Muller wins -16 match points
Local Star Jan Koukal Advances
Feb 19, 2004 © 2004 by Howard Harding

[Complete draw]

Mark Krajscak stretches out in a losing effort against Stacey Ross in Prague (photo Tomas Barva)

French qualifier Alexandre Muller clinched victory by the narrowest of margins when he upset England’s Duncan Walsh in today’s first round of the Hi-Tec & Dunlop Czech Squash Open in Prague.

After going 2/0 up, Muller was pegged back by the seventh seed who soon levelled the match. With both players exchanging sixteen(!) match-balls at 16-16 in the decider, it was the Frenchman who secured the victory in a 15-14 15-11 8-15 5-15 17-16 scoreline to gain an unexpected place in the quarter-finals.

Muller will meet local star Jan Koukal, the 20-year-old worldNo51 from Prague who overcame Italian qualifier Andrea Bianchetti 15-14 15-7 15-11.

Britons Peter Genever (pictured) and David Evans are heading for an anticipated clash in the final. Genever, the top seed from England, beat unseeded Welshman Scott Fitzgerald 13-15 15-5 15-8 15-6, while second seed David Evans, the former British Open champion from Wales, defeated Egypt’s Amr Mansi 15-8 15-6 15-6.

1st round:
[1] Peter Genever (ENG) bt Scott Fitzgerald (WAL) 13-15, 15-5, 15-8, 15-6
[Q] Morten Sorensen (DEN) bt Beau River (USA) 15-9, 15-13, 15-12
[3] Moh’d Essam Hafiz (QAT) bt Jesse Engelbrecht (ZIM) 15-8, 15-13, 15-10
[6] Stacey Ross (ENG) bt Mark Krajcsak (HUN) 15-12, 15-10, 15-11
[Q] Alexandre Muller (FRA) bt [7] Duncan Walsh (ENG) 15-14, 15-11, 8-15, 5-15, 17-16
[4] Jan Koukal (CZE) bt [Q] Andrea Bianchetti (ITA) 15-14, 15-7, 15-11
[Q] Sherif Kamel (EGY) bt [8] Ashley Flathers (ENG) 11-15, 15-9, 15-13, 15-13
[2] David Evans (WAL) bt Amr Mansi (EGY) 15-8, 15-6, 15-6

Qualifying finals:
Andrea Bianchetti (ITA) bt Jan Zemlicka (CZE) 15-11 15-11 15-5
Sherif Kamel (EGY) bt Nicolas Limmeroth (GER) 15-7 15-9 15-10
Alexandre Muller (FRA) bt Sandor Fulop (HUN) 15-10 15-12 15-12Morten Sorensen (DEN) bt Mohamed Ismail (EGY) 13-15 9-15 15-12 15-12 15-12

1st qualifying round:
Andrea Bianchetti (ITA) bt Jaroslav Cech (CZE) 13-15 15-8 15-13 15-9
Jan Zemlicka (CZE) bt Jaroslav Príhoda (CZE) 15-5 15-12 15-13
Sherif Kamel (EGY) bt David Vlasák (CZE) 15-4 15-9 15-10
Nicolas Limmeroth (GER) bt Michael Elford (ENG) 13-15 6-15 15-9 15-7 15-13
Sandor Fulop (HUN) bt Marton Szaboky (HUN) 15-4 15-6 15-5
Alexandre Muller (FRA) bt Luca Mastrostefano (ITA) 15-14 15-9 15-8
Morten Sorensen (DEN) bt Jakub Stupka (CZE) 15-2 15-7 17-14
Mohamed Ismail (EGY) bt Karamatullah Khan (PAK) 15-11 15-12 15-11

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