kuwait Towers • ROUNDUP • |
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Mon 7th March, Qualifying Day
ONE
MATCH REPORTS
from Framboise |
MEN'S Qualifying Round One:
Mohammed Abbas (Egy) bt Jean-Michel Arcucci (Fra) 11/6,
9/11, 11/3, 9/11, 11/2 (70m)
Joey Barrington (Eng) bt Arshad Iqbal Burki (Pak) 11/7,
4/0 rtd
Bradley Ball (Eng) bt
Farrukh Zaman (Pak)
11/8, 11/6, 11/9 (28m)
Davide Bianchetti (Ita) bt Jago Nardelli (Eng)
11/5, 11/4, 11/5 (26m)
Peter Barker (Eng) bt Nassar B Ali-Ramzi (Kuw) 11/7,
11/3, 11/3 (23m)
Mansoor Zaman (Pak) bt Mohammed Hajeyah (Kuw) 11/7,
10/11(2-4), 11/5, 11/5 (41m)
Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) bt Bader Al Hussaini (Kuw) 11/8, 11/4, 7/11, 1/11, 11/10(4-2) (41m)
Wael El Hindi (Egy) bt Ali Al Ramzi (Kuw) 11/6, 8/11, 11/5, 11/5 (35m) |
WOMEN'S
Qualifying Round One:
Isabelle Stoehr (Fra) bye
Laura Lengthorn (Eng) bt Amnah El Trabolsy (Egy)
9/5, 9/4, 9/0
Pamela Nimmo (Sco) bye
Engy Kheirallah (Egy) bt Carlene Rossel-Reed (Rsa) 9/4,
9/0, 9/0 (20m)
Raneem El Weleily (Egy) bye
Tania Bailey (Eng) bye
Alison Waters bt Joshna Chinappa (Ind) 9/1, 9/6, 9/2 (18m)
Madeline Perry (Irl) bye |
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THE KUWAIT PLAYERS:
AN EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE
I tried to watch the four Kuwait players in particular, as there was a
good chance that I wouldn’t see them again in the next round.
Well, Amir Wagih, an Egyptian who has been Kuwait National Coach
for a few years now, can be proud of his players. They all performed
pretty well and honoured their country by playing superb, disputed and
squeaky clean squash… |
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Good show from Nasser
Don’t get fooled by the score. This was a pretty well-contested match,
with long rallies. Peter Barker kept his time pushing his opponent
to the back, playing relentless lengths and crosscourts.
Nassar Al Ramzi fought well, but his legs let him down after the
first game. Shame, as you feel that he is extremely motivated and a good
fighter. Maybe a bit more following up after his drop shots, but overall,
a good performance…
Peter Barker bt Nassar B Ali-Ramzi
11/7,
11/3, 11/3 (23m) |
 "I
played well in the first, then I got tired, Peter was playing at a
very fast pace, he is very quick. I don't think I should have played
so many drop shots. I need to improve my stamina.
"I played the best I could today, and I don't think I could have
done better. I just need to go back and work hard on my fitness."
Nassar B Ali-Ramzi |
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 "The
game was as hard as I needed it to be. The court floors are very hard, and
my ankles and calves were aching, so I was happy to finish the match in
three. It's a perfect score, I didn't want to work too hard on the
court..."
Peter Barker
PETER'S DIARY |
Nasser assisted by Kuwait National Coach Amir Wagih |
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MATCH OF THE DAY:
LJ Anjema v Bader Al Hussaini
Great suspense,
great crowd support, never any bad atmosphere.
Great respect between the players, and a fantastic finish. |
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 "The
first two games were very quick. I got a bad start, and could never
recover. Before I knew it, the game was over! I haven’t played many
matches for a while.
"So, I was a little nervous, but once I was able to
play my shots with more confidence, I started winning. I was able to play
my shots, and it worked. Normally, I’m what they call “a defence player”.
But today, I changed my game, and attacked the ball a lot in the last
three games. And it worked.
"LJ is a top player, he is so polite, so respectful of me on the court. He
is a very nice man, and he plays beautifully.
"I’m 21, I have been a PSA member for a year now. I train with Amir, our
National coach. My goal is to become a top 50 player. But you know, in
Kuwait, you study first, and the squash always comes second. I’m studying
for a diploma (Baccalaureos) in accounting.
"My father didn’t come today to watch me play, and I’m not too unhappy
about it, because already, I’m very nervous naturally, I get all exited.
And my father is the same, so if he had come, I would have been so
nervous…"
Bader Al
Hussaini |
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What a finish!
Already, it was a very pleasant match throughout, with LJ taking the first
two games, and maybe relaxing a bit (he is just getting over a bad flu…),
allowing his opponent to play a good attacking game, in conjunction with
good length and some lethal volley drops shots.
But the last game was just outstanding. We had it all. A full house, great
suspense, 4/4, 5/5, 9/9, 10/10, 11/11.
There, a great disputed, seesaw rally. The ball ends in the top right
corner, Bader playing the last counter attack on himself. LJ has now match
ball.
Nope. As he picks up the ball, the young Hollander encourages himself with
a loud “come one” that started with “for f… sake”.
Oups.
The Ref couldn’t do anything other than to give a conduct stroke.
“What are you doing to me?” shouted LJ. “This is match ball”. “I don’t
care what ball it is”, replied the ref. “It’s still a conduct stroke”.
So, reverse situation! Instead of LJ having a match ball (a match point,
as they say over here), it was the Kuwaiti who had it! But a few
extraordinary rallies later, Bader could only shake his opponent’s hand
and accept defeat.
It was a superb performance from Al Hussaini, who lost his nerves a little
at crucial times, and made some unforced errors, but who played
magnificently, with great determination. A few more matches like this will
give him the needed experience, and he could get some pretty good results…
 |
 "First
of all, I want to give Bader a lot of credit, he played beautifully well
today. I was a bit slow, still a bit tired from the flight (arrived
yesterday morning). But especially, I had a bad flu in New York, and I'm
just getting over it now. So I haven’t played at all for a week, this was
the first time I touched a racket since the ToC. I was very slow, and he
took full advantage of it.
"I
was so stunned to get a conduct stroke at 11/11 in the fifth. And it’s my
fault, I should not have said the F word, but it was to encourage myself,
I was not unhappy or angry, I was just encouraging myself “Oh for f… sake,
COME ON”, I said, and I had just won a very long rally, that had given me
match point, and suddenly, I was match ball against me!
"Thank God I kept
my calm… I come from Holland you know, and in Holland, EVERYTHING is
legal…!
"So, I just hope that tomorrow is going to be a better day. Sometimes, you
have a horrible start, and then, the next day, you play very well.
"Let’s
hope that this will be one of those days…"
Laurens Jan
Anjema |
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Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) bt Bader Al Hussaini (Kuw)
11/8, 11/4, 7/11, 1/11, 14/12 (41m) |
 "I
felt alright. It’s always nice to get the first match over with. The court
was quite bouncy, quite warm, I like that. "
Bradley Ball
Bradley Ball bt Farrukh Zaman
11/8, 11/6, 11/9 (28m) |
Mansoor Zaman v
Mohamed Hajeyah
I could only glance at this one, but it was good to see Mansoor Zaman
play a good and disputed match. The second in particular that lasted 12
minutes, had the Kuwaiti people on the edge of their seats, as they were
encouraging Mohamed Hajeyah. Once again, excellent fighting spirit
from the Kuwait player…
Mansoor Zaman bt Mohammed Hajeyah
11/7,
12/14, 11/5, 11/5 (41m) |
Wael El Hindi v Ali Alramzi
One of those matches where a young wolf is giving it all in front of his
people… Wael El Hindi, not at the top of his form, made a few tins,
a few unforced errors. His young opponent Ali Alramzi had all to
gain, and was playing with all guns blazing, attacking every shot, and
quite rightly, got game balls in the second 10/6. Wael saved two, but lost
the game 11/8 on a superb volley drop from his opponent.
The last two games lasted 15 minutes, and Wael got through them somehow.
“Where was your brain today”, I asked him at the end of the game, as it
was obvious that the man was not all there. “Back home” he replied…
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 "I’ve
got a bad flu that I picked up in New York, like LJ. I can’t think, I
can’t breathe. It’s very difficult to stay focused.
"Ali is a young player, he’s got nothing to lose, he can go for his shots,
the pressure was not on him, but on me. I was the one that could look bad
on court…"
Wael El Hindi |
Wael El Hindi bt Ali Al Ramzi
11/6, 8/11, 11/5, 11/5 (35m)
|
 THE
OTHER COURT
Draws are funny. The bottom half of the draw that was played on the court
2 (according to the players, a hard court, not that bouncy…) featured all
the Kuwait players.
And on court 1, the show court, much warmer, quite bouncy, you had the
rest of the world. |
 A
QUICK ONE FOR JOEY
Didn’t see the match at all! I went in the press room, thinking, “well, if
Joey Barrington is on court, we are on for a while now, aren’t
we…”.
Wrong.
By the time I came back, I saw the next lot warming up on the court!
Arshad Burki had to retire with injury, his knee being too painful
to safely go on playing.
Shame, I was really looking forward to that one…
Joey Barrington bt Arshad Iqbal Burki
11/7,
4/0 rtd |
 "Back
in December, during the Malaysian Open, I was playing Mohammed Afiz, and I
was up 2/0, 7/5. I dove for the ball, and I hurt my shoulder and both my
knees. So, I’m getting treatment in Islamabad and Peshawar, but I haven’t
been playing at all. Today was my first match. But I’m training for the
Dublin Open in April…"
Arshad Iqbal
Burki |
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Women's qualifying got under way with just three matches, five
players receiving byes into tomorrow's finals. Alison Waters,
finalist in last month's British Nationals, eased past British Junior
Open champion Joshna Chinappa; Engy Kheirallah beat local entry
Carlene Rossel-Reed with little
trouble; Laura Lengthorn
scored another English victory against Amnah El Trabolsy - "The court
was very hard, and the ball just died. So the girls couldn't run much,
and played a lot of drop shots," commented watching players.
Steve Cubbins |
 "I
felt a bit slow today. I just arrived this morning, so still a bit
jetlagged. I thought I was playing the ball OK, but I just couldn’t get
early enough on to the ball to put any kind of pressure on him."
Jago Nardelli
Davide Bianchetti bt Jago Nardelli
11/5, 11/4, 11/5 (26m) |
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THE LONGEST ...
Mohammed Abbas and Jean-Michel Arcucci played a very long match
today, 70 minutes of very good standard squash.
Abbas was getting quite frustrated with Jean-Michel who was a bit tired, and had
problems moving, especially at the start of the match. But as he got warmer, the
rallies became longer, and we had some pretty good points.
After wining the second, Jean-Michel could hardly breathe in the third, but
found his second wind in the fourth, definitely the best of the match, and threw
all his forces to equalise 2/2.
But that took all his resources, and Mohammed was able to end the game, but not
as quickly as the 11/2 score would suggest, as the game still lasted 9 minutes…
How is he going to do against a fresh Barrington? We’ll see…
Mohammed Abbas bt Jean-Michel Arcucci
11/6,
9/11, 11/3, 9/11, 11/2 (70m)
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 "I'm just back from the
Philippines, and I'm not all there yet! The body is there, the brain
not... I was lacking organisation, my shots, my game was all over the
place. I was not moving well, I was in his way rather often. But I was
glad of my game in the fourth, it was good squash. Shame I couldn't keep
it going through the whole match..."
Jean-Michel
Arcucci |
 "I like Jean-Michel a lot, he
is like a brother to me... Today, I couldn't play my game, I kept playing
my shots in the middle, and he then starting to play very well,
controlling the game. I was so angry with myself I nearly broke my leg
with my racquet!
"I thought it was going to be an easy match, I made him go to the front too
early, where he is very good, in particular on the backhand. I'm glad I
won that one..."
Mohammed Abbas |
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SquashSite |
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Qualifying 1
