SquashTalk >News > Italian Mega Open Day Three - I

Easton fights fatigue... women's quarters
by Martin Bronstein © 2002 SquashTalk

May 10, 2002 © 2002      

Mega Italia Open Women's Quarters in Brescia Italy

THE LONG HARD FRIDAY
A woman's work is never done and today will be especially hard for the women who will have to complete the quarters in the afternoon and the semis in the late evening.

It will be especially hard for England's Helen Easton who had the longest match of the WISPA group yesterday and who did the same thing again today in the quarters when she outlasted Katline Cauwels of Belgium to win 3 games to 2 after 55 entertaining minutes. The willowy, tall Cauwels has a good all-round game, moves well and knows where to put the ball; while Easton compensates for her short legs with good anticipation and fast reactions, constantly picking up drop shots that seemed well won by her opponent.

Cauwels won the fist game 10-8 from the slow starting Easton, but could not regain the supremacy as she lost the next two 9-3 and 9-4. It was Easton's turn to lose the complete advantage as the lead changed hands four times in the fourth before Cauwels finally secured it 9-7.

The fifth game saw mistakes creeping in as fatigue caught up with both players and it was the Belgian - her ankle still strapped from a torn Achilles - who made more errors and Easton's slightly greater experience gave her that little bit extra in the closing stage to win 9-6.

MEXICAN SEED OUT
Fourth seed Samantha Teran looked a little more dangerous today than in the first round, but could not handle the shrewd use of height by her younger opponent, Amelia Pittock of Australia.

Although she volleyed well, the Mexican did not have the court craft of Pittock, who could sky the ball from the most difficult points and who loved the overhead volley - especially going the wrong way. Pittock was down in the first and then saved threa game points before winning 10-8. This was psychologically damaging to her opponent who trailed throughout the second game as Pittock cut down her errors and increased in confidence to win 9-4. In the third Teran led 6-3 again but Pittock always appeared to be her better and using the whole court took the game 9-6.

PERRY STEAD AT FIRST
I can't see Pittock performing the same trick against top seed Madelein Perry, who is steady as a rock and volleys with guile and precision. She destroyed Australian Heidi Mather's confidence after turning a 6-3 deficit into a 9-6 win and from then on it took just six minutes on court to win the next two games without dropping a point.

"I could not get the ball to the back of the court as everything came out in the middle and Madeleine was too good on her volleys," said Mather.

FRENCH CONFIDENCE RULES AGAIN
Second seed Isabelle Stoehr of France despatched the third Australian, Lisa Camilleri, in a somewhat similar fashion. Camilleri, a member of Australia's Institute of Sport, drove the ball beautifully tight down the left wall, but undid all the good work by dreadful errors on the easiest of dropshots.

Stoehr makes her winners with the forehand boast and even at the end Camilleri was not reading them. Stoehr soaked up the first game challenge by Camilleri to win 9-5 in 12 minutes and then found less of a challenge in the next two games, winning the third 9-1 in 7 minutes.

RESULTS:
QUARTER-FINALS, WOMEN.
Madeleine Perry (Ire) bt Heidi Mather (Aus) 9-6, 9-0, 9-0 (22mins)
Amelia Pittock (Aus) bt Samantha Teran (Mex) 10-8, 9-4, 9-6 (38mins)
Helen Easton (Eng) bt Katline Cauwels (Bel) 8-10, 9-3, 9-4, 7-9, 9-6 (55 mins)
Isabelle Stoehr (Fra) bt Lisa Camilleri (Aus) 9-5, 9-4, 9-1 (29 mins).

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