Creteil France WISPA Squash Racquets Open 2008

MARTIN BRONSTEIN in Richmond, Virginia [THE DRAW/RESULTS]

2008 Davenport Professional Squash Championships MONDAY FEB 25th

FIRST ROUNDS ….UUUUUGH!

It is a logical truism that you must have a first, you cannot jump directly to the second …because that would be, in reality, the first. Enough philosophy already.

So first rounds of tournaments can be very trying, usually a parade of 3/0 results as youngster, qualifiers and up-and-comers meet the hardened men who inhabit the top of the pyramid. Let me take you step by step through my first day at the University of Richmond where McWil have set up their lovely court, the one they used in New York last month.

I was in a good mood; the promoter had put me up in the Jefferson Hotel, a five star hotel. Five stars? I’d give it ten at least. The vestibule is so spectacular and there are so many marble pillars that I want a violin and a toga and pretend I’m Nero. (Somehow my soprano sax would not fit the fantasy).

Back to the court: Thierry Lincou took on young Englishman Robbie Temple in the first match of the day. Temple had knocked out Ryan Cuskelly, (the young Australian who is being coached by Rodney Martin) in the final qualifying round. This was a good win for Temple being ranked well below the fast rising Cuskelly. However the referees who saw that match commented that Cuskelly does not have a drop shot.

Temple is a left hander who uses a two grip on his backhand and, with the help of a head feint, can produce some wonderful deception.

After winning the first two games easily, Lincou dropped his guard and young Temple showed that he has real promise running to quick 5-1 lead. But then he lost his accuracy and four unforced errors allowed Lincou to refocus and take the game 11-9. Sort of interesting mainly because four days earlier I had interviewed Peter Marshall, the great exponent (the only exponent?) of two handed squash.

ABBAS HAS 37 MINUTE WORKOUT

Lincou had been on the court for 31 minutes, Mohammed Abbas was on for six minutes longer in dismissing young Fenchman Julian Balbo, a match that produced no excitement other than a conduct warning to Abbas for hitting the ball out of court.

TUOMINEN TRIUMPHS OVER HIS OWN LAZINESS

I found the first two games of the Olli tuominent / Rafael Alarcon match less than engaging, They thwacking the ball around with gusto, but much of it meaningless. A lot of smash and bash, very little style and guile. But Alarcon suddenly took charge halfway through the second game to win 13-11. His game slowly changed and suddenly he was slicing in some very nice backhand drops to force Tuominen to the front and then driving him to the back. Tuominen was doing a lot of work but not much thinking. I have seen him play much better than this; he was snatching at shots and making straight-legged errors. (Ben your knees man, bend your knees!) Alarcon took the third game 11-8 and frankly looked the better player, which is not good when Tuominen is ranked 17 and Alarcon from Brazilis ranked 42.

It’s a long way from Finland to lose in Richmond in the first round, and Olli managed to stop the rot in the fourth and handle Alarcon’s attacking game to win 11-6 thereby forcing a fifth and final game. It is predictable that the higher ranked player knows how to retain his standard in the fifth game and so Olli did just this, cut out all his errors while Alarcon’s star faded slightly as the Finn pushed ahead to win 11-5

LAVIGNE SURVIVES …..JUST

The most competitive match of the day saw Renan Lavigne of France survive a spirited comeback from Ireland’s Liam Kenny who pushed the Frenchman to a tie break in the fifth game.

There was a huge gap in their respective rankings – Lavigne is 26 while Kenny has slipped to 52 due to some poor performances last year. But some other players told me he was back to playing at his best.

Thse players were strangely equal in most things and played a similar game, matching each other in both defence and attack. Perhaps Kenny was marginally the more stylish, but Lavigne (aged 34) had a whole heap of experience under his belt.

Kenny looked the better armed and always seemed on the brink of breaking away but Lavigne always managed to contain Kenny’s spirited attacking

They split the first four games and funnily enough, they seemed to play harder and better as the match wore on. They were playing harder rallies in the fifth game than in the first and the best squash came at Lavigne’s first match point when the play really hotted up. Kenny saved two match points, then got to match point himself at 11-10, but it was Lavigne who persevered that little bit more to win 13-11 and finish the 88minute match. The final ten minutes had been wonderful, cracking, nail-biting stuff and as Lavigne said generously after winning: “Maybe Liam should have won,” and when I complimented him on his generous spirit he said: “It is always easy to be like that when you have won.” Now there’s un homme avec style.

WHITE ALSO LOSES CONCENTRATION

John White breezed to a 2/0 lead over Wade Johnson, and suffered the third game shutdown (as he worked his way into tournament form after spending the weekend coaching his girl's college team in Princeton) before taking the fourth to earn his second round spot. His usual role as class clown was clearly stolen in the next match.

CHINFUNDA GETS HOME TOWN TREATMENT

It took Patrick Chifunda, a wild card local entry, to get the crowd roaring, even before he’d struck a ball. Born in Zambia, educated in South Africa, Chifunda now coaches at the Country Club of Richmond. His popularity had the packed galleries roaring him on as he tried all his tricks, acrobatics and dives to bamboozle world number 26 Cameron Pilley, the lanky Australian. Chifunda’s ahtleticism almost paid off in the third game as he led 7-4 and then was tied at 9-9 with a real chance at taking the game. But an error put Pilley at match ball and he took the final point with a backhand drop. The players left the court to more roars of approval.

“I just play my best squash and don’t worry about the rankings,” said the smiling Chifunda. “I just like to hassle these players as much as I can and try enjoy myself.”

The fact is that Chifunda is a good squash player – not just an athletic clown. That he is not higher than his 99 ranking is due to the fact he plays few tournaments and then only those in the US.

World number four and former world champion Palmer, who now lives in Boston, cruised to a two game lead, playing beautiful length but suddenly lost that valuable asset in the third game to allow Mexican Eric Galvez, ranked 36, to hustle and bustle his way to win it 11-9. Palmer is one of the most experienced men on the circuit and he firmly shut the door on the Mexican in the fourth to win 11-5 and assure his second round berth.

Finally Gregory Gaultier met US college star Yasser el Halaby. And Egyptian who has probably spent more time in the US than in his native Cairo. Halaby, graduated from Princeton a couple of years back and went full time pro on the PSA circuit. He is up to number 40 in the rankings and showed tonight why. He led Gaultier 8-6 in the second game but then relapsed and could do nothing as Gaultier took five points in a row to win the game and then run through the third 11-5 to end the 33 minute encounter. Yasser has real talent, what he needs are some 80 minute matches to gain some resistance, persistence and consistency. He should play Shahier Razik and Adrian Grant twice a week. That’ll larn him.

RESULTS ,FIRST ROUND , BOTTOM HALF OF DRAW
(Top half played on Tuesday)

[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) vs [Q] David Phillips (CAN)
[14] Hisham Ashour (EGY) vs Julian Illingworth (USA)
[6] Karim Darwish (EGY) vs Saurav Ghosal (IND)
[12] Alex Gough (WAL) vs [Q] Tom Richards (ENG)
[4] James Willstrop (ENG) vs [Q] Jethro Binns (WAL)
[9] Lee Beachill (ENG) vs [Q] Yann Perrin (FRA)
[8] Wael El Hindi (EGY) vs Aaron Frankcomb (AUS)
[13] Shahier Razik (CAN vs Shawn Delierre (CAN)
[16] Renan Lavigne (FRA) bt [Q] Liam Kenny (IRE) 11-6, 8-11, 11-7, 6-11,11-10(3-1)
[7] John White (SCO) bt [Q] Wade Johnson (AUS) 11-8, 11-=9, 9-11, 11-7 (38mins)
[11] Olli Tuominen (FIN) bt Rafael Alarcon (BRA)11-8, 10-11(1-3) 8-11, 11-6,11-5 (56mins)
[3] David Palmer (AUS) bt Eric Galvez (MEX) 11-5, 11-3, 9-11, 11-5 (47mins)
[10] Mohammed Abbas(EGY) bt [Q] Julian Balbo (FRA) 11-7, 11-5 11-3 (37mins)
[5] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt [Q] Robbie Temple (ENG) 11-6, 11-8, 11-9 (31mins)
[16] Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Patrick Chifunda (ZAM) 11-8,11-5.11-10(2-1) (40mins)
[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt Yasser el Halaby (EGY) 11-8, 11-5, 11-6 (33mins)

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