European Individual Squash Champs 2016
07-10 Sep, Prague, Czech Rep.

10-Sep, Finals:

Finals:
[1] Camille Serme (Fra) 3-1 [3/4] Nele Gilis (Bel)
          8/11, 11/7, 11/7, 11/5 (43m)            five in a row for Camille
[3/4] Borja Golan (Esp) 3-2 [1] Gregory Gaultier (Fra)
         10/12, 11/7, 11/4, 3/11, 11/9 (82m)  a first in four finals for Borja

3rd/4th:
Tinne Gilis (Bel) 3-2 Sina Wall (Ger)
           12/10, 14/12, 9/11, 11/13, 11/5 (55m)
Lucas Serme (Fra) 3-1 Raphael Kandra (Ger)
            8/11, 13/11, 11/8, 12/10 (63m)

Five for Camille, a first for Borja

Camille Serme claimed her fifth European title today in Prague. Borja Golan was able to beat the defending champion Gregory Gaultier and lift his first European title

Today's programme started with 3rd place matches. Tine Gilis won her bronze medal after a tough 5 games against Sina Wall.

Men's 3rd place match was a repeat of last year. In Bratislava in 2015 Raphael Kandra managed to beat Lucas Serme. This year Lucas got his revenge and won his first European medal. Raphael won the first game but Lucas was able to come back to win 3/1.

In women´s final young Belgian Nele Gilis was able to surprise top favourite Camille Serme. Got a good lead and managed to win the first game.

Camille came back strong to take the next three games and she could start to celebrate her European title no. 5.

Men's final between top favourite and reigning world champion Gregory Gaultier and Borja Golan brought many fantastic rallies but also quite a few situations where refs were needed. Gaultier was able to win a close first game.

Golan played better to win the next two. Gaultier dominated the fourth to force the decider.

Borja started the fifth better and was able to keep his small advantage till the winning end.

He was able to celebrate his first European title.

09-Sep, Semis:

[1] Camille Serme (Fra) 3-0 [3/4] Sina Wall (Ger) 
             11/8, 11/2, 11/4 (23m)
[3/4] Nele Gilis (Bel) 3-0 [5/8] Tinne Gilis (Bel)
             11/4, 11/6, 12/10 (46m)

[1] Gregory Gaultier (Fra) 3-0 [3/4] Lucas Serme (Fra)
              11/6, 11/4, 11/8 (42m)
[3/4] Borja Golan (Esp) 3-0 [5/8] Raphael Kandra (Ger)
              11/5, 11/9, 11/8 (42m)

Defending champs through to finals

Top seeded defending champion Camille Serme will try to win her 5th title against Nele Gilis tomorrow. Gregory Gaultier will aim to double that and win his 10th European title in repeat of last year's final against Borja Golan.

Biggest favourite of women's event Camille Serme beat Sina Wall in straight games.

The second semifinal was played between two Gilis sisters. the older Nele Gilis confirming her higher seeding against Tinne and won in three games.

World champion Gregory Gaultier beat his fellow countryman Lucas Serme in 42 minutes and will play his 12th European final to try to win his 10th title.

He will face the same opponent he faced in the final 10 years ago and last year as well. Borja Golan reached his 4th final after he beat German surprise semifinalist Raphael Kandra.

Anna Serme will reach the highest postion from all Czech players, she beat Birgit Coufal 3/1 today and will face Coline Aumard tomorrow for 5th place. Jan Koukal pulled out after his yesterday's semifinal loss and will finish 8th. Three more Czechs made top ten today - Tereza Svobodova, Ondrej Uherka and Martin Svec will play for 9th position tomorrow.

Tomorrow's programme starts with third place matches. Women will play at 10:00 and men will follow after them. Women's final will start at 12:00 and men will again follow.

08-Sep, Day TWO:
Down to the last four as second seeds exit

Two rounds today as the semi-finalists were decided - no worries for all the seeds in round two, with just two games dropped between the sixteen of them.

The first ladies' quarter-final was an all-Serme affair as defending champion Camille Serme beat her sister-in-law Anna in straight games.

That was followed by straight-game wins for 3/4 seeds Sina Wall and Nele Gilis, and a big upset as Tinne Gilis overcame second seed Coline Aumard 12/10 in the fifth - saving three match balls - to set up a semi-final against her older sister.

The men's quarters followed the same pattern, with favourites Gregory Gaultier, Lucas Serme - who almost let a two game lead slip against local hero Jan Koukal - and Borja Golan all winning before Germany's Raphael Kandra created a big upset as he beat second seed Mathieu Castagnet five.

Kandra started better and won the first, Castagnet won the next two but Kandra came back to force the decider.

They played some brutal rallies at the beginning of the fifth - 2/2, 4/2 Castagnet, 5/4 Kandra, 5/5, 7/5 Kandra, 7/7, 9/7 to Kandra after a no let, 9/9, 11/9 after another brutal rally where Castagnet dived, saved the ball, dived again only to find Kandra's ball too good.

07-Sep, Day ONE:
Seeds through to last 16 as Ten Czechs advance
Tomas Forter reports

The European individual championships started today in Prague, and while the top eight seeds in both draws all made it through to the last sixteen,  10 out of 16 Czech players advanced to the second round. Czech no. 1 players Jan Koukal and Anna Serme won their first round matches comfortably.

17-time national champion Koukal beat Croatian Ivan Krznarič. "Good opponent to warm up. I tried the glass court, saved some energy for next round wich will be more difficult," said Koukal who will meet fellow Czech Daniel Mekbib tomorrow at 12:15 on the glass court in hotel STEP.

"I am confident against Honza. I beat him several times in the league, but he always beat me at prestigious events. I hope I will break this now," added Mekbib who beat Slovak Matej Hrnčiřík today.

Serme beat Poland's Natalia Ryfa. "I am satisfied, it was a good warm up," said Czech player who would like to meet top seeded Camille Serme in the quarterfinals. Camille is her sister-in-law. She needs to beat Finnish Riina Koskinen tomorrow. "My goal is to challenge Camille. That would be an interesting match."

Vojtěch Ryba faced one of the toughest opponents. He was fighting against world no. 9 and no. 2 seed Mathieu Castagnet. "Incredible match. He was moving so well. It was very difficult to finish the rally," said Ryba. His opponent liked the conditions in Prague. "The glass court is very good. It is similar to the courts we are playing on PSA events. I got used to it quickly," said Castagnet.

Usually in Czech republic the glass court is built in the shopping malls (nationals or league play offs). The atmosphere in hotel STEP is different, players play in a dark hall.

"It is much better for players. You don´t get distracted by too much light. The level of play is higher," described Jakub Solnický who beat Austrian Jakob Dirnberger it the first round.

 

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Round One