WORLD SQUASH NEWS
RESULTS: Swiss Open Squash Championships, Geneva, Switzerland
Men's quarter-finals:
[1] Raj Nanda (AUS) bt [6] Marc Reus (NED) 15-8, 15-11, 15-13
[Q] Stefan Leifels (GER) bt [Q] Ahmed Hamza (EGY) 15-11, 15-5, 15-13
[Q] Jesse Engelbrecht (ZIM) bt Ashley Flathers (ENG) 8-15, 15-4, 11-15, 15-5, 15-13
Constantino Casas (ESP) bt [7] David Barnett (ENG) 15-13, 15-4, 13-15, 15-8
Semi-finals:
[Q] Stefan Leifels (GER) bt [1] Raj Nanda (AUS) 15-8, 9-15, 17-16, 15-7
Constantino Casas (ESP) bt [Q] Jesse Engelbrecht (ZIM) 15-12, 15-10, 15-7
Women's quarter-finals:
[1] Suzanne Horner (ENG) bt [8] Milja Dorenbos (NED) 9-2, 9-4, 9-1
[4] Rebecca Botwright (ENG) bt [5] Corinne Castets (FRA) 9-4, 3-9, 6-9, 9-0, 10-8
[3] Laura Lengthorn (ENG) bt [7] Farrah Sterne (RSA) 4-9, 9-4, 9-1 9-5
[2] Wendy Maitland (SCO) bt [6] Dianne Desira (AUS) 9-6, 9-1, 5-9, 9-5
Semi-finals:
[1] Suzanne Horner (ENG) bt [4] Rebecca Botwright (ENG) 9-0, 9-2, 9-0
[3] Laura Lengthorn (ENG) bt [2] Wendy Maitland (SCO) 7-9, 9-4, 9-4, 10-8
Upsets Galore In Swiss Open
German qualifier Stefan Leifels dispatched the top seed in the men's
semi-finals and England's Laura Lengthorn knocked out the title-holder in the
last four of women's event as upsets riddled the final stages of the 30th
Swiss Open Squash Championships in Geneva.
Leifels, whose only previous PSA Tour success was winning the Swiss Open in
1995, survived a close four-game match against Raj Nanda when he beat the
Australian favourite 15-8 9-15 17-16 15-7.
His opponent in the final will be Constantino Casas, the unseeded Spaniard
who is celebrating his first appearance in a PSA final. After dismissing
second-seeded Swiss player Andre Holderegger to reach the quarter-finals,
Casas defeated Zimbabwean qualifier Jesse Engelbrecht 15-12 15-10 15-7 in the
other semi-final.
The breakthrough star of the women's event was 19-year-old third seed Laura
Lengthorn, twice a British Junior champion from Lancashire, who reversed last
year's semi-final result to beat Scotland's defending champion Wendy
Maitland, the No2 seed, 7-9 9-4 9-4 10-8.
In her first WISPA World Tour final, Lengthorn takes on compatriot Suzanne
Horner, the world No16 and double world Over-35 champion from Yorkshire who
is playing in her first event since celebrating her 40th birthday. Top seed
Horner, more than twice her final opponent's age, beat last year's runner-up
Rebecca Botwright, the fourth seed also from England, 9-0 9-2 9-0 in the
other semi-final.