(updated 21-mar-10 11:58 )  

ISS CANARY WHARF CLASSIC QUALIFYING FIRST ROUND, Wimbledon Rackets and Fitness Club, London:
 
Mark Krajcsak (Hungary) beat NeilHitchens (Eng) 11-4, 11-5, 11-7 (32 mins)
 Simon Rosner (Germany) beat Max Lee (Hong Kong) 14-16, 11-5, 11-3, 11-4 (53 mins)
Nicolas Muller (Switzerland) beat Eddie Charlton (England) 11-9, 10-12, 9-11, 11-6, 11-4 (58 mins)
Chris Simpson (England)   beat Joe Lee (England) won 9-11, 11-4, 17-15, 12-10 (82 mins)
Chris Ryder (England)  Kashif Shuja (New Zealand) 11-7, 12-10, 11-4 (38 mins)
Mathieu Castagnet (France) beat Yann Perrin (France) 12-10, 13-15, 6-11, 11-0, 11-6 (77 mins)
Davide Bianchetti (Italy) Ben Ford (England) 11-5, 12-10, 11-1 (29 mins) 
Julien Balbo (France) beat Robbie Temple (England) 9-11, 11-6, 11- 8, 11- 2 (55 mins)

ALAN THATCHER reports from WimbledonRackets and Fitness Club

Hungary's Mark Krajcsak made a flying start to the ISS Canary WharfClassicvqualifying competition, sweeping past England's NeilHitchens in straight games. Playing fast, attacking squash, Krajcsak moved the ball and his opponent around the court in a dominant display.
 
Germany's Simon Rosner overcame a nervous start to power past Max lee of Hong Kong. Lee won the opening game 16-14 on a tiebreak but Rosner emerged for the second game with a more solid game-plan.
 
He produced almost error-free squash to race through the next three games and will need to maintain that level of performance against Krajcsak in the qualifying finals.  

Swiss ace Nicolas Muller overcame a tired-looking Eddie Charlton in a gruelling five-setter. Charlton lost a tight first game after taking an early lead, and almost surrendered the second before finally clinching it on a tiebreak. He squeezed home in the third with a nick on game ball but Muller maintained a high level of consistency to take the fourth game. He powered through the fifth game with minimal resistance from a clearly wilting opponent. 

Chris Simpson booked his place in the qualifying finals against Muller after beating Joe Lee in a hard-fought 82-minute marathon encounter.

Simpson won 9-11, 11-4, 17-15, 12-10, with the scoreline clearly reflecting the closeness of the match and the physical investment made by both players. The third game tiebreak was a brutal affair, with the Guernsey player Simpson edging it 17-15. The fourth game was a similarly close battle with Simpson winning another tiebreak 12-10.

Chris Ryder was too sharp for a strangely subdued Kashif Shuja. The New Zeaand number one has a sublime touch but was clearly lacking in the mobility department as Ryder eased home in straight games.

Ryder sneaked a second-game tiebreak 12-10 and Shuja had little left in the tank during a one-sided third game. Ryder fired in a succession of sharp, fast boasts that Shuja either saw late or decided not to pursue.

Italy’s Davide Bianchetti eased past his English Premier League team-mate Ben Ford. The two play for Surrey Health and Rackets Club and Ford started in a very friendly fashion as he allowed Bianchetti to open up a huge lead in the opening game.

The Kent county captain began to get some points on the board but had given his opponent too big a lead to think about winning the game. The second was a much closer affair and Ford struck some superb winners to take the game to a tiebreak before two errors allowed the Italian to win 12-10.

The effort clearly took its toll on the 34-year-old Englishman as Bianchetti powered home 11-1 in the third, with Ford receiving a conduct warning for racket abuse in the process.

An all-French encounter finished with Mathieu Castagnet overcoming Yann Perrin in a 77-minute see-saw battle. In an extraordinary match, Perrin led two games to one but lost the fourth without securing a single point as his exertions caught up with him.

Castagnet opened up a solid lead in the fifth game and withstood a ferocious recovery by his compatriot to clinch victory 12-10, 13-15, 6-11, 11-0, 11-6.

Another Frenchman, Julien Balbo, secured the final berth against Bianchetti by beating England’s Robbie Temple in a scrappy, ill-tempered affair. Temple received a conduct warning for arguing with the referee as he lost the third game from 7-6 up. Balbo then took complete control to clinch victory 9-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-2 in 55 minutes.

Qualifying finals (Sunday 3pm):
Rosner v Krajcsak
Muller v Simpson
Ryder v Castagnet
Bianchetti v Balbo