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Not this time for Luca

It had to happen, didn't it. Two Italians in the quarter-finals and they end up playing each other.

Luca Mastrostefano - who is providing us with the results this week, many thanks! - took the first game off Davide Bianchetti but couldn't hold on as the Italian Champion came through to reach the semis, where he'll play young Englishman Tom Richards.

The bottom half of the draw was a graveyard for the seeds in yesterday's first round, and Mark Krajcsak and Julien Balbo took full advantage to reach the semi-finals with wins over Chris Ryder and Callum O'Brien.
 

the semi-finalists

more from Genova

DRAW & RESULTS

An interesting match with good league performances from Richards versus an Australian looking to make the semi in Italy.

Match was close from the start but Hindle looked to have a control, having four game balls but losing out to a combination of mistakes and great touch from the young Englishman.

That seem to rattle Hindle as he lost his composure and concentration, and any sense of game was left behind in the break.

In the end Richards capitalised perfectly and landed himself the first semi spot as the Australian looked to be on another planet!

With an Italian semi-finalist assured the crowd was in equal support for their countrymen.

Luca took the first game error free, controlling Bianchetti from the tee and executing his winners at the right time.

In the second game at 5-all the match appeared to be strongly in Luca's favour until a series of punishing rallies from Bianchetti took the air out of his opponent's lungs and he took the last three games without too much resistance.

Luca put up a great performance, maybe experience and belief was the telling factor for Luca, Davide to play Richards in the top half semi.

Johnny very up for putting in a good performance knowing he had nothing to lose playing the top seed, but playing a very in form Bianchetti in Italy!

Hartford was continually on the tail end of the rallies, barely controlling anything but still playing competitive.

Overall the match was convincingly in Davide's control, playing four corner squash resulting in a comfortable first round win.

Hindle looking a little too relaxed for the match, quite content in playing length squash, Capella coming out very aggressive looking for an upset on home soil!

Fitness seem to take its toll on Capella after 40mins and he was finding trouble staying in the final two games and fell off the pace.

Hindle played controlled, possibly too safe in some areas, but none the less a first round win after 62mins.

Toughest first round match of the tournament, two in-form players had to meet and it was a match up worthy of a semi-final, but the nature of squash is that anything can happen and it was a first round in this event.

Krajscak playing to consistent lengths and volleys resulting in Aziz retrieving perfectly, but for how long? All the games were close and the result was still in the air until fatigue hit the young Egyptian in the third resulting in a 3/1 win for Krajscak.

copied
11/6, 11/2, 11/7 from SquashSite

Mark
Krajcsak

Qualifying:

Qualifying Finals:
Andrea Capella (Ita) bt Andreas Fuchs (Aut)              11/8, 11/8 (22m)
Jonathan Harford (Eng) bt Alejandro Garbi (Esp)    11/9, 11/9 (19m)
Yann Perrin (Eng) bt David Barnett (Eng)                   11/7, 11/7 (29m)
Chris Ryder (Eng) bt Andre Holderegger (Sui)           11/4, 11/3 (17m)

Round One:
Andreas Fuchs bt Walter Bona             11/2, 11/3 (11m)
Andrea Capella bt Ryan Thompson      10/12, 12/10, 11/6 (43m)
Jonathan Harford bt Roberto Scalera   11/1, 11/2 (9m)
Alejandro Garbi bt Philip Nightingale    11/3,  8/11, 11/9 (34m)
David Barnett bt Fabio Gagliardi          11/2, 11/3 (9m)
Yann Perrin bt Jens Schoor                      11/5, 7/11, 13/11 (53m)
Andre Holderegger bt Adam Taleb       11/7, 11/6 (21m)
Chris Ryder bt Josè Facchini               11/4, 11/6 (22m)

24-May, Round One:
Italian Showdown in Genova

Italy are guaranteed a semi-finalist in the Liguria Open in Genova, as top seed Davide Bianchetti and Luca Mastrostefano won their first round matches to set up an all-Italian quarter-final.

Elsewhere in the draw it was a bad day for the seeds as France's Laurent Elriani, seeded three, succumbed in five games to English qualifier Chris Ryder, while Julien Balbo maintained French presence in the quarters as he defeated second seed Dylan Bennett.

Balbo faces New Zealand's Callum O'Brien for a place in the semi-finals, while Ryder meets Hungary's fifth-seeded Mark Krajcsak.

The courts were very hot and bouncy, with long rallies being the order of the day. England's Tom Richards was spared an extended game as Marco Veresi retired after the first game, and faces Ausralia's fourth seed Bradley Hindle, who took over an hour to deny another Italian, Andrea Capella, in four games.