Kuwait Open Squash Qualifying

MATCH REPORTS from Framboise

ANJEMA/EL HINDI:
NOT AN EASY MATCH

There were a lot of decisions in this match, and also a few discussions between the players. Nothing nasty, absolutely not, but it was never a fluid and easy match …

I missed the first game, the only one that LJ Anjema took, 11/5 in 13 minutes. I arrived for the second, where Wael El Hindi was placing some superb attacks (volley drop shots and drop shots), but retrieved beautifully by the Dutch boy, who always has a wide array of defensive shots he doesn’t hesitate to use, varying his game at will…

4/4. 5/5. 6/6. 7/7. Fierce attacking. Fierce retrieving. And suddenly, a tin from LJ, a deception drive, a forehand low drive and a perfect length boast later, Wael walks away with the second game 11/7 in 13 minutes.

The next game will be the decider, and the most disputed by far. A lot of hard rallies, a few discussions between the players, a few challenges with the ref, it was all happening… Again the score was so close, 7/7, 8/8, 2 game balls for LJ saved by a boast from Wael, and a tin from LJ. 10/10. Game ball for Wael, saved. 11/11. Again game ball for the Egyptian, who this time converts it, 3-1 in the tie-break.

The fourth will be a formality, as LJ had left all his mental energy in the third, and just let the game go in 6 minutes. Wael is now facing the only player he told me he didn’t want to play, his close friend and compatriot the wonderful Amr Shabana…

"I keep starting my matches without any game plan, but I thought my drops were good today. LJ wasn't at his best, I know he's been sick and I'm not feeling that great myself, but I think it was a good match overall.

"I've been training hard for the last six months, and I just didn't want to lose. Nobody wants to lose, sick or not sick.

LJ volleys crosscourts very well, he's one of the best on the circuit at that, so I tried to play straight, close to the wall and stay away from crosscourts ... and it worked."

Wael El Hindi

"I think I played quite reasonably today, but I don't really know how I feel about the match. I've got quite strong views on Wael's game.

"I had a chat with him after the match, and told him that while he's an amazing player he really should make more effort to clear the ball to allow me a way through."

LJ Anjema

Wael El Hindi (Egy) bt Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) 5/11, 11/7, 11/10(3-1), 11/4(53m)

FRUSTRATED JOEY

I could only see the last game of this match. What I saw was a Joey Barrington who seemed to be unable to play his usual length game, and whose lack of precision in his shots led him to be penalised a few times as he couldn’t move out of the way quickly enough…

Mohammed Abbas, extremely focused, patient, took full advantage of the imprecision and the frustration of his opponent. It is to be noted that the two players showed a great deal of respect to each other, and especially when things were not going well. It’s so important to see players acknowledging each other, apologizing when necessary, and behaving like perfect gentlemen under pressure.

Joey couldn’t find the key to Mohammed's game today, and the Egyptian now plays the redoubtable Anthony Ricketts.

Mohammed Abbas (Egy) bt Joey Barrington (Eng)
11/8, 11/6, 11/6 (38m)

"Today I was concentrating better, I was more ready for the match. Yesterday I didn't warm up and I just couldn't focus, but today I was much more into the match from the start.

"Joey plays a typical English game, plays everything to the back and volleys a lot. So I just waited for him to make the mistakes, create the opening and seize it.

"I'm very happy to have won in three."

Mohammed Abbas

STOEHR : SO CLOSE AGAIN…

If you read my coverage of the Pakistan Open, you may remember an article about “friendship on tour”, as I commented on the bizarre relationship that the players have to establish between themselves (at the time, I was referring to James Willstrop and Nick Matthew, who played a fierce match, and 15 minutes later, were watching the next match together…).

Well, the match between Isabelle Stoehr and Laura-Jane Lengthorn was a bit on the same level, as those two train and play together day in day out. Not easy. How to stay friends when you are competing, especially in the qualifiers…

They had previously met in the World Open in Malaysia Open, and Laura won a very close game. So both players were tense to start with. A lot was at stake.

Isabelle started extremely well, controlling her opponent, and making her work hard physically. She took the first game 9/4. But in the second, the superb retrieving, the perfect length and the lethal boasts from Laura-Jane started to take their toll on the French girl, who was not able to play her favourite short game. Lengthorn levels 9/6 in 18 minutes.

The two girls were perfectly level in the third when Isabelle seemed to “crack up” physically, and just let got of the next four points, losing the game 9/5 in 13 minutes.

Thierry Lincou, who was supporting his compatriot, said to me “She is so nervous, she just is unable to finish the point today, she has got to play her short game..."

He must have told her the same thing between the games, as in the fourth, the French girl was attacking very well, controlling the rallies, coping with the fantastic retrievals, lobs and crosscourt lobs from Laura, again and again, to level the game at 2/2, 9/4 in a short 10 minutes.

The last game would last 20 minutes. Isabelle was up 5/3, but she couldn’t score another point, it was as if she couldn’t let herself go and play her game. On the other hand, Laura-Jane had the momentum and the confidence that allowed her to take the last game and win the right to play Omneya Abdel Kawy in the first round of the Kuwait Open…

Laura Lengthorn (Eng) bt Isabelle Stoehr (Fra)
4/9, 9/6, 9/5, 4/9, 9/5 (77m)

"It's always very difficult to play against someone you train with. It's so hard to try to get angry at a friend, and I was also a bit nervous about playing her again after the worlds in KL.

"So I tried to take advantage of the fact that I know her game inside out, that I know what she's going to do.

"It's not a nice process going through qualifying, I don't think anyone plays at their best, we're just trying to get through."

Laura Lengthorn

"I'm disappointed, obviously. I was a little tense to start with as I've got a lot of respect for Laura, but it's so hard to play your training partner.

"I'm trying to get aggressive, to get involved in the matches as I find my squash isn't quite right at the moment.

"My results since I've been in England haven't been that good, it doesn't seem a very good outcome so far, but maybe it will just take time."

Isabelle Stoehr

BIANCHETTI IN CONTROL

Like I said earlier, it would be good if Amadeo, Davide Bianchetti’s father, was always with his son on the tour… Davide’s behaviour has been impeccable, and it’s a pleasure to see him play his squash without the interference of the arguments with the referees…

Once again, couldn’t see the whole match, I know that the first game was extremely well-contested and long, 23 minutes, 3-1 in the tie-break, and that’s the only game that Bradley Ball won in the match.

The second was pretty quick by the Englishman's standard, he loses 9 4/11 in 9 minutes.

I arrived at 6/6 in the third, perfect timing I must say. The game was, as usual when Bradley is involved, played at a very high pace, a seesaw battle, hitting, attacking and volley drop festival. 6/6. 7/7. 8/8. And Bradley hit two successive tins, that gave Davide game ball 10/8. Bradley saved it with a superb forehand drop shot, but a stroke awarded to the Italian sealed the fate of that game, 11/9 in 17 minutes.

In the fourth, I had the impression that Bradley was not as fit as he normally is, and seemed to lack a bit of stamina. He started the game well, sticking to the score, 2/2, 3/3, 4/4, but then was unable to stop his opponent's momentum.

After the match, I heard that, like Peter Barker, he was not at the top of his form physically speaking… But all credit to Davide, who played superbly, applied a consistent pressure throughout the match, and will have the honour of playing world number 2 Lee Beachill…

Davide Bianchetti (Ita) bt Bradley Ball (Eng)
10/11(1-3), 11/4, 11/9, 11/7 (67m)

"Today I managed to keep my focus, which for me is the most difficult thing to do.

"I'm a very emotional person. I feel the match, I feel the pressure, maybe too much, and that's maybe why I sometimes get upset with the referees. I don't like it, I don't like losing my temper, just as I don't like it when I see other players losing their tempers.

"When I'm losing a match it usually means there's something wrong with my game, so I change my game completely. But when I'm losing it mentally, I just need to keep myself very motivated, to stick to it.

"And sometimes I feel homesick, so that doesn't help."

Davide Bianchetti

PAM BEATS NERVES & ENGY
Laura Lengthorn reports ...

Engy made a lot of errors to start with, and Pam was very consistent with her length and took the first game 9/0.

In the second Engy played a lot of winners, and Pam's lengths were very short. Pam became quite nervous, and was very tentative with her shots to the front and lost the game.

In the third Pam found her length again, and although she forced many opportunities to put the ball away she often couldn't and so the game was quite close. She eventually battled her way through that game to win it and lead 2/1.

After the third I told her to be more confident with her short game, that she was not punishing the ball enough.

Pam was moving very well today. In fact her movement was much better than her squash, and that's what won her the match.

Laura Lengthorn

"I was so nervous it was unreal, really, really bad nerves. I guess it was because last year I was meant to qualify and I didn't, so maybe that was at the back of my mind.

"I won the first 9/0 ... did that make me feel better? It actually made me feel worse! I don't know what I've got to do to get better at this.

"The problem is there's a lot of good players competing in the qualifying, so it can be a bit of a gamble, and I guess there's some pressure on you if you're expected to win.

"I've been doing this for years, but I don't think I'll ever get used to the qualifiers."

Pamela Nimmo

"It's the fourth time I've played Pam, and I've lost them all.

"If I could play it again I would try to be more consistent, because we were getting pretty close and then I'd lose my head, hit a few tins and the game would be gone.

"In also need to be more prepared, I found I was cold when we started the first game ... I should prepare better."

Engy Kheirallah

Pamela Nimmo (Sco) bt
Engy Kheirallah (Egy)
9/0, 5/9, 9/5, 9/6 (48m)

WATERS SETS UP FOR
NATIONALS REVENGE…

All my apologies to both Alison Waters and Madeline Perry (who I was seeing for the first time), I could only see their last game, which, despite an apparently punishing score, 9/3, was actually the longest of the match, 11 minutes.

In that last game, Alison was just too confident, her shots were too assured, lots of weight on them, great lobs, great lengths. Her opponent did her best to counterattack the 20 year old English girl, fought valiantly, but could only concede the match after 41 minutes.

And the new English marvel is looking for a “revenge” against compatriot Linda Elriani, who beat her in a superb performance during the final of the Nationals a few weeks ago in Manchester…

Alison Waters (Eng) bt Madeline Perry (Irl)
9/3, 9/2, 3/9, 9/3 (41m)

"I was a little lethargic in the first two games. I needed to be sharper, I was too late in getting to the ball."

Madeline Perry

"Since my great week at the Nationals, and my first WISPA title in Hong Kong, I feel much more confident in my game, much more confident in myself. I used to feel under pressure against players I'd not beaten before, but now I think I can beat them.

"As I've played Madeline a few times before I knew what to expect, but after I got 2/0 up I started to make those mistakes again, started thinking I could win the match, and I got nervous.

"So I just went back to basics - hit the ball, wait for her to make the mistakes - and she did."

Alison Waters