All Straight Games in Quarters
Oct 13, 2004, By Joanna Leathers, SquashTalk Independent News Service © 2004;

[Berkshire Open Main Draw/Results]

WILLIAMSTOWN, MA.-

Holland's Laurens Jan Anjema sailed into the semis photo © 2004 Scott Moskowitz

BRADLEY BALL EASILY
Ball made quick work of Russell. With a stretch that let him put away any shot, Ball was able to control the tee, showering Russell with deceptive cross-courts that forced him to play defensively throughout the match. While Russell entered the third game more poised and focused, Ball quickly regained the lead mentally when he nailed a decisive inverted boast volley winner. It was Ball’s consistent command of his volleys that kept Russell from ever really turning around the match.

GOLAN TOO TOUGH
With strings of crisp, deep rails from both players, Golan waited patiently for his put away opportunities, frequently calling on his ever-accurate drop and whip of a crosscourt. Both players started out playing fluidly, but as play wore on, Selby became a bit sloppy, having several strings of tins. Selby made a good choice mid-match to switch up the pace of play, lofting many tight rail lobs and crosscourts, but Golan caught on quickly and contributed his own softer drops to maintain his lead.

In the second game, there were some great gets from Selby from the back corners, but Golan was relentless with the decisive drops. Golan’s most effective and dependable shot of the match was the slam-crosscourt from frontcourt off of Selby’s frequent drops and boasts. With this constant crosscourt, Golan plagued Selby in the end of the game and he visibly lost focus, making several unforced errors.

Anjema Maintains Control
Anjema gained control of the match from the get-go, refusing to move from the tee and slamming sharp, low drives to the back corners. With a quick snap, Anjema had several drops that nicked, but Rooney refused to let the game slip away and fought back from 10-4 to 10-7, but couldn’t displace Anjema, falling 11-7.

Rooney came out strong in the second game, determined not to let any of Anjema’s winners die. The fans were constantly gasping as Rooney flung his body around the court to retrieve any and every shot. He ricocheted off the back and side walls, miraculously returning the shots and continuing play after what looked like serious impacts. Rooney made some incredible gets, twisting and contorting to disguise his shots. Despite his best efforts, Rooney couldn’t prevail over Anjema’s crisp, low short rails.

Mehmood Falls in Long Tie-Breaker
This match proved to be the closest and the most heated of the day’s play. Mehmood seemed the victor at the start, lunging across the court incredibly fast, demolishing Kenny’s attempt to use frequent crosses to control play. Mehmood’s strengths were his crisp crosscourt drop and lob-cross—a shot that would consistently land in that perfectly irretrievable spot, cushioned between the side wall and the bottom nick of the back wall. Both players had a devastating drop shot and nicks that were too frequent to be called lucky.

Kenny would become the apparent victor mid-match, as he remained poised, never showing any sign of anger or exhaustion, while Mehmood became visibly and audibly flustered. After several contentious lets and protests from Mehmood, Kenny held the lead and seemed ready to close out the match after a string of incredible overhead, backhand volley-lobs. However, Mehmood refused to be defeated, making two diving saves to retrieve Kenny’s seemingly un-gettable shots. The match came down to a nail-biting tiebreaker of back-and-forth winners from both players, with Kenny winning 15-13 in the third.

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