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Berkshire Open 2007
03-14 Oct, Williams College, MA

2006 Event
2005 Event

Men's Draw
 
Women's Draw

14-Oct, Final:

[1] Shelley Kitchen (Nzl) bt [3] Latasha Khan (Usa)    9/4, 9/1, 9/2

Photos by Tavis Moonan
Reports from the Williams team

13-Oct, Semi-finals:

[1] Shelley Kitchen (Nzl) bt [4] Louise Crome (Nzl)        9/6, 10/8, 9/4
[3] Latasha Khan (Usa) bt [2] Sharon Wee (Mas)           5/9, 9/6, 9/0, 9/0

Photos by Tavis Moonan
Reports from the Williams team

Photos by Tavis Moonan
Reports from the Williams team

Sharon Wee bt Lauren Siddall
              3/9, 4/9, 9/0, 9/2, 10/9

Sharon scrapes through

The first match on Friday to start off the women’s quarterfinals showcased a brilliant display of athleticism and passion on the part of Lauren Siddall and Sharon Wee.

The first game belonged from the very beginning to Lauren, who took immediate control of the points and efficiently won the set at 9-3. The second seemed to be a mere continuation of the first as Lauren feed off her momentum of the previous game. At 8-4, Sharon begin to show more confidence in her shot-making and movement, but a perfect forehand crosscourt nick from Lauren ended any possibilities of a Sharon comeback in that set. So, the second fell convincingly to Lauren at 9-4. If anyone at this point thought that the game was to finish soon, they were in for a surprise.

The third game witnessed a complete turnaround of events as Sharon came out in a commanding fashion having suddenly found her groove, while Lauren seemed totally out of her element. Sharon shut out Lauren in the third set with a dying trickle boast to end the set at 9-0. Once again, Sharon continued her authoritative style of play of the previous set to stymie any effort of Lauren to gather herself after a disappointing third set. In addition, Lauren seemed unsuccessful at keeping her guard up after some controversial calls at the start of the fourth game. Ultimately, Sharon took the fourth at 9-2 to level the match at 2-2.

At the outset of the fifth, Lauren finally seemed to have found her groove again and methodically brought herself back into the game. She overcame a 0-3 deficit to bring the score to 7-3 in her favour. However, Sharon had fought too hard throughout the match to just let the fifth game slip by her so easily and came back to finally even the score at 8-8. At this point of the match, nerves seemed to have gotten the best of both Lauren and Sharon as they produced some uncharacteristic errors and missed opportunities.

In the end, Sharon finally took the fifth 10-9 to cap off a wonderful comeback from two games down.

"Lauren played very well in the beginning, but this didn’t affect me because I have come back from 2-0 down many times before. I later was more patient and made her move, and she made the mistakes.

"In the 5th game, it was do-or-die and in that case it is anybody’s game and I am very glad to win today and move on to the next round."

Shelley Kitchen bt
Amelia Pittock              9/7, 9/2, 9/1

No sweat for Shelley ...
in the end

The second match of the women’s quarterfinals on Friday night featured Shelly Kitchen up against Amelia Pittock.

The first game started off with no one really making any gains in the scoreboard in the first several rallies, but Amelia was the first to make a move taking the score to 7-2. At this moment, Amelia appeared to have the game under her belt, yet Shelly remarkably gathered herself and picked up her level of play, winning point by point and giving very few errors to finally win the first set at 9-7.

The second game witnessed Shelly continuing her momentum and pushing her opponent to all four corners of the court to finish the set in a commanding fashion at 9-2. If Shelly was in complete control of the second, the third was no different and Shelly walked away with the match at 9-1 in the third.

"In the first game I couldn’t really do anything because she was playing well. But, I got my length and made the rallies longer."

Latasha Khan bt Alana Miller   9/2, 9/1, 9/7

Khan hold off Miller

In the third quarterfinal Latasha Khan stepped onto court two to face Alana Miller. The first game was an immediate display of consistent, steady squash on the part of Latasha, who worked her opponent to exhaustion. Latasha took the first convincingly at 9-2.

If Latasha seemed at all conservative in her style of play in the first, she dispelled quickly that notion in the second game in a display of utter aggressiveness in shot-making and left Alana with no opportunities to get back into the game. Latasha ended up taking the second at 9-1.

However, in the third Alana came out strong with an early lead of 3-2, which was then annulled by Latasha’s comeback to make the score 5-3 in her favour. Nevertheless, Alana gathered her spirits and made a jump back to 6-5 in her favour.

In response, Latasha fought back to get ahead and pushed her lead to 8-6. Although Alana gave one last push to close in on Latasha at 7-8, all that dissipated as Latasha went on to finish strongly the match at 9-7.

"It was a little bit different today. It was colder and as a result she just made a lot of mistakes. In the end, I was just a little more quick onto the ball than she was."

Louise Crome bt Tara Mullins 9/2, 9/5, 9/4

In the final match of Friday night’s spectacle of the women’s quarterfinals, Louise Crome headed onto the court to face Tara Mullins. In the first game, both competitors started out with an evenly-matched style of play with Louise being the first to pull ahead and ultimately sustaining her lead to take the opening set at 9-2.

The second game showed another commanding lead for Louise, who brought the game to 8-2. However, Tara worked herself to climb back, but was abruptly stopped at 5-8 by a consistent Louise, who finished the game at 9-5. In the third game, Tara did not show any sign that she was willing to give up and went up 4-2. However, Louise responded adeptly with her distinctive consistency of play and climbed her way back up with Tara making several errors and loose shots to win the match to win the third at 9-4.

"Today’s match was quite different that what I was used to, because the cold changed the game and one was rewarded for good length."

Latasha
Khan

[7] Lauren Siddall (Eng) bt
Sarah Parsons (Can)  9/1, 9/0, 9/1

"I went into the match trying to be as positive as possible – make the rallies varied and give as little away as possible. Sarah worked the rallies very well, even though the score doesn’t reflect it.

"The college here has a beautiful campus and I hope I’m here a few more days to enjoy it!"

[2] Sharon Wee (Mas) bt
Karina Hererra Zuniga (Mex) 9/0, 9/0, 9/0

"Yes, I won a match! I am happy because last two tournaments I was out in the earliest round. It was rough patches for me. For today I think I was controlling the match all the way and Karina tried very hard though.

"I hope things will just get better from here. I just turn 30! So it has to get better from here. Life starts at 30!!!"

[8] Tara Mullins (Can) bt [Q] Catherine McLeoud (Nzl) 4/9, 9/3, 9/2, 5/9, 9/6

"This is my second year competing here. Zafi runs a great event and I always love coming to spend time on the Williams College grounds.

"I had a tough match tonight. My shots were wide and I couldn’t put her under enough pressure in the first two games. In the third I slowed the ball down, gained a better “T” position and started controlling the match.

"Catherine put up a great fight. We had some very tough rallies and I am glad to have pulled it out in 5."

[5] Amelia Pittock (Aus) bt Imelda Salazar Martinez (Mex) 9/4, 9/0, 9/1

"I'm happy with the way I played. I went into the match not knowing how Imelda plays so just tried to hit good length and control the T.

"We had some great rallies the score line doesn’t show how hard the match was.

"The college in amazing and the people are very friendly. The courts are really nice to play on too. I'm looking forward to playing again tomorrow."

 
Qualifying complete at Williams

No surprises tonight at the Simon Squash Center as all seeds advanced from the qualifying draw to the main draw. Tomorrow’s first round matches will feature top seed, World #11 Shelley Kitchen from New Zealand, Defending champion, World #18, Sharon Wee from Malaysia, and US Champion, world #20, Latasha Khan from Seattle. Matches will start at 6pm.


10-Oct, Qualifying Finals:

Stephanie Edmison (Can) bt Genevieve Lessard (Can)      9/0, 9/0, 9/4
Tina Rix (Eng) bt Nayelly Hernandez (Mex)                         9/6, 9/5, 5/9, 9/5
Catherine McLeod (Nzl) bt Magaly Velez (Ecu)                   9/0, 9/2, 9/1
Frania Gillen-Buchert (Sco) bt Toby Eyre (Usa)                9/2, 9/4, 9/2

Williams’ players put up strong resistance

Williams sophomore, All-American, Toby Eyre defeated her Canadian opponent in straight games to advance to the qualifying finals, and Sophomore Jenifer Cox was just points away from joining her, losing in close five games match. Senior Ashley Eyre lost in a close four game encounter while Senior Kate Warner lost in straight games to her opponent from Ecuador.


09-Oct, Qualifying First Round:

Stephanie Edmison (Can) bt Ashley Eyre (Usa)                    9-2, 7-9, 9-3, 9-2
Genevieve Lessard (Can) bt Jennifer Cox (Usa)                   9-4, 9-5, 6-9, 3-9, 9-7
Nayelly Hernandez (Mex) bt Shona Kerr (Usa)                      4-9, 9-4, 10-9, 9-5
Tina Rix (Eng) bt Jo-Ann Jee (Mas)                                      9-4, 3-9, 9-1, 9-2
Magaly Velez (Ecu) bt Catie Warner (Usa)                            9-2, 9-2, 9-5
Catherine McLeod (Nzl) bt Larissa Stephenson (Nzl)              9-6, 9-0, 9-3
Frania Gillen-Buchert (Sco) bt Fernanda Rocha (Arg)            9-4, 9-2, 9-0
Toby Eyre (Usa) bt Samantha Cornett (Can)                        9-4, 9-6, 9-4

08-Oct, Final:
[2] Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [4] Renan Lavigne (Fra)
        11/6, 11/9, 11/7

Renan can't stop
Pilley's defence

The Simon Squash Center was packed as the two finalists took the court. After a brief interview where both players praised the host town, the match was underway.

The first few points were quick, with Pilley handily relegating Lavigne to the back of the court. The points got longer as Lavigne started to assert himself on the court, but Pilley continued to dominate the 'T'. Both players covered the court very well in this first game, but the level of intensity was too high for error-free squash, and Renan’s three unforced errors proved very costly as he lost 11-6.

Lavigne appeared to have taken a bit of pace off his shots at the beginning of the second game, but the points continued to be short as Pilley played the same aggressive squash that helped him win the previous game. Pilley seemed to have Lavigne on the ropes on many occasions, but Lavigne’s persistence and patience were rewarded several times with a few very well-placed winners from unlikely positions. As Lavigne settled down and committed fewer errors, Pilley’s game remained unchanged as he earned four winners over two errors and took the game 11-9.

Pilley started running away with the third game as he earned four winners in the first eight points, with Lavigne’s three errors buttressing Pilley’s domination. Both players played with exceptional pace early in the game, but Lavigne was able to chip away some of Pilley’s early lead by varying his shot pace, running constantly, and doing everything he could to find a weakness in Pilley’s game. Pilley was relentless in his pressure, earning five winners and handily taking the third game 11-7.

"This is the first time I have beaten Renan. The ball seemed a lot bigger tonight so I was seeing it well. I tried to stay in the middle and dictate play, and also to make my crosscourts hard and wide.

"I was conscious of trying to get a good start in each of the games which was good because he clawed his way back in the second two.

"I'm happy to defend a title because it is the first time I have done it since juniors. You never stop learning. Sometimes you rise quickly and others you stand still - there is so much to learn. I'd like to be in the top 16-20 by the end of the year and I'm #21 now. I've been focusing on movement and speed of the mark and agility.

"Its been good coming here because I'm from a small town as well."

"I'm to tired to talk. I think I hit the wall today. When you are 32 years old you don't recover as well.

"I was a little flat tonight
- every night I played last, so by the time the adrenaline fades I was not going to bed until 2am.

"Cameron was too good. He put me under pressure with great width and he was much more accurate and sharp in the front."

Cameron
Pilley

04-Oct, Qualifying Finals:

Siddarth Suchde (IND) bt Stuart Crawford (SCO)     11/3, 7/11, 11/5, 11/5
Raj Nanda (AUS) bt  Gilly Lane (USA)                      12/10, 11/5, 11/8
Patrick Chifunda (ZAM) bt David Barnett (ENG)        11/7, 9/11, 11/5, 11/8
Ryan Donegan (USA) bt  Reggie Schonborn (RSA)   10/12, 9/11, 12/10, 11/8, 11/8


03-Oct, Qualifying Round One:

Sid Suchde (IND) bt Laurent Elriani (FRA)              13/11, 11/6, 11/4
Gilly Lane (USA) bt Joe Lee (ENG)                        11/8, 5/11, 11/7, 8/11, 11/9
Patrick Chifunda (ZAM) bt Joe Millman (ENG)        11/5, 11/2, 11/9
David Barnett (ENG) bt Michael Reid (CAN)           11/5, 2/11, 11/6, 11/8
Ryan Donegan (USA) bt Tyler Hamilton (CAN)      11/4, 11/5, 11/1
Stuart Crawford (SCO) bt Bernard Reid (CAN)      11/1, 11/5, 11/8
Reggie Schonborn (RSA) bt John Fulham (USA)     11/9, 11/1, 11/9
Raj Nanda (AUS) bt Shaun Johnstone (ZIM)          9/11, 11/ 4, 11/8, 11/6

[4] Renan Lavigne (FRA) bt [6] Julian Illingworth (USA)
       8/11, 11/9, 11/3, 12/10

Lavigne finds his form

It was very tight in the beginning of the first game, but Illingworth forced some key errors from Lavigne towards the end of the game. Illingworth was shooting very well, and came out of the gates fast in the second with an overhead nick, but the opening points were very close with control switching between both players in rallies heavily favoring the backhand. Overall Illingworth hits fewer winners and more errors in this game, and Lavigne starts to find his rhythm.

Six winners in the first six points gave the Frenchman a great start to the third. Illingworth, after playing somewhat frantically in the beginning of the game looks, visibly more comfortable at 8-2 and starts moving more efficiently, but too late to stop Lavigne's momentum.

Illingworth, still shaken from his shaky performance in the third game, relies on his movement in the opening of the fourth game, playing more defensive squash favouring deep volleys rather than the volley drop winners of the first game. Illingworth’s movement was at time frantic and led to many strokes for Lavigne. Towards the end of the game it looked as though Lavigne might succumb to Illingworth’s scrappy fast paced play, but Lavigne settled to win the game 12-10 on a decisive stroke call.
  

[2] Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [7] Yasser El Halaby (EGY)
        11/6, 10/12, 14/12, 11/8

Pilley's return ...

The defending champion got off to a good start in his semi-final, taking the first four points and sending El Halaby scrambling all over the court with his deceptive boasts. While Pilley’s consistency won the game, both players played very deceiving squash. El Halaby’s 'no look' fore-and was the best example of this.

The Egyptian wass into his game now, and won a very evenly paced second game that could have easily gone either way

The Australian got another good start in the third, taking a 5-1 lead which he was going to need. Halaby came back, hitting nicks off boasts at the end of huge points he appeared to be losing - six in all - but Pilley finally edged a long game marked by many lets and long rallies.

That game proved decisive as Pilley maintained control throughout the fourth to claim the win and a return to the final.
   

Cameron Pilley bt Shawn Delierre  11/8, 11/4, 11/0

Pilley does better ...

Delierre started the match taking a 4-1 lead before Pilley established his rails, and began to find a rhythm in his game. Pilley was then able to close the lead to 5-5 through a combination of tight rails and well played boasts.

Just as in his last match, Delierre started early on with his arguments with the referee. A stroke call against him at 9-6, led to strong words from Delierre to the referee. Pilley, however, remained collected, and won the first 11-8. Delierre was obviously frustrated with the way he was playing after the first game, yelling “garbage” after tinning a serve return to lose the game.

The first point of the second game again started with Delierre arguing with the referee. A loose rail by Pilley led to a let call, when Delierre thought that he deserved a stroke. Pilley started this game just as he finished the last, jumping out to a quick 5-1 lead. After that, despite dropping a few points, Pilley dominated the game, while Delierre’s shots remained loose.

Pilley, ultimately, won 11-4. The third game proceeded just as the second did, with Pilley in control from the beginning. His mix of tight rails, deceptive drops, and well-timed boasts, allowed him to keep Delierre running throughout the game. Delierre began hitting tins out of frustration, and going for kills when under pressure. Pilley dropped one point to Delierre in the entire game, at 10-0, and won the game 11-1, and the match 3-0, in around twenty minutes.

After the match, all Pilley could think to say was “It was better than last night!”
  

Yasser El Halaby bt Alister Walker  11/8, 11/9, 11/7

Yasser shocks Walker

Both players started this match with hard hit, tight drives. El Halaby jumped out to an early lead, after capitalizing on loose length by Walker. His drops allowed him to keep Walker running, and unable to establish a rhythm to his game.

He jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead before tinning a forehand volley to lose his first point of the match. Walker recovered by tightening his rails, and speeding up his shots, forcing El Halaby to the back where he was no longer able to play his devastating drops. El Halaby became frustrated with his inability to hit up front, and began tinning forced volley drops. Walker took 6 of the next 7 points, making it 9-6. El Halaby then took another point making it 10-6. Walker took advantage of a missed redrop by El Halaby, and then a brilliant forehand drop to pull within two, before tinning a shot when recovering a boast, thus losing the game 11-8.

After taking the first point in the second game, El Halaby then dropped the next 5, because of Walker’s patient, tight drives. El Halaby managed to tie the game at 5 before attempting shots from bad court locations cost him the next two points. El Halaby, then, made another run and took the lead 10-8. Walker managed to take another point, but on his next serve El Halaby hit a backhand crosscourt knick to secure the second game 11-9.

The third game started poorly for Walker as he tinned some easy volleys, and his rails were loose. El Halaby took advantage of these mistakes taking the first 5 points of the game. Walker never managed to find his shots, and quickly fell behind 9-1. He managed to take one point before El Halaby took back the serve, and was up 10-2. Walker pieced together a run through some amazing gets and a few tinned drops by El Halaby getting back to 10-7 before a backhand volley nick gave El Halaby the game 11-7 and the match 3-0.

Julian Illingworth bt Alex Gough  9/11, 11/6, 11/9, 11/9

Illingworth wins an epic ...

Just from seeing the first few points, one immediately knew that the quarterfinal match between Julian Illingworth and Alex Gough was going to be an epic battle. These opening rallies seemed endless, and the intensity grew after a few inflammatory let calls. Gough’s quickness made him very difficult to put away, and he edged out Illingworth 11-9 in the first. Even the crowd seemed tired after this twenty minute opening game.

Early in the second game, however, it seemed that Gough’s game was vulnerable, as he made a few costly unforced errors that allowed Illingworth to get ahead early in the second. The middle of the game turned into a debate after a few more protested let calls, but both players remained focused. Later in the game, however, Gough seemed more interested in teaching Illingworth the rules of language etiquette than he did in winning the game. Perhaps it was this distraction that cost him this game 11-6.

Tensions were high going into the third game, and every let call elicited some form of protest or outburst from both players. Illingworth continued to play high-energy squash, committing five errors but rounding it out with four beautifully placed winners. As the match passed the hour mark between the third and fourth games, no one was sure how it would play out. Both players looked exhausted, and the pace slowed considerably in the fourth game.

A late game collision sparked more off the ball debate, but both players continued to play aggressive, consistent squash. Illingworth managed to edge out Gough late in the fourth after an hour and twenty minutes of play, and everyone in the Simon Squash Center was exhausted.

A sweat-drenched Illingworth was beaming, but was a little upset at the prospect of having to do his laundry after this intense battle. “I only brought three sets of clothes, and I had to change everything tonight!”

Renan Lavigne bt Mark Krajcsak  11/7, 11/8, 11/9

Renan's late show ...

It was already well passed nine when Krajcsak and Lavigne took the court, and most of the fanbase had gone home. Those deserters missed out on some exciting squash, as these two very dynamic players took the court.

The energy was immediately palpable, as both players used their incredible speed and pace to have some great points. Very few errors were committed in this first game, as both players managed to balance their intensity with steadfast consistency. The second game was more of the same, and Lavigne again made a late game run to take it 11-8. Both players continued to play very aggressively throughout the second and third games, and it came down to who was going to commit fewer errors.

Both players committed more errors than the audience had been used to, but it remained level throughout the third game. Despite an occasional spat with the referee, Lavigne was able to maintain his composure and staged a late game rally to dispatch Krajcsak 11-9.
 

Yasser El Halaby bt David Phillips
  3/11, 11/6, 5/11, 11/3, 11/2

Halaby indefatigable

El Halaby came out swinging in the first game, with aggressive crosscourts and quick movement. He also committed four unforced errors in this first game, which was four too many against Phillips’ great length and nearly error-free, fundamental squash.

The second game, however, saw a complete role reversal. Phillips started varying his length and committed four errors, while El Halaby started hitting more deep shots. El Halaby’s speed allowed him to take advantage of every errant ball that Phillips hit and, despite his breaking 2 strings, he was able to focus and put Phillips away with delicate drop shots.

The third game was a repeat of the first. Phillips refused to hit anything but a clean, deep ball, and El Halaby committed another four unforced errors. Phillips managed to contain El Halaby with excellent, long drives, and El Halaby seemed frustrated by Phillips’ ability to contain him. But El Halaby refused to be contained. With a change of shirt came a new attitude, and he took the first four points with little problem.

Phillips continued to hit great length, but El Halaby seemed to find winners from every corner of the court. This time it was Phillips who was frustrated as his best efforts to tire out the former collegiate champion went unrewarded. This frustration turned to exhaustion, and the fifth game was a chance for El Halaby to showcase his more delicate shots.

Phillips fought for every ball, pouring sweat on the court, but it was not enough to dispatch a focused, indefatigable El Halaby.

[2] Cameron Pilley (Aus) bt [Q] Siddarth Suchde (Ind)  12/10, 11/7, 3/11, 9/11, 11/9

Pilley tested ...

Defending champion Cameron Pilley began the match relying on his tight drives and well timed two wall boasts to keep Suchde on the defensive from the beginning. Although Suchde’s drops allowed him to challenge Pilley up front, his shots were not as tight, and Pilley started off in control. Suchde came back with his short play, and, after being down 10-7, he managed to come back to 10-10 with a few well-played drops. Ultimately, however, Pilley’s drives proved to strong and he took the first 12-10. In the second game, Pilley came out going for drops off of serves, and speeding up the pace of his shots. Suchde’s retrieval skills kept him in the game, but Pilley won 11-7.

In the third game, after winning three quick points off drops, Pilley collapsed mentally, and Suchde took advantage of it, winning the next 11 straight points. In the fourth, Pilley recovered from his earlier collapse, and came out more aggressive than ever. Suchde hung with Pilley, retrieving his drops, and capitalizing on Pilley’s mistakes. The game was 9-9 when Pilley missed an overhead slam, and on the next point tinned a drop giving Suchde the win 11-9. In the final game, the two players started off trading points.

Ultimately, Pilley took control of the game and once he had the lead at 8-6 he took the next two points, giving him 10-6, match ball. Suchde took the next three points, making it 10-9, before tinning a boast up front, giving Pilley the fifth game, 11-9, and the match 3-2.

After the match, Suchde said that he “got a bit unlucky at the end, but I played very well.” He said “I played very freely, and I had nothing to lose.” Pilley said the he “played well for the first two games, but then I lost a bit of energy, and I think that Suchde got a whiff of taking a game or two. After that, it was just a battle.”

A battle that Pilley won, and he has now moved on to the next round of the tournament.
 

Shawn Delierre (Can) bt
[Q] Patrick Chifunda (Zam)    11/8, 11/7, 13/11

Delierre prevails ...

Both players started this match hitting the ball hard. It was a battle of tight drives. Any chance to attack was taken, and the two jumped right into the fight. The points were typically long, and the neither player opened up the lead at the beginning.

Finally, Delierre pulled away from Chifunda 10-8, and after Chifunda tinned a drop shot, Delierre took the first game 11-8. The second game proceeded much as the second did. It was defined by long rallies, aggressive play, and great pickups. In this game, however, Delierre went short much more often than in the first game.

Chifunda took the first two points, but Deliere countered by taking the next 7 highly contested points. After that, the two players began trading points again, with Delierre ending up 10-6. Chifunda won the next point, before going for a crosscourt volley knick, which ended up in the tin, giving Delierre the second game 11-7.

In the third game, the fight continued. No point went uncontested. Again, the players alternated points from the beginning, with the lead never larger then two points. One difference between this game and the other one was the number of lets.

Delierre began asking for a let at the end of almost every point he lost. Along with this came arguments with the referee on many calls. Chifunda was up 10-8 when Delierre asked for a let on a loose ball in the corner.

The referee awarded a let, at which point, Delierre threw his racket across the court and proceeded to tell the referee that “there’s no substance in this [the let call]” and that he deserved a stroke. At 10-9, the antics continued, as Delierre again felt that he deserved a stroke, but was only awarded a let. The racket went further this time, and Delierre even decided to come off the court and sit down with the referee to make his point.

At 10-11, Delierre was awarded a stroke and threw his racket in jubilation. Ultimately, Delierre took the game 13-11 and the match 3-0.

Alister Walker (Eng) bt Bernardo Samper (Col)  9/11, 11/4, 11/8, 11/1

Walker recovers ...

From the beginning, Walker tried to keep the pace slow, and his shots tight. His quickness allowed him to retrieve any of Samper’s drops, forcing the points longer.

Samper tried to counter Walker’s strategy by speeding up the pace of the game, going for many hard nicks in the front, off of any ball that Walker played to far off the back wall. The first game was evenly played, and after trading points throughout, it ultimately went to Samper 11-9.

In the second game, Walker came out much more aggressively, going short much earlier in the points. Samper had difficulty dealing with the quick change in strategy and the faster pace of Walker, and lost the game quickly 11-4.

In the third game, Walker came out playing well, but after taking a 10-5 lead he suffered a mental collapse, only winning 11-8.

The fourth game began with Samper hitting a lot of loose shots, and Walker sticking with his earlier strategy. Walker took the game quickly and easily, winning 11-1.

After the match, Walker said that he “felt like he played well for his first match, but the hot courts made it a challenge.”
 

Julian Illingworth (Usa) bt Chris Gordon (Usa)   11/5, 11/7, 11/4

Illingworth powers on ...

Some physical squash in the first game, some contentious lets for both players, but Illingworth kept on the pressure forcing several key errors from Gordon late in the game - game one to Illingworth 11-5

Illingworth shooting on the first four points off Gordon’s weak crosscourts in the second. Gordon wins two long rally’s to answer, but Illingworth comes back with a great short game, winning 4 points in a row. Illingworth gets match ball at 10-5 but Gordon doesn’t go out before winning two spectacular points. Overall, a less physical game than the first. Both players seemed to settle into their rhythms - Illingworth 11-7

The third started off very even, Gordon doing a great job to cut off Illingworth’s crosscourts from the front. Some more contentious let calls. Another physical game. Gordon is beginning to show signs of fatigue late in the third games and Illingworth never looks back.

"The score didn’t show how tight the match was," said the victor. "I was doing really well from the front. It’s fun when you’re playing like that."
 

Raj Nanda (AUS) bt Gilly Lane (USA)
      12/10, 11/5, 11/8    plays Lavigne

Nanda Cruises to Victory

Williamstown, MA. The qualifyinf finals of the Berkshire Open kicked off with Raj Nanda taking on Gilly Lane. The first game was an exciting one – both players were more or less in even territory, with Nanda displaying superior movement around the court and Lane using his attacking boasts to split Nanda’s defense wide open.

The rallies were fast paced and enthralling, with occasional ‘oohs and aahs’ from the crowd as both players attacked intensely and retrieved some seemingly impossible balls. Nanda lead the first, but Lane managed to crawl back and tie the score at 10-10. They say fortune favours the brave and Nanda was definitely the brave one when he went for a risky attacking shot which hit the nick and gave Nanda a lucky lead, and the Australian then finished the game off 12-10.

The next two games were pretty straightforward. Lane probably did not manage to recover from the close loss of the first and Nanda’s attacking onslaught was too much to handle. Nanda conquered the second 11-5 and went on to win the third and the match.
  

"I was really happy by the way I played. Gilly is always a tough opponent.

"I did have a few lapses of concentration, but I am relieved that I managed to put it all together.

"My primary goal in this tournament was to make it first the first round ..."

Siddarth Suchde (IND) bt Stuart Crawford (SCO)
       11/3, 7/11, 11/5, 11/5      plays Pilley

Suchde Fights Hard
and Conquers ...

The match between Siddharth Suchde and Stuart Crawford was nothing short of mouthwatering. Both players were evenly match and the first game started out with long gruelling rallies. Both players played tight and deep but Suchde seemed to be the fitter man on the court as he ended up winning most of the rallies.

Suchde ultimately eased past Crawford to take an 11-3 victory in the first game. In the second Crawford looked like a totally different player. He seemed to have figured out Suchde’s weaknesses and used them to his advantage. Crawford played a picture perfect ‘thinking man’s’ game – using a variety of shots and sending Suchde lunging and darting all over the court. 11-7 Crawford.

Intense would the best word to describe the pivotal third game. Suchde attacked a bit more while Crawford played a rhythmic game. But it was clear that both men wanted the game, maybe Suchde wanted it a bit more and seemed like he was determined not to lose two games in a row. The ex Harvard squash player’s quickness was too much to handle for the Scotsman and Suchde regained the lead.

Crawford suffered from a few lapses of concentrations that lead to a couple of unforced errors in the fourth. Suchde was intent on winning and he dictated the pace of the game. Crawford struggled as he went sprawling across the court to retrieve Suchde’s immaculate drives, but Suchde conquers the game and hence the match.

"I'm happy and a bit surprised by my performance.

"I usually struggle in the first rounds, so I am relieved that I made it through.

"I don't have set specific goals, I just take it one match at a time ..."

Gilly Lane (USA) bt Joe Lee (ENG)
      11/8, 5/11, 11/7, 8/11, 11/9

The game started off at a high pace. Finding it hard to put the ball away, Gilly was able to win the game of consistency. Joe found the tin a few too many times, and lost 11-8 in 9min.

In the second game Joe turned it around, and he kept it in long enough to get it 11-5 in 11min.

Third game Gilly kept the pressure up, and at 6-all Joe seemed to hit a wall. Gilly took the third 11-7 in just over 10 min. Fourth game Joe came out a bit slow, but got a second wind and came back to win it 11-8 in 12 min.

In the fifth game Gilly came out strong and as he said, "stuck in it really well". He took the fifth game 11-9 in a brutal showdown in which Joe felt "his concentration let him down."

"On these courts it’s really hard to put the ball away," said the winner. "Especially since Joe was getting everything back it was essential to stick through it.

Ryan Donegan (USA) bt Tyler Hamilton (CAN)   11/4, 11/5, 11/1

Ryan Donegan took a dominant stance from the start of this match. Tyler admitted after the match that "he was too fast. He maintained a high pace, and eventually I couldn’t keep up."

Taking the first three games 11-4, 11-5, 11-1, Ryan seemed ready for day two.

After the game he had encouraging words for Tyler - "a good player, Tyler has a lot of time to grow. Basically it came down to power and accuracy. Being at it longer my power allowed my to keep control."

Patrick Chifunda (ZAM) bt Joe Millman (ENG)       11/5, 11/2, 11/9

Patrick Chifunda came out strong in the first game, taking it 11-5, Patrick "tried to keep volleying. By hitting it hard I managed to keep Joe out of a groove."

He took the second game 11-2, and in the third game he went up 9-3. At this point Joe turned on the heat, and brought it back to 9-9, but Patrick pulled the match out 11-9.

As Joe said after the match, "Patrick played really well, his speed and his shots were just too much."

Raj Nanda (AUS) bt Shaun Johnstone (ZIM) 9/11, 11/ 4, 11/8, 11/6

Shaun came out fast, taking advantage of Raj’s rather slow start. Raj had "first game… nerves, second game … nerves, and finally third game not so much nerves."

Shaun took the first game 11-9. Raj powered through the second game taking it 11-4, and started to settle into the court.

In the third game Raj got to 10-6, having "four kooks in the pen," in his words, and needed almost all of them, finally taking it 11-8.

After Raj took the fourth game 11-6, Shaun came off wishing he had “a bit more fitness. Having played only played on the higher college tins so far, I always seemed a step too short."

 
Qualifying complete at Williams

No surprises tonight at the Simon Squash Center as all seeds advanced from the qualifying draw to the main draw. Tomorrow’s first round matches will feature top seed, World #11 Shelley Kitchen from New Zealand, Defending champion, World #18, Sharon Wee from Malaysia, and U.S Champion, world #20, Latasha Khan from Seattle. Matches will start at 6pm.


10-Oct, Qualifying Finals:

Stephanie Edmison (Can) bt Genevieve Lessard (Can)      9/0, 9/0, 9/4
Tina Rix (Eng) bt Nayelly Hernandez (Mex)                         9/6, 9/5, 5/9, 9/5
Catherine McLeod (Nzl) bt Magaly Velez (Ecu)                   9/0, 9/2, 9/1
Frania Gillen-Buchert (Sco) bt Toby Eyre (Usa)                9/2, 9/4, 9/2

Williams’ players put up strong resistance

Williams sophomore, All-American, Toby Eyre defeated her Canadian opponent in straight games to advance to the qualifying finals, and Sophomore Jenifer Cox was just points away from joining her, losing in close five games match. Senior Ashley Eyre lost in a close four game encounter while Senior Kate Warner lost in straight games to her opponent from Ecuador.


09-Oct, Qualifying First Round:

Stephanie Edmison (Can) bt Ashley Eyre (Usa)                    9-2, 7-9, 9-3, 9-2
Genevieve Lessard (Can) bt Jennifer Cox (Usa)                   9-4, 9-5, 6-9, 3-9, 9-7
Nayelly Hernandez (Mex) bt Shona Kerr (Usa)                      4-9, 9-4, 10-9, 9-5
Tina Rix (Eng) bt Jo-Ann Jee (Mas)                                      9-4, 3-9, 9-1, 9-2
Magaly Velez (Ecu) bt Catie Warner (Usa)                            9-2, 9-2, 9-5
Catherine McLeod (Nzl) bt Larissa Stephenson (Nzl)              9-6, 9-0, 9-3
Frania Gillen-Buchert (Sco) bt Fernanda Rocha (Arg)            9-4, 9-2, 9-0
Toby Eyre (Usa) bt Samantha Cornett (Can)                        9-4, 9-6, 9-4