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Harrow Mediterranean Open 2012
13-15 Dec, Sliema, Malta, $5k |
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15-Dec, Final:
Last Day in Malta
Arthur Curran reports |
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[2] Siyoli Waters (RSA) beat [Q]
Salma Nasser (EGY)
12/14, 11/5, 11/5, 11/7 (32m) |
 And
so to the final – it turned out to be a really exciting match played
in a fantastic spirit. The first game was really tight all the way
through until Siyoli eased out to game ball at 10/8 from 8/8, but
Salma fought back valiantly to level, get game ball herself at
11/10, Siyoli fought back again to get game ball at 12/11, but Salma
was not to be outdone and she came back to take the game 14/12, with
the aid of a tin from Siyoli on the last stroke. However, from here
on in Siyoli really took control of the match, with Salma showing
signs of tiredness from her gruelling semi final earlier in the day,
but still playing some beautiful squash, and Siyoli eased into a 5/0
lead then a 9/3 lead and eventually took the game 11/5. Salma,
although still playing some great shots, was definitely tiring and
Siyoli took advantage to ease her way to win the next two games 11/5
and 11/7.
A fabulous match played in a fantastic spirit, with Salma coming
through qualifying to reach the final, and Siyoli was a really
deserved winner of her third WSA title. Watch out for these two
young ladies in the future because for sure they are going to move
up the rankings very quickly.
That was nearly the end of proceedings, as there was a presentation
ceremony to take place, where all sponsors and everybody else
concerned were thanked, and the trophy was presented to the winner
Siyoli Waters.
Until next year when I certainly hope to return to this lovely
island.
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  Mediterranean
Open 2012
13-15 Dec, Sliema, Malta, $5k |
Round One
14 Dec 11.30 - 14.30 |
Quarters
14 Dec |
Semis
15 Dec |
Final
15 Dec |
[1] Lucie Fialova (Cze)
11/9, 11/5, 6/11, 6/11, 11/9 (59m)
[Q] Salma Nasser (Egy) |
[Q] Salma Nasser
8/11, 11/4, 11/0, 11/8. 23mins
[7] Zephanie Curgenven |
[Q] Salma Nasser
11/6, 7/11, 14/16, 11/8, 11/4 (60m)
[3] Olga Ertlova |
[Q] Salma Nasser
12/14, 11/5, 11/5, 11/7 (32m)
[2] Siyoli Waters |
[7] Zephanie Curgenven (Eng)
11/5, 5/11, 12/10, 7/11, 13/11 (40m)
Julia Lecoq (Fra) |
[3] Olga Ertlova (Cze)
6/11, 10/12, 11/5, 11/8, 11/9. 65
[Q] Nadine Shahin (Egy) |
[3] Olga Ertlova
11/8, 11/9, 11/6. 32 mins.
[5] Birgit Coufal |
[5] Birgit Coufal (Aut)
12/10, 11/6, 4/11, 8/11, 12/10. 40
Melissa Alves (Fra) |
[Q] Menat Nasser (Egy)
14/12, 11/7, 9/11, 2/11, 11/4. 40
[6] Maud Duplomb (Fra) |
[6] Maud Duplomb
) 11/6, 11/7, 11/6. 27 mins
[4] Laura Pomportes |
[4] Laura Pomportes
11/5, 11/5, 11/4.
[2] Siyoli Waters |
[Q] Belen Etchechoury (Arg)
) 11/4, 11/7, 11/8. 25
[4] Laura Pomportes (Fra) |
Coletta Sultana (Mlt)
11/8, 13/11, 11/8. 25
Chloe Mesic (Fra) |
Chloe Mesic
) 11/3, 11/7, 11/4. 19 mins
[2] Siyoli Waters |
Cyrielle Peltier (Fra)
11/9, 9/11, 11/9, 11/2. 40
[2] Siyoli Waters (Rsa) |
13 Dec, Qualifying, from 11.00:
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15-Dec, Semis:
Last Day in Malta
Arthur Curran reports |
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Here today at the Union Club in Malta
we saw two completely different semi final matches.
[Q] Salma Nasser (EGY) bt [3] Olga Ertlova (CZE)
11/6, 7/11, 14/16, 11/8, 11/4. 60 mins.
This first semi final match was an absolutely fantastic exhibition
of Squash at it’s very best, with two superbly athletic ladies
battling as hard as they could. The scoring started evenly until
Salma led 7/6, but from there she whizzed through the points to take
the game 11/6. Again in the second the scores were even until Salma
took a slight lead at 6/5, but this time it was Olga who came out
strongest taking the game in two more hands at 11/7.
The third game turned into a really hard fought battle, with neither
player willing to give way to the other. Olga took an early lead at
6/4, but then with a delightful range of shots Salma got to game
ball at 10/7, game over possibly?
Not in the least, as Olga hauled herself back into the game to level
and get a game ball at 11/10, Salma levelled, Olga got another game
ball, Salma levelled again and this time she got game ball at 13/12.
Olga levelled again but Salma again got game ball, but Olga was very
determined and taking the next three points took the vital game at
16/14. Olga took a slight lead of 5/4 in the fourth, but then she
literally ran out of steam and could not quite hold Salma back as
she took the lead and managed to finish the game off at 11/8. Olga
unfortunately had very little left in the tank for the fifth as
Salma raced from 5/4 up to take the game 11/4 and the match 3 – 2
after exactly 60 minutes of exhilarating squash, and book a place in
the final as a qualifier.
[2] Siyoli Waters (RSA) beat [4] Laura Pomportes (FRA)
11/5, 11/5, 11/4.
The second semi final was a complete contrast from the first, as
Siyoli took a firm grip on the match from the start, and giving
Laura very few opportunities to work her way into the match she
soared through three games to take a comfortable 3 – 0 win.
Despite Laura playing some great squash Siyoli was far too strong
and skilful on the day and looks very much on form for what promises
to be a great final later this afternoon.
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14-Dec, Round One:
Round One in Malta
Arthur Curran reports
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[Q] Salma Nasser (EGY) beat [1]
Lucie Fialova (CZE) 11/9, 11/5, 6/11, 6/11, 11/9. 59 mins.
First match of the day resulted in a huge shock when qualifier Salma
from Egypt managed to stop a great fightback by No 1 seed Lucie from
Czech Republic in what was a tremendously exciting if somewhat
irritable match. In the first game Salma set off like an express
train, typical Egyptian style, to take a quick 5/0 lead, but Lucie
slowly got the edge to lead 8/7, Salma then led 9/8, Lucie levelled
at 9/9 but then with a tin and a stroke gave Salma the game 11/9. In
the second Salma was scoring 2 or more points to 1 for Lucie, and
took the game 11/5. The match was starting now to get irritating
with both players getting physical and complaining about many calls,
but Lucie now managed to come more into the match and slowly
increased her lead to win the game 11/6. The fourth followed a
similar pattern, Lucie taking an 8/3 lead, Salma collecting the next
3 points only for Lucie then to do the same and take that game 11/6
also. The fifth turned into a real battle of attrition, with neither
player giving anything away. Lucie led 4/2, Salma levelled, Lucie
led 6/4, Salma levelled again then went ahead 8/6 then 9/7, Lucie
levelled at 9/9 but Salma stayed strong to win the game 11/9, a
really great win for the qualifier.
[7] Zephanie Curgenven (ENG) beat Julia Lecoq (FRA) 11/5, 5/11,
12/10, 7/11, 13/11. 40 mins.
Next match up was another 5 setter, not as much excitement as the
first and certainly not as much niggle, a lot of good squash played
and the score swung one way then the other all the way through the
match. Zephanie started much the quicker but Julia levelled at 4/4,
then Zeph got to game ballat 10/4, Julia saved one but Zeph took the
next and the game 11/5. Very similar scorewise in the next, Zeph
took a 5/4 lead but Julia finished off in one hand to take the game
11/5. In the third Julia took a 9/4 lead the game ball at 10/7, but
Zeph dug deep to level then take the game 12/10. Julia tok the reins
in the fourth to lead 8/1, Zeph managed to get to 7/9 before this
time Julia finished off stronger to take the game 11/7 and the match
to a decider. The lead changed several times early in the fifth with
Julia keeping slightly in front until she seemed favourite with
match ball at 10/7. Zeph however was not giving up, she levelled at
10/10, Julia got another match ball at 11/10 but Zeph kept her head
and took three straight points to win the game 13/11 and the match 3
– 2.
[3] Olga Ertlova (CZE) beat [Q] Nadine Ayman Mohamed Shahin (EGY)
6/11, 10/12, 11/5, 11/8, 11/9. 65 mins.
This match appeared to be going the same way as the first, with the
15 year old Egyptian Nadine taking a 2 games to nil lead by virtue
of an 11/6 in the first, which included 7 points in one hand, then
in the second she battled back from game ball against her at 10/6 to
take 6 in one hand to win the second 12/10. However Olga came in
much stronger in the third and with Nadine appearing to tire a
little she fled into a 9/3lead then finished off at 11/5. The fourth
was more even with Olga easing out to an 8/6 lead, Nadine levelled
at 8/8 but Olga finished off at 11/8. Olga took an early 4/1 lead in
the decider but Nadine eased closer and kept the score fairly even
up to 9/9, but with extra , Nadine was very upset at the end of the
match, possibly because of one or two calls that did not go her way,
but she certainly had no need to feel disappointed as the promise
she showed for a 15 year old was fantastic, following in the fashion
of all the young Egyptians.
[5] Birgit Coufal (AUT) beat Melissa Alves (FRA) 12/10, 11/6,
4/11, 8/11, 12/10. 40 mins.
Another match that was destined to go to 5 games, with Birgit taking
the first two and Melissa taking the next two to leave a decider.
The first was fought very evenly throughout with Melissa eventually
taking game ball at 10/9, but Olga proved stronger to take the game
12/10. The second was close up to 6/6 but then Olga took control and
finished in one hand to 11/6. The match then swung completely in the
third, with Melissa taking control and taking it comfortably 11/4,
and similarly in the fourth but Olga got a little closer with
Melissa taking the game 11/8. A real battle in the last game as
Melissa took a 5/1 lead, Olga broke back to lead 6/5, then Melissa
led 8/7 and got match ball at 10/8, but Olga used all her experience
to level then take the game 12/10 and the match 3 – 2.
[6] Maud Duplomb (FRA) beat [Q] Mennat Nasser (EGY) 14/12, 11/7,
9/11, 2/11, 11/4. 40 mins.
And yet another 5 setter to come!! Mennat took an early 7/1 lead in
the first, but Maud fought back to lead 8/7, before Mennat got to
game ball at 10/9, but Maud used all her experience to save three
game balls before taking the game herself 14/12. In the second
Mennal again took an early lead 4/2, but Maud again showed her
experience to slowly overhaul her opponent and eventually take the
game 11/7. Mennat showed the typical Egyptian fighting spirit in the
third, staying fairly even up to 6/6 but then began to take control
getting game ball at 10/7 and despite Maud saving two game balls
Mennat took the game 11/9. Maud appeared to be visibly tiring in the
fourth and Mennat zoomed through the game to win 11/2. However Maud
again showed her experience in the fifth as from 2/4 down she took
complete control of the game to take 9 straight points to win the
game 11/4 and the match 3 – 2.
[4] Laura Pomportes (FRA) beat [Q] Belen Etchechoury (ARG) 11/4,
11/7, 11/8. 25 mins.
Finally a 3 game match. As No4 seed Laura took on qualifier Belen,
she raced through the first game for an 11/4 win, then although
Belen fought well and scored a little better, Laura took the next
two comfortably 11/7 and 11/8.
[8] Chloe Mesic (FRA) beat Colette Sultana (MLT) 11/8, 13/11,
11/8. 25 mins.
And another 3 game match, this one that the local crowd was waiting
to see, but unfortunately their local star Colette, although she
played some fabulous squash, finished on the losing end. Chloe was
slightly the stronger player in the first, just keeping ahead of
Colette and taking the game 11/8, but Colette showed some fine
talent in the second and kept the score very close until Chloe had
game ball at 10/9. Colette saved two game balls and got game ball
herself at 11/10, but the slightly more experienced Chloe managed to
save the game 13/11. Again in the third the score was very even up
to 8/8 but Chloe again managed to serve out for the game and match
11/8.
[2] Siyoli Walters (RSA) beat Cyrielle Peltier (FRA) 11/9, 9/11,
11/9, 11/2. 40 mins.
And so we came to the final match of the afternoon session, which
saw No 2 seed Siyoli having to fight very hard against an
accomplished player in Cyrielle, with Siyoli eventually taking the
first game 11/9 and Chloe taking the second by the same score, then
Siyoli taking the third by the same score again. However in the
fourth the strength of Siyoli showed through as she eased her way to
a win with an 11/2 score.
And so we come to the end of a most enjoyable but lengthy afternoon
session, and we return again at 5.00 pm for the four quarter final
matches.
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13-Dec, Qualifying:
Qualifying day in Malta
Arthur Curran reports
Here we are at the Malta Union Club for the start of the Harrow
Mediterranean Open 2012, where after several withdrawals there is a
slight alteration to the main draw and now we have only 8 players in
the qualifying round, which means four matches with the winners
going through to the main draw. |
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Belen Etchechoury (Arg) bt Christina
Vrahimis (Cyp)
11/3,
11/7, 11/3. 18 mins.
 First
match on court saw the qualifying favourite from Argentina against a
young lady from Cyprus who has never played a professional match
before, and the experience of Belen showed all the way through,
although Christina showed some fight in the second game but still
could not get the better of Belen, who cruised through in three
straight games. Belen now plays Laura Pomportes.
Christina told me afterwards that she does not play often because of
the difficulty of travelling from Cyprus, but she entered this
tournament because it is near to home and although she was well
beaten she told me she had really enjoyed the experience.
Mennat Nasser (Egy) bt Frania Gillen-Buchert (Sco)
11/5, 11/8,
11/7. 22mins.
 The
next match was much tighter than the first, but Mennat proved
stronger than Frania in most aspects of the game, easing into a 6/0
lead in the first and holding that lead to win 11/5.
Again Mennat took an early lead 5/1 then got to game ball at 10/4,
Frania fought back to 8/10 then Mennat took the next point for the
game 11/8. The third was very level up to 6/6 but then Mennat again
came strong to take the game 11/7 and the match 3 – 0. She now plays
Maud Duplomb.
Nadine Mohamed Shahin (Egy) bt Theresa Brouson (Mlt)
11/4,
11/5, 11/9. 16 mins.
 The
third matched the youngest and the oldest player together, with 15
year old Nadine against 50 year old Theresa, a local Malta girl
playing for fun. N
adine, as most other young Egyptian players of recent years have
done, just literally ran the legs off her older opponent and took
the match comfortably in 3 games in just 16 minutes, despite Theresa
bravely saving 3 match balls in the third. Nadine now plays Olga
Ertlova.
Salma Nasser (Egy) bt Johanna Rizzo (Mlt)
11/3, 11/2,
11/3. 16 mins.
 Final
match of the qualifiers was another Egyptian against another local
Malta player, and in this one the Egyptian flavour was even stronger
than the previous match, with Salma playing in the typical Egyptian
style of strong smashes, delicate touches and very strong running,
and literally tour through the game in a short 9minutes to win 3 –
0. She now plays No 1 seed Lucie Fialova.
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A first WSA event for Malta
The 2012 Harrow Mediterranean Women’s Squash Open is making its
debut on the women's world tour from 13th to 15th December. The
Maltese squash community is delighted to have the professional women
come and play the event. They are looking forward to seeing for the
very first time a women’s professional tournament.
WSA tour director Anneli MacDonald said: "The Women’s Squash
Association is delighted to have Malta join the professional tour.
We know Malta have some promising and talented players, and are sure
that the first Mediterranean Open in December 2012 will be an
excellent addition to the Women’s Professional Squash Tour."
The draw is a strong draw with top seed Lucie Fialova of the Czech
republic (WR 34), followed by Siyoli Waters of South Africa (WR 47),
Olga Ertlova of the Czech republic (WR49) and Laura Pomportes of
France (WR 63), and many others from several different nations all
looking to take the title.
 Local
players. Local rising star Colette Sultana has demonstrated hard
work, dedication and sacrifices to achieve her goals while being
based at the Milfield schools under the guidance of Jonah Barrington
and thus been awarded the wild card position into the main draw.
This is a fantastic opportunity for Colette to get valuable
professional tournament experience.
Local traditional warriors Theresa Brousson and Johanna ‘Yoyo’ Rizzo
have been granted local positions to the qualifying event.
The event is free of charge and everyone is welcome to come, however
there is limited seating so be in quick to get your place.
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On the TV in Sliema
Arthur Curran in Malta
Yesterday evening here in Malta I had the privilege to be
invited to a recording of a live TV broadcast on Malta’s TVNews
Channel of their sport’s programme Sport Extra, on which the
tournament director of the Mediterranean Open, Bradley Hindle, was
interviewed by Malta’s top Sports Journalist Charles Camenzuli about
the forthcoming Squash Tournament.
Also on the programme were M. Simon A Bonello, President of the
Maltese Wrestling Federation, Laurie Pace, formerly Malta’s top lady
Judo player, and Nicky Farrugia a former triathlete who at 53 years
of age is still participating in ultra triathlons, which I believe
are doubled and sometimes treble what a normal triathlon is.
I was informed that in days gone by he had swum the English Channel
and also swum from Sicily to Malta, which I am told is about 100kms.
It was fascinating to see how the programme was made, and to hear
the stories from these different people talking about their own
sports.
One thing I did discover at this broadcast that only last week our
tournament director Bradley had received a Gold Award at Malta’s
Sports Awards ceremony – something which would be nice in Britain.
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Tournament Venue:
 The
Malta Union club, Tigné street, Sliema will be hosting the
event.
The Malta Union Club was founded in 1826 by military officers
and civilians who leased the original building for its members
to meet and socialise. The club has stayed strong since 1826 and
is a fine highly respected community establishment in the heart
of Sliema, Malta. The club is a private members based club that
has many activities for its members such as 2 ASB squash courts,
2 tennis courts, Darts room, skittles library, Cards rooms,
snooker, cafe and many more activities on offer.
‘We at the Malta Union Club are delighted to host Malta’s first
ever Women’s Professional Mediterranean open. We are a
traditional ‘quiet club’ and delighted to be opening our doors
for these fine professional women to demonstrate their fantastic
skills. We wish all the contestants the very best of luck.’
Malta Union club.
www.maltaunionclub.com
Tournament hotel
The Plevna hotel is a charming traditional 100 room hotel which
is situated in a quiet residential area in Sliema, yet is only a
short 5 minute walk away from the lively Sliema centre with it’s
shops, restaurants and cafes.
A 200 metre stroll brings you to the seafront where a beautiful
3 km promenade leads all the way to St Julians, which is the
island’s nightlife centre. The capital city of Valletta is only
a short bus ride or ferry ride away whilst the old City of Mdina,
Rabat, Mosta, St Paul’s Bay and other towns and villages are all
accessible by bus.
The management and staff at Hotel Plevna show guests genuine
friendliness and care whilst maintaining a high level of service
where nothing is too much trouble. The personalised service offered
ensures that there are numerous guests who return year after
year from diffrent countries to enjoy the hospitality and
cuisine.
‘The Plevna Hotel is delighted to be hosting the squash players
for the 2012 Harrow Mediterranean Squash Open. Wishing all the
athletes a safe trip, a pleasant stay and success at the event!’
Plevna Hotel
www.Plevnahotel.com
Links for Malta
www.new.visitmalta.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malta
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