It
was one repeat and one new winner during the Forexx Dutch Open Squash 2008
in Amsterdam as Nick Matthew and Nicol David claimed the Forexx
Dutch Opentitles in front of a packed crowd at the Frans Otten
Stadion in the Dutch capital.
The Winners and
Toon van der Wulp (CEO - Forexx Group) - Photo courtesy by:
Fritz Borchert
Having contested ten major finals over the last two years, David and two-time
Dutch Open champion Natalie Grinham were no strangers. Their matches
are invariably long and this was no exception - the first game alone lasted
23 minutes. Grinham led in the first two games but David fought back to take
both 11/9. An early lead in the third proved too much for the newly-Dutch
Grinham to overcome as the Malaysian world number one retained her title, and
her unbeaten run of almost a year.
The men's final guaranteed a new name on the trophy. Top seed Nick Matthew,
back on court after an eight-month injury layoff, faced improving Australian
Cameron Pilley, who had beaten home favourite Laurens Jan Anjema
in a marathon semi-final. Matthew, still ranked eighth in the world despite
his long layoff, took a two-game lead. Pilley pulled one back and, despite
his obvious tiredness, hung in to take the fourth game to extra points before
the Englishman completed a very successful comeback to take his first Dutch
Open title.
Men’s final
[1] Nick Matthew (Eng) bt. [3] Cameron Pilley (Aus) 11/8, 11/6, 6/11,
12/10 (79m)
Natalie
Grinham
avenged the defeat of her older sister Rachael, beating Alison Waters
to reach her first Dutch Open final as a Dutch player, but Laurens Jan
Anjema's attempt to make it a Dutch Double was derailed by Australian
Cameron Pilley.
Grinham made a slow start in the first semi final, but once she got into her
stride she always looked the likely winner against the British National
Champion. In the final of the Forexx Dutch Open Squash 2008 she will
face defending champion and world number one Nicol David, whose speed
of movement and shot proved too much for Natalie Grainger, who twice
came so close to taking a game but just fell short.
Dutch based
Pilley also dropped the first game in his match against Anjema and found
himself 6-3 down in the second game against the 3-times Dutch champion. The
tall Aussie then proceeded to dictate the play against a tiring looking
Anjema, despite the urging of the large crowd at the Frans Otten Stadion.
After 81 minutes of high quality squash Pilley prevailed over his training
partner to reach the final of the Forexx Dutch Open Squash 2008.
His final opponent will be top seed Nick Matthew, who continued his
return from injury against John White who, like Grainger, came close
in two of the three games. The world number eight from England pulled back a
6-1 deficit against the hard hitting and entertaining ‘Whitey’ to clinch the
opening game. In the next two games Matthew showed no signs of his shoulder
injury as he romped home to a straight games victory over the Amsterdam crowd
favourite.
So, one new name on the trophy is guaranteed tomorrow, and if the Dutch fans
have their way, maybe two ...
Men’s draw (semi finals)
[1] Nick Matthew (Eng) bt. [4] John White 11/9, 11/4, 11/8 (38m)
Miguel
Angel Rodriguez diving for the ball - Photo courtesy by: Squashweb
The quarter-finals of
the Forexx Dutch Open Squash 2008 in Amsterdam saw one of the top four
seeds fall and one stretched to the limit on a day that ended with high
entertainment.
The first women's quarter-final saw World Champion Rachael Grinham
fall in straight games to England's Alison Waters, the British
National Champion's best win to date. No such worries for Rachael's younger
sister NatalieGrinham though, who won her all-Dutch clash with
Vanessa Atkinson, and even less for Natalie Grainger, who swept
past an out-of-sorts Jenny Duncalf.
World number one and defending champion Nicol David looked to be
cruising to victory against Laura Lengthorn-Massaro, but the
Englishwoman battled back to make it a very even contest as she leveled. It
took a good start in the fifth for the Malaysian to hold on to her title, but
what a fright she must have had.
In the men's event all the top seeds came through, including Dutch champion
Laurens Jan Anjema, and Amsterdam favorite John White, who put
on a fabulous late-night show with Miguel Angel Rodriguez to round off
the day. Earlier in the evening Anjema was made to work hard by Italian ace
Davide Bianchetti before securing his place in the semi finals, where
he will face his training partner Cameron Pilley who recently moved to
The Hague. The Australian overcame a shaky start to overcome Dutch number two
Dylan Bennett in straight games.
Tournament favorite Nick Matthew secured a second comfortable win
after a 9-month lay-off due to a shoulder operation. The Englishman proved
too strong for South African Jesse Engelbrecht, romping home to a
11-6, 11-5, 11-7 win. Matthew will now take on 35-year old White for a spot
in Sunday’s final.
Men’s draw (quarter finals)
[1] Nick Matthew (Eng) bt. [8] Jesse Engelbrecht (RSA) 11/6, 11/5, 11/6
(39m)
[4] John White (Sco) bt. [5] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (Col) 11/3, 4/11, 11/8,
11/7 (39m)
[3] Cameron Pilley (Aus) bt. [7]
Dylan Bennett (Ned) 12/10,
11/1, 11/4 (39m) [2] Laurens Jan
Anjema (Ned)
bt. [6] Davide Bianchetti (Ita) 11/9, 11/9, 8/11, 11/6 (81m)
Women’s draw (quarter finals)
[1] Nicol David (Mas) bt. [6] Laura Lengthorn-Massaro (Eng) 11/5, 11/4,
9/11, 9/11, 11/6 (60m)
All
the seeds progressed to the quarter-finals of the Forexx Dutch Open Squash
2008 on day one of main draw action at the Frans Otten Stadion in
Amsterdam. It wasn't plain sailing for all of them though, with England's
Laura Lengthorn-Massaro needing the full five games to quell Rebecca
Chiu, and Jesse Engelbrecht taking it into extra points in his
decider against Robin Clarke.
There was plenty of success for the hosts on the opening day of mainland
Europe’s biggest tournament, with Laurens Jan Anjema, Vanessa
Atkinson and Natalie Grinham winning comfortably enough, and
Dylan Bennett put the Amsterdam faithful through the usual agoniser
before winning through to a quarter final berth against Cameron Pilley.
Anjema will face the experienced Italian Davide Bianchetti tomorrow,
while Atkinson and Grinham face each other in a ‘Dutch battle’, something
that the newly Dutch player is looking forward to: “I train on this court
so I know it well, and I've been training and playing really well lately so I
felt good out there tonight. I know I can get a lot back so I can afford to
play a lot short, like I was tonight, I enjoy playing that way. Vanessa and I
have had a few battles over the years, and if she plays well she's very
dangerous, so hopefully I'll play well and it will be another good battle",
said the former Australian world number three.
The final matches of the day saw women's top seed Nicol David start
the defense of her title with a four-game win over Isabelle Stoehr,
and former Amsterdam favorite John White living up to his reputation
as an entertaining hard-hitter as he and wildcard Piedro Schweertman
gave the packed crowd an entertaining nightcap.
More information about the Forexx Dutch Open Squash 2008 can be found on the
official tournament site
www.dutchopensquash.nl.
Men’s draw (1st
Round)
[1] Nick Matthew (Eng) bt. Shaun Le Roux (Eng) 11/3, 11/3, 11/4 (31m)
World
Champion Rachael Grinham has informed tournament director Tommy Berden
that she will compete in the Forexx Dutch Open Squash 2008. The
confirmation of the 31-year old Australian’s entry means that the biggest
Dutch professional squash event in years, which combines a Women’s
International Squash Players Association (WISPA) Gold tournament and a
Professional Squash Association (PSA) 3 star championship, is now assured of
the presence of the three highest ranked female players in the world. Earlier
this month the world’s number one and two, Nicol David (Malaysia) and
Rachael’s younger sister Natalie Grinham (Netherlands), announced
their participation in the Forexx Dutch Open Squash 2008.
The elder half of the ‘GrinhamSisters’ is enjoying a blistering career in
which she has won almost everything there is to be won. The current world
number three clinched the world junior title at the age of sixteen and became
one of the few women in history to achieve an amazing ‘double’ when she beat
sister Natalie in last year’s historic Women’s World Open final in Madrid to
become World Champion. Grinham boasts 27 tournament titles, out of 159
tournaments, on the WISPA Tour circuit, including three British Open
titles. In 2004 and 2005 the ‘Aussie’ also headed the World Rankings for
sixteen consecutive months. In last year’s Forexx Dutch Open final Grinham
lost out to Malaysia’s Nicol David in straight games.
“It
is clear that we are very upbeat about the news Rachael brought us regarding
the Forexx Dutch Open. Not only is she the reigning World Champion, but she
is without doubt also one of the most attacking and spectacular players in
the international women’s game. Her participation is yet more great news for
our event”, said former PSA player Tommy Berden on behalf of
tournament organizers Next Events.
With two more weeks to go before closing deadline world number seven Nick
Matthew and three times Dutch champion Laurens Jan Anjema are
heading the men’s entry list for the world class squash event in the
Netherlands, which will take place from September 2-7 in the Frans
Otten Stadion in Amsterdam.
More information about the Forexx Dutch Open Squash 2008 can be found on the
event’s website
www.dutchopensquash.nl.
Nicol
David confirms entry for Forexx Dutch Open
World Number
1 and 2-times World Champion Nicol David has confirmed her entry for the
Forexx Dutch Open Squash 2008. The 24-year old Malaysian, who also won the
World Junior Championships twice, has held a strong grip on the WISPA Tour
after moving to the top of the women’s World Ranking in August 2006. Since
then David has only been beaten in 3 official matches, one of them being a
shock early defeat at the hands of Shelley Kitchen from New Zealand during
the second round of the Women’s World Open 2007 in Madrid. David, who bases
herself in Amsterdam, was also clearly the best in last year’s Forexx Dutch
Open. In the final the petite Asian proved too strong for the current World
Champion Rachael Grinham from Australia in straight games.
Tournament
director and former Dutch champion Tommy Berden is naturally very upbeat
about the participation of the world's best female player and the defending
champion. "It is great news that Nicol has confirmed her entry this early.
With her and Natalie Grinham we now have the two best players in the world
entered into our event and it shows that the Forexx Dutch Open plays an
important role within the international squash community."
On behalf of
tournament organizers Next Events, 29-year old Berden also said that they are
now focusing their attention to the men. “With the world numbers 1 and 2 in
the women’s event confirmed, we are now working hard to ensure a high quality
field for the men as well. Hopefully we will be able to announce the first
male top players shortly.”
The Forexx
Dutch Open Squash 2008 will be held in Amsterdam’s Frans Otten Stadion from 2
- 7 September 2008. With an increase of 30 percent, and boasting a total
prize fund of $ 83,500usd, the Forexx Dutch Open becomes mainland Europe’s
biggest tournament. It consists of a Women’s International Squash Players
Association (WISPA) World Tour Gold championship and a Professional Squash
Association (PSA) Tour 3 star tournament.
Tickets for
the Forexx Dutch Open Squash 2008 are now available exclusively on the
event’s website
www.dutchopensquash.nl.
Editorial note
Please contact Topsquash Nederland for more information:
World
Champion Rachael Grinham has informed tournament director Tommy Berden
that she will compete in the Forexx Dutch Open Squash 2008. The
confirmation of the 31-year old Australian’s entry means that the biggest
Dutch professional squash event in years, which combines a Women’s
International Squash Players Association (WISPA) Gold tournament and a
Professional Squash Association (PSA) 3 star championship, is now assured of
the presence of the three highest ranked female players in the world. Earlier
this month the world’s number one and two, Nicol David (Malaysia) and
Rachael’s younger sister Natalie Grinham (Netherlands), announced
their participation in the Forexx Dutch Open Squash 2008.
