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  Manitoba Open 2011
08-13 Mar, Winnipeg, Canada, $25k |
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13-March-2011
AND ADRIAN GETS THE
TITLE....
Gene Turk reports
It was a great match.
Julian came out quickly and found his length and width and
pinned Adrian in the back corners and was able to work his magic. He
kept control of the T and looked strong throughout the entire first
game.
In the 2nd and 3rd, it was Adrian who took control. He
started each rally with his targets being in the back corners and
kept Julian running from side to side. Adrian was now in command and
he exercised patience waiting for the proper time to attack.
Adrian commented after the match that "those 2nd and 3rd games
were the best two games that I played in the whole tournament."
The fifth was a different story as Julian found his length that had
been successful in the first game and the two of players traded
points to a 12-10 finish.
Over a 100 spectators were treated to a superb final.
12-March-2011
DOWN TO THE FINAL...
US number one Julian Illingworth upset second-seeded Canadian
Shahier Razik in the Winnipeg Building & Decorating Ltd
Manitoba Open to earn a surprise place in the final of the PSA World
Tour International 25 squash event at Winnipeg Squash Racquet Club
in Winnipeg, Canada.
The New Yorker, ranked 34 in the world, took the opening game - but
the Canadian, ranked eight places higher, fought back to draw level,
then opened up a 5-0 lead in the third before reaching game ball at
10-5.
But the record six-time US champion held his nerve to whittle down
the lead to take the game into a tie-break - before clinching his
own game ball at 12-11.
It was level to four-all in the fourth when 27-year-old Illingworth
took complete charge to race through to his 11-6, 7-11, 13-11, 11-4
victory after 70 minutes - and reach his 14th Tour final.
In their first meeting for over four years, Illingworth will now
face Englishman Adrian Grant.
The top seed from London maintained the upper hand throughout the
other semi-final against Ryan Cuskelly, beating the third
seed from Australia 11-9, 11-5, 11-7 in 48 minutes.
The 30-year-old left-hander, ranked 18 in the world, is celebrating
his 26th appearance in a PSA World Tour final. |
Previous rounds reports |
 Manitoba
Open 2011
08-13 Mar, Winnipeg, Canada, $25k |
Round One
10 Mar |
Quarters
11 Mar |
Semis
12 Mar |
Final
13 Mar |
[1] Adrian Grant (Eng)
11-6 11-5 11-8
[Q] Joel Hinds (Eng) |
[1] Adrian Grant
8-11 7-11 11-5 11-3 14-12 (110m)
[Q] Robbie Temple |
[1] Adrian Grant
11-9 11-5 11-7 (48m)
[3] Ryan Cuskelly |
[1] Adrian Grant
8-11 11-2 11-2 12-10 65 mins
[4] Julian Illingworth |
Rafael Alarcon (Bra)
9-11 11-9 9-11 11-2 11-3
[Q] Robbie Temple (Eng) |
Zac Alexander (Aus)
8-11 11-8 11-7 11-4
Jan Koukal (Cze) |
Jan Koukal
11-8 11-4 13-11 (60m)
[3] Ryan Cuskelly |
Martin Knight (Nzl)
13-11 11-5 11-5
[3] Ryan Cuskelly (Aus) |
[4] Julian Illingworth (Usa)
3/1
[Q] Andrew McDougall (Can) |
[4] Julian Illingworth
11-7 11-7 10-12 11-5 (60m)
Henrik Mustonen |
[4] Julian Illingworth
11-6 7-11 13-11 11-4 (70m)
[2] Shahier Razik |
Henrik Mustonen (Fin)
12-10 9-11 11-8 11-9
Justin Todd (Can) |
Arturo Salazar (Mex)
12-10, 5-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-3
[Q] David Phillips (Can) |
Arturo Salazar
7-11, 11-4, 11-7, 13-11 (70m)
[2] Shahier Razik |
Shawn Delierre (Can)
16-14, 11-6, 8-11, 2-11, 11-9
[2] Shahier Razik (Can) |
Quarters in Winnipeg
Gene Turk reports
Robbie Temple came out flying in the first two games against top
seed Adrian Grant. He kept the pace high and the angles flying
hitting nick after nick. He seemed unstoppable.
Down two games with his back against the wall, Grant had to gain
control and did so for two full games. Robbie seemed to tire or was
saving it for the fifth.
The big battle was the final game. They traded points back and forth
taking it to overtime. Adrian escaped two match balls for Robbie to
finally take the match 14-12.
The match was very long but the audience loved it.
The match between American Julian Illingworth and Finn Henrik
Mustonen was one of the most entertaining matches of the evening.
The audience was not only presented with a high-intensity,
high-calibre squash match, but also a match where sportsmanship and
competitor respect was illustrated to the utmost.
In the end, the more experienced player, Illingworth, was too much
for the young Finn to handle.
Canadian #1 Shahier Razik started off slowly against Mexican hotshot
Arturo Salazar. Allowing his opponent to take advantage of the T and
utilize his incredible short game, Razik quickly found himself
trailing the match, 0-1.
However, as his body loosened up from the hard 2hr match yesterday,
the Razik of old started to shine. Closing down the court,
eliminating Salazar's opportunities, and retrieving any attempts for
winners thrown at him, Razik climbed to a 2-1 lead.
Salazar wasn't to bow out easily though, as the fourth was a sea-saw
battle to the end, with Salazar desperately attempting to push the
match to a fifth and deciding game. Nearly pulling it off, Salazar
lost the final game in a tie-break, 13-11.Round one in Winnipeg
Gene Turk reports
Local hero and pro, Justin Todd, illustrated his potential to
be a top squash player one day when playing Finnish competitor
Henrik Mustonen. Showing great speed and shot variety, Justin's
only downfall was the amount of errors he made. Henrik, however,
recognized this flaw and used his experience to pressure Justin,
capitalizing on his mistakes. Mustonen took the match 12-10, 9-11,
11-8, 11-9
The big upset of the evening occurred when English hotshot Robbie
Temple took out Brazillian veteran Rafael Alarcon. Raf
did a great job of controlling the game early on, taking a 2-1 lead.
But then Robbie's fast-paced style and quick winners became too much
for him. Robbie showed good concentration to capitalize on Alarcon's
diminishing fitness.
The final match of the evening was between what seems to be ancient
rivals, Shawn Deliere and Shahir Razik. As expected,
the first game was long...40 minutes to be exact.
Entering into the second game, Razik decided to use "the
hold-and-snap," which Canadian compatriot, Jonathan Power, had
taught him years before. This unique strategy allowed Razik to
offset Deliere's movement and to take the second game. Trading back
and forth throughout the entire match, both players showed almost
superhuman speed and stamina, neither giving the other an inch.
Illustrating the desire that both players had to win, the amount of
lets, bumps, and exchanges with the referee, while entertaining for
the audience, was frustrating for the players. Shawn fought back to
tie the match at 2-2. In the end, however, the experienced Canadian
#1 came out on top, winning the fifth game 11-9.
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2010 Event
09 Mar, Qualifying Finals:
Robbie Temple bt David
Letourneau 11-9, 11-7, 8-11, 11-5 (60m)
The first match of the evening was between Robbie Temple and
David Letourneau. Temple started off playing a fast paced
squash match giving Letourneau little to work with. Several
holds on Temple's behalf twisted Letourneau, sending him in
the wrong direction. Before you know it, Temple led the
match two games to love. However, in the third game,
Letourneau slowed the pace down, enabling him to burry
Temple in the corners and use his hold-and-snap strategy to
take it 11-8. This didn't last long though, as Temple
regained control in the fourth, picking up the pace again.
He won the final game 11-5.
David Phillips bt Fred Reid 12-10, 11-4, 11-2 (25m)
Next up was David Phillips against Fred Reid. The first game
was a sea-saw battle, Phillips playing fast-paced squash,
and Reid using his beautifully executed deceptive holds.
It's hard to say how the match would have gone if Reid had
clinched the first game, however, Phillips eventually
grabbed it 12-10. From then on, it seemed as though Phillips
was on cruise control, increasing the pace to a level that
Reid simply could not handle. He took the next two games
11-4, 11-2.
Joel Hinds bt Andrew Schnell 11-7, 11-8, 11-8 (50m)
The third match of the night began quickly, pitting young
Canadian Andrew Schnell against England's Joel Hinds. Both
players played a fast paced game and found themselves tied
at 7-7 in the first game. Hinds' experience paid off in the
end as he put together a string of pressure winners to take
the game 11-7. In the second game, Hinds was able to take
control of the T position and work the speedy Schnell around
the court. Again, tied at 7-7, Hinds was able to pull away
and win 11-8. The third game was similar, as Hinds' added
experience helped him to pull away from 8-8 to win the final
game 11-8.
Andrew McDougall bt Robin Clarke 11-4, 11-7, 6-11, 11-8
(55m)
The last match of the evening began with Robin Clarke
hitting is trademark pressure length against Andrew
McDougall. Clarke led 3-0 in the first, but a string of
errors and some impressive retrieving from McDougall
resulted in an 11-4 win for his opponent. The second game
began with more uncharacteristic tins from Clarke, who began
to look flustered by the the long and attritional rallies
imposed by McDougall. An 11-7 win for McDougall put him 2
games ahead. Clarke was determined not to go down without a
fight, and regained control in the third game with some
precision length, eventually winning 11-6. The last game of
the match was the most competitive with some gruelling
rallies. Both players were unwilling to give in. At 8-8 it
was anybody's game, but two tins from Clarke and an
uncharacteristic winner from McDougall ended the game 11-8.08 Mar,
Qualifying Round One:
Robbie Temple (Eng) v
Matt Serediak (Can)
11-9 11-2 11-4 (35m)
David Letourneau (Can) v Alfredo Avila (Mex)
11-6 11-8 7-11 11-7 (50m)
Fred Reid (Can) v Josh Strutthers (Can) 3-11
11-4 12-14 11-5 11-9 (60m)
David Phillips (Can) v Eric Galvez (Mex) 9-11 11-7
10-12 12-10 11-9 (90m)
Andrew Schnell (Can) bt Bradley Hindle (Mlt)
11-9 7-11 12-10 11-9 (70m)
Joel Hinds (Eng) v Dane Sharp (Can)
11-5 9-11 11-8 11-6 (45m)
Andrew McDougall (Can) bt Tyler Hamilton (Can)
11-7 11-6 11-8 (35m)
Robin Clarke (Can) v Thomas Brinkman (Can) 11-4
11-3 2-11 11-2 (35m)
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