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Day
Two: The Women join in ...
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Day TWO, Mon 21st Nov:
Men's Draw
Women's Draw
Women's Qualifying Round One:
Framboise reports from Doha
Sarah Kippax (Eng) bt Lisa
Camilleri (Aus) 10/8, 9/6, 9/3
(35m)
Kasey Brown (Aus) bt Wilma
Kirsten (Ita)
9/4, 9/0, 9/0 (11m)
Suzie Pierrepont (Eng) bt Amnah El Trabolsy (Egy)
6/9, 6/9, 9/2, 9/1, 9/3 (46m)
Raneem El
Weleily (Egy) bt Orla Noom (Ned)
3/9, 9/1, 7/9, 9/4, 9/1 (47m)
Triciah Chuah (Mas) bt Daniela Schumann (Ger)
9/5, 9/0, 9/6 (32m)
Aisling Blake
(Irl) bt Delia Arnold (Mas)
9/7, 9/1, 9/6 (31m)
Eman El Amir (Egy) bt Olga Ertlova (Cze)
9/6, 9/4, 9/2 (24m)
Runa Reta (Can) bt Lina El
Tannir (Egy)
9/4, 9/2, 9/4 (18m)
Line
Hansen (Den) bt Carlene Rossel-Reed (Rsa)
9/4, 9/2, 9/4 (18m)
Becky Botwright (Eng) bt Hend Osama (Egy)
9/3, 9/5, 9/0 (20m)
Nicolette Fernandes (Guy) bt Dianne Desira (Aus)
9/5, 9/6, 9/0 (30m)
Jacklyn
Hawkes (Nzl) bt Kirsty McPhee (Eng)
9/2, 9/2, 9/0 (25m)
Louise Crome
(Nzl) bt Joy Obayendo (Ngr)
w/o
Men's Qualifying Finals:
Happy Birthday Linda E
Liam Kenny (Irl) bt Dan Jenson (Aus)
5/11, 11/9, 6/11, 11/8, 12/10 (83m)
Ben Garner (Eng) bt Renan Lavigne
(Fra)
9/11, 11/7, 11/9, 12/14, 11/4 (66m)
Cameron
Pilley (Aus) bt Rodney Durbach (Rsa)
13/15, 12/10, 11/4, 11/7 (59m)
Davide Bianchetti (Ita) bt Joey
Barrington (Eng) 12/10, 6/11 , 11/7, 11/6 (86m)
Stewart Boswell (Aus) bt Ramy Ashour (Egy)
11/9, 11/9, 12/10 (40m)
Alex Gough (Wal) bt Hisham Ashour (Egy)
11/2, 8/11, 11/7, 15/17, 11/6 (57m)
Simon Parke (Eng) bt Laurent
Elriani (Fra)
11/5, 11/8, 11/3 (36m)
Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned)
bt Stacey Ross (Eng) 11/5, 5/11, 8/11, 12/10, 11/8
(82m)
Main Draw: Kenny v Palmer, Garner v Shabana, Pilley v
Tuominen, Bianchetti v Zaman,
Boswell v Iskandar, Gough v Beachill, Parke v Willstrop, Anjema v Lincou
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Sarah Kippax and David Campion |
Nicolette Fernandes and
Aisling Blake |
Olga Ertlova
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BACK TO THE FUTURE
Stewart Boswell (Aus) bt Ramy Ashour (Egy)
11/9, 11/9, 12/10 (40m) |
 Everybody
was there to see the match between the Australian Stewart
Boswell, who NOBODY wants to get in the qualifiers or the early
rounds, as he is back at his best level, and the young Ramy Ashour,
the new marvel of international squash.
And they weren’t disappointed, as they both played as if their life
depended on it, but still a very clean and fair match. It was a real
pleasure actually to watch those two, with different physiques,
different games, different backgrounds battling away, and offering us a
pretty stunning match.
And it’s a nice feeling to know that young Ramy will be delighting us
for the next 10/15 years
 "He
is such a good player. He is probably the player who attacks the
most of all the players I’ve played since I came back..
"It was hard to get into a rhythm, it was flying around, him
trying to hit winners, me trying to hit winners…
"Because he was playing so many balls short, I ended up playing
short as well, and I tell you I was lucky to get a stroke on match
ball…"
Stewart Boswell |
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"Each game was very close, 9/9, and then we would have long
rallies, and he would find such a great winner, and he would take
the game… It was so frustrating…
"In the third game, I was in control, and then it became close
again, and then the ref gave a stroke on match point…
"Stewart is so polite, such a fair player, it’s so good to
play against him. I’ll try and play better the next time, as I had
a good chance to beat him…"
Ramy Ashour |
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JENSON: HEARTBREAKING…
I’m in the wrong job, I’m telling you, as I hate seeing players lose.
Their expression, the distress, the extreme sadness on their faces is so
difficult to handle. And today again, Dan Jenson went close, so
close to ending his bad run…
 The
first game went on forever, 18 minutes, and did get to Dan, who up 8/3
in the second, couldn’t get his energy back to stop the tenacious
Liam Kenny coming back.
But still, so many long rallies in the next three games, with a Dan so
unconfident of his shots (as most of his attacks seemed to find the tin)
that he would make the rallies last forever. And if the Australian was
controlling the game to start with, he found himself pushed to the back
far more often he would have liked…
Showing great guts, Dan saved three match balls from 7/10 to 10/10 in
the fifth, but the perseverance and the pugnacity of the discreet
Irishman finally paid off, and left Dan just outside the main draw yet
again… |
Liam Kenny (Irl) bt Dan
Jenson (Aus)
5/11, 11/9, 6/11, 11/8, 12/10 (83m) |
 "Generally
today, I felt that his game was better than mine, his length in
particular. So I knew I was not going to win the match by playing
length against him, and I tried to take the ball early and attack
as much as I could…
"I also knew that Dan had a run of bad losses, so I thought that
if I could hang in there, things could turn round, and they did…"
Liam Kenny |
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Eman El Amir (Egy) bt Olga Ertlova (Cze)
9/6, 9/4, 9/2 (24m) |
 "I
was getting frustrated with myself during the game, because in the
first game, I was feeling nervous, and I couldn’t get my length. But
started from the second, I got more confidence, my length got better
and better, and I was playing short when the ball was a bit loose…
"She seemed a bit weak at the back of the court, so I made my best to
keep her in the back of the court, and create the space to attack at
the front…"
Eman Al Amir |
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Sarah Kippax (Eng) bt Lisa
Camilleri(Aus) 10/8, 9/6, 9/3 (35m) |
 "As
this was the first match of the tournament, I was a bit tense to start
with. And to be honest, although we had some pretty good rallies, I
felt quite nervous throughout the match…
"She plays very well into the back and she was trying to pin me back
there, so I made her move from corner to corner as much as I could to
prevent her from doing so…
"I’m happy to get that one out of the way…"
Sarah
Kippax |
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SHAKY SUZIE
When I rushed back from the Press Room, I realised that I had actually
missed two women’s games, which went so quickly that I didn’t have a
chance to see any of them…
And I was also quite surprised to find Suzie Pierrepont down 8/1 game
ball in the first, a game she was later going to lose 9/6.
The rest of the match was pretty close, the two girls fighting hard to
get the space to hit their shots, and a lot of lets/strokes were
awarded.
A very determined Egyptian Amnah El Trabolsy made her mark on this
match, and even if she eventually lost the encounter after leading 2/0,
she has a lot to offer, and should be proud of her performance today… |
 "I
was so nervous, because I played Amnah a long time ago, and it had
been a very tight game, so I knew it was going to be a difficult
one.
"I wasn’t moving well at all, and she played some pretty good
shots and winners that I didn’t even see until they rolled…
"Sometimes, she doesn’t realise that she may appear to be a bit
too forceful when she tries to get to the ball… But at the end of
the day, she is only trying to show that she could get there… I
know I’m not that easy to get around me, as I’m a big girl, but
you’ve got to try…"
Suzie Pierrepont |
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Line
Hansen (Den) bt Carlene Rossel-Reed (Rsa)
9/4, 9/2, 9/4 (18m) |
HANSEN HANGS ON
A very slow start for the South African, who is actually married to
Rory, an American she met in Kuwait, and with whom she lives in Qatar,
who put far too many balls into the tin in the first two games...
Then as Line started to relax, Carlene found her fantastic short game,
and the Dane had to really dig in to end the encounter in four games ...
 "I
stopped playing squash for five years, and I’ve only been on a
squash court for the past year.
"I did all sorts of sports though, so I’m rather fit…
"This was my first WISPA match ever, so I was very nervous to start
with…"
Carlene Rossel-Reed |
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"In the third, I got a bit lazy, and then her shots started
coming in. Also, I was crosscourting all over the place, so
Azlan told me to go back to basics, and get it to the back
again.
"She was dropping from the back, from the front, from
everywhere, so she did surprise me from the beginning of the
third…
"But it’s nice to play someone new for once…"
Line Hansen |
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 SUPERB
BEN…
Ben Garner
(Eng) bt Renan Lavigne (Fra)
9/11, 11/7, 11/9, 10/11(2-4), 11/4 (66m) |
Ben Garner played yet again in
a remarkable fashion when he imposed his fast and spectacular game on
Frenchman Renan Lavigne. Thierry Lincou, who hadn’t seen the
young Englishman play in a long time, was extremely impressed by the
pace, the quality of the shots and his game in general…
And it’s not that Renan did not fight, or try, or played badly… No,
the Frenchman played at his best, focused, placed some beautiful drop
shots from the back of the court, and retrieved as the lunatic he can
be, bless him, but nothing was to stop the entrance of Mr Ben and his
winners into the world of the Super Series… |
 "Renan
is very tenacious, he sticks in there and will not budge until
he wins the rally. Also he plays the important points very well,
in particular in the 4th, where he saved 3 match balls…
"When I was in great difficulty yesterday 2/0 down against Omar,
it didn’t look like I was going to qualify… I’m very happy as
it’s my first qualification for a Super Series Tournament…"
Ben Garner |
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 "He
deserves to win, he is the one who took the initiative… I was
tense and nervous, as usual, and I played loose…
"In the fourth, my pride got me back, but I had nothing left in
the 5th…
"He played very quickly, he got so many winners in, he didn’t
have anything to lose after getting points away from defeat
yesterday, and he took his chances, and got it…"
Renan Lavigne |
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LATE FINISH…
And we had to finish a long day with Marathon Man
Joey Barrington vs Boiling Bianchetti, for only a four setter that still lasted 86
minutes.
Davide was on his best behaviour, and basically dictated the whole
game, whereas Joey played a good defensive game, but couldn’t impose
himself enough at the front of the court. I saw him more offensive
in his last matches, and maybe the lack of confidence in his ankle
(got an injury a few days ago, and is still wearing a brace)
prevented him to step up the court a bit.
Quite a few decisions (I counted 62), with a few no lets that didn’t
please either of the players, but overall, a very intense and
enjoyable match that took us after 11pm, but Davide will have
tomorrow to rest, as he is playing Shahid Zaman in the bottom draw. |
 Sometimes,
I just let the game going, I don’t do anything about it, and I hate
myself for doing it… And it’s even more tiring than if I was
attacking or taking the initiative..
Joey is so good at keeping that steady pace, he could do that all
day, so I knew I had to do something new, taking the ball earlier,
be more offensive…
My game is much more varied than what I showed today, I have much
more choices than that, choices I didn’t take because I’m just too
afraid to make the error…
Davide Bianchetti |
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 I’m
glad it’s over, as she was getting more and more confident… So I’m
really happy to win in three…
Delia has got a lovely forehand, low and flat, so if you let her in,
it can become very difficult…
But once I got more aggressive and on the T, it seemed to work for
me…
Aisling Blake |
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Cameron
Pilley (Aus) bt Rodney Durbach (Rsa) 13/15, 12/10, 11/4,
11/7 (59m) |
 In
the last year, I haven’t qualify for anything, so I REALLY didn’t
want to go through another wasted big travel…
My game today? It was a hack-athon (like a marathon, but with
hack!)… I didn’t feel like I was concentrating, only in patches. My
length wasn’t consistent, I played my drops at the wrong time… I
feel that we both played a pretty average game today…
Cameron Pilley |
SIMON IN
ANOTHER LEAGUE…
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Simon Parke
(Eng) bt Laurent Elriani (Fra) 11/5, 11/8, 11/3 (36m) |
 It
was not to be a good day for my country today, as after the defeat
of Renan against Ben, I witnessed the superb victory of yet
another Englishman, Sir Simon Parke, upon Mrs Linda
Elriani’s husband, Laurent.
Once again, Laurent played a good game, but Simon was superbly
superior, and in all departments of the game. After a long first
game, where the two players offered us some technical exhibition
of how backhand drives should be played, 14 minutes for only 11/5,
the pace in the second was much faster, still with Simon taking
the initiative, and Laurent matching shot for shot.
But Simon was well in control of the rallies, and pushed his
opponent to the far corners on a permanent basis, and although the
Frenchman’s legs were covering a lot of ground, he couldn’t impose
his mark on the match enough today…
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 "I
was playing a lot better today, I didn’t give Laurent any
chance to take control, where as yesterday, I let Phil in
front in the first game…
"I warmed up a lot better today, and was focused and ready to
go. Even so, I tend to struggle to get straight with it, and
it looks like it takes me a game before I get into it… "
Simon Parke |
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 "He
played very well…. I didn’t think I played too badly, but he
had all the answers to the problems I was trying to cause him…
"He volleyed everything, his pace is remarkable, he is such a
super player…
"But overall, happy with my tournament, it was a very positive
experience…"
Laurent Elriani |
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AGAIN SOOO CLOSE FOR LJ…
Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) bt Stacey
Ross (Eng)
11/5, 5/11, 8/11, 12/10, 11/8 (82m) |
You may remember that last year, in
the final of the qualifiers, it was a great performance from
Englishman Stacey Ross (who plays for Surrey, which explains
why I’ve known him for quite a while, as I’ve been admiring him so
many times in the Surrey League in particular) which preventing
young LJ Anjema to get into the main draw of the British Open
in Nottingham.
The Dutch is always tense when he plays Stacey, and the recent
performance of the Englishman in the last British Open in
Manchester, where he gave Thierry Lincou a good run for his money,
was not to reassure him.
The whole match was disputed, long and intense rallies, with LJ
imposing his strength and attacks, and Stacey retorting with
exquisite drives and back of the court drop shots.
The Englishman got so close to a match ball in the fourth, as he was
leading 2/1, 8/8, 9/9, 10/10, but danger was dismissed by a glued to
the wall straight drive and a volley forehand drop shot that gave
the Dutchman the game.
In the decider, LJ was always in the front, with a comfortable lead
at 8/3, and even if Stacey clawed back to 10/8, saving 3 match
points, it was LJ who got the chance to now play… the world number 1
in the first round…
But then again, he beat Peter Nicol and Lee Beachill a few weeks ago
so, what’s a top 5 more or less…
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 Day
ONE - Men's Qualification begins ...
The second richest event of the year got under way in Doha on Sun 20th, with
the first round of qualification in the $125k men's Qatar Classic. The
top six seeds received byes into Monday's finals, as world junior
champion Ramy Ashour created the upset of the day, beating PSA
President and former world number four Mark Chaloner.
Monday sees the men's finals and first round of qualification in the
$105k women's event.
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