World Masters set for Pivotal Semi-Finals
After more than 750 players from a record 63 nations got the 2018 WSF World Masters Squash Championships underway in Virginia, USA, at the beginning of the week, the World Squash Federation event will reach the semi-finals stage on Friday as players do battle for places in the finals.
The 15th edition of the biennial championships – but the first to be held in the USA – is taking place at the McArthur Squash Center at the Boar’s Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, with 19 men’s and women’s events in categories ranging from Over-35 to Over-80.
Seventeen World Masters main draws are down to the last four ahead of a pivotal slate of semifinals Friday at the McArthur Squash Center in Charlottesville, Virginia.
With Nations Cup permutations on the line, Australia leads the field with sixteen semifinalists, followed by England and South Africa with eleven, Team USA at ten and Canada at six.
Most divisions have played out according to seeding with three or four of the top seeds progressing to the semis.
The biggest upset of the quarterfinal round came in the men’s 75+ division, where American Michael Gough dispatched England’s top seed and defending champion Adrian Wright in five games. Gough won the 2014 75+ title in Hong Kong and is seeking his second World Masters title in his fourth appearance.
England also lost a pair of second seeds with Ian Graham (M65) and Barry Featherstone (M70) losing out to Australian John Carroll and South African Frikkie Bester.
Australia’s five-time World Open champion Sarah Fitz-Gerald comfortably moved through to her anticipated place in the Women’s O45 semi-finals. The WSF Vice-President [pictured above at the Opening Ceremony with (L to R) Dent Wilkens of US Squash and Tim Rose of the University of Virginia Foundation], who is seeded to win the title for a third successive time, faces Karen Meakins, from Barbados, for a place in the final.
The women’s 75+ title may be decided Friday morning when South Africa’s Jean Grainger and Team USA’s Joyce Davenport face each other at 9am ET. Both players have a 3-0 record in the six-player round robin with one match remaining on Saturday.
The men’s 75+ semifinals will stage a perennial U.S. nationals rivalry between Jay Nelson, who holds the U.S. record of twenty-nine masters titles, and Canadian Gerry Poulton. Nelson and Poulton have faced off eight times over the past decade, the last six of which were in U.S. National Singles finals. Poulton has won four of the past six match ups, including the 2018 U.S. 75+ final this spring. Nelson will be hoping to reach his first World Masters final in his tournament debut.
The women’s 35+ semifinals fields another first-time American participant in the form of Margaret Gerety. Gerety heads the squash program at Squash on Fire in nearby Washington, DC. The former Harvard player upset Canada’s Leah Boody in a five-game quarterfinal, and faces England’s top seed Lauren Briggs in Friday’s semis.
“It’s exciting to be here,” Gerety said. “There’s so much depth and the level of play is really impressive—all the way up to the 80’s,” Gerety said. “There’s been a great energy and spirit from everyone this week. It’s so nice to connect with both American and international players that I haven’t seen in years and make new friends. It’s such a great community.”
Follow the semis on STREAMING and LIVE SCORES
Quarter-Final Results
M35
[1] Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) 3-0 [5/8] Gavin Jones (Usa) 11-4, 11-3, 11-4
[5/8] Alejandro Garbi (Esp) 3-0 [3/4] Clinton Leeuw (Rsa) 11-6, 11-5, 11-0
[3/4] Wael El Hindi (Usa) 3-0 [5/8] Ben Garner (Eng) 11-6, 11-6, 11-4
[2] Alister Walker (Bot) 3-0 [5/8] Gary Wheadon (Rsa) 11-6, 11-9, 11-6
W35
[1] Lauren Briggs (Eng) 3-0 Vanessa Steinwall (Can) 11-1, 11-6, 11-1
Margaret Gerety (Usa) 3-2 [3/4] Leah Boody (Can) 11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-7
Reka Burmeister (Eng) 3-1 [3/4] Zhenzhen Wu (Chn) 11-13, 11-9, 11-6, 12-10
[2] Selina Sinclair (Eng) 3-0 Sophie Joubarne (Can) 11-2, 11-4, 11-4
M40
[1] Liam Kenny (Irl) 3-1 [5/8] Matt Bishop (Can) 10-12, 11-2, 11-4, 11-4
[5/8] Craig Ruane (Rsa) 3-2 [3/4] Lazarus Chilufya (Usa) 11-8, 4-11, 3-11, 1-7, 11-6
[3/4] Patrick Chifunda (Zam) 3-0 Paul Allen (Eng) 11-9, 7-1 rtd
Wai Chung Wong (Hkg) 3-1 Tatu Murronmaa (Fin) 11-7, 11-5, 6-11, 11-7
W40
[1] Natalie Grainger (Usa) 3-0 Karen Schultz (Rsa) 11-6, 11-6, 11-2
[3/4] Samantha Herbert (Rsa) 3-0 Melanie Moore (Nor) 11-5, 11-4, 11-5
[3/4] Jacqueline Ryder (Rsa) 3-1 [5/8] Wendy Maitland Jones (Sco) 7-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-6
[2] Melissa Martin (Aus) 3-1 [5/8] Anlen Murray (Rsa) 6-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-6
M45
[1] Nick Taylor (Eng) 3-0 [5/8] Tim Garner (Eng) 11-3, 11-3, 11-8
Galen le Cheminant (Usa) 3-1 Evan Mancer (Can) 9-11, 11-7, 14-12, 11-3
[3/4] Adrian Hansen (Rsa) 3-0 Nick Staunton (Irl) 11-7, 11-4, 11-5
[2] Zuko Kubukeli (Rsa) 3-0 Jose Elias (Per) 11-6, 12-10, 11-6
W45
[1] Sarah Fitz-Gerald (Aus) 3-0 Melania Kreisel (Ger) 11-3, 11-3, 11-6
[3/4] Karen Meakins (Bar) 3-0 Nina Janisch (Ger) 11-5, 11-5, 11-3
[3/4] Susan Davis (Aus) 3-0 Janet Byrnes (Rsa) 11-9, 11-6, 12-10
[2] Rachel Calver (Eng) 3-2 Kelly Wellings (Eng) 12-10, 11-5, 6-11, 4-11, 11-5
M50
[1] Mike Toothill (Rsa) 3-0 Carlos Mendes (Por) 11-9, 11-3, 11-5
Sean Ryan (Aus) 3-0 Aashish Kamat (Usa) 11-6, 11-8, 11-3
[3/4] David Sly (Can) 3-0 Richard Elliott (Usa) 11-8, 11-3, 11-7
[2] Hansi Weins (Ger) 3-0 [5/8] Steve Wren (Can) 11-6, 11-4, 11-4
W50
[1] Sarah Nelson (Aus) 3-0 [5/8] Helen Barnard (Wal) 11-6, 11-5, 11-5
Wendy Andsell (Usa) 3-1 Leslie Cameron (Usa) 8-11, 11-6, 12-10, 16-14
[3/4] Hope Prockop (Usa) 3-0 Julie Springer-Aass (Can) 11-3, 11-8, 11-6
Lauren Wagner (Can) 3-1 [5/8] Katrina Cross (Aus) 11-1, 11-3, 6-11, 11-7
M55
[1] Willie Hosey (Irl) 3-2 [5/8] Trevor Wilkinson (Rsa) 4-11, 13-11, 9-11, 7-11, 11-5
[5/8] Brett Martin (Aus) 3-0 [3/4] Dominic Hughes (Usa) 11-7, 11-6, 11-4
[3/4] Peter Gilbee (Aus) 3-0 [5/8] Eamonn Price (Eng) 12-10, 11-4, 11-9
[2] Fredrik Johnson (Swe) 3-0 Mark Sealy (Bar) 11-4, 11-9, 11-9
W55
[1] Susan Hillier (Aus) 3-0 Jackie Gregory (Eng) 11-5, 11-1, 11-4
[3/4] Sue Williams (Aus) 3-1 [5/8] Julie Multamaki (Can) 12-10, 11-4, 6-11, 11-9
[3/4] Mandy Akin (Eng) 3-0 [5/8] Pippa Green (Eng) 11-6, 11-5, 11-9
[2] Fiona McLean (Sco) 3-0 [5/8] Beth Ann Fedorowich (Usa) 11-5, 12-10, 11-5
M60
[1] Geoff Davenport (Aus) 3-0 Steve Baicker-Mckee (Usa ) 11-2, 11-7, 11-7
[3/4] Pierr Roodt (Rsa) 3-1 Jim Mobbs (Aus) 9-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-2
Juan Mendez (Mex) 3-0 [3/4] Udo Kahl (Ger) 11-7, 11-4, 11-9
[2] Jeremy Goulding (Eng) 3-0 Sergio Orduna (Sui) 11-5, 12-10, 11-1
W60
[1] Jill Campion (Eng) 3-0 Diana Roper (Can) 11-4, 11-2, 11-4
Maureen Duke (Irl) 3-2 Marisa Zavattaro (Aus) 10-12, 18-16, 8-11, 12-10, 11-8
Shirley Whitmore (Rsa) 3-0 Jane Law (Eng) 11-2, 12-10, 11-9
[2] Karen Hume (Eng) 3-0 [5/8] Lynne Davies (Wal) 11-7, 11-3, 11-3
M65
[1] John Macrury (Cay) 3-1 [5/8] Wayne Seebeck (Nzl) 11-4, 10-12, 11-4, 11-5
[3/4] Wayne Weatherhead (Can) 3-0 Ian Smith (Can) 4-5 rtd
[5/8] Mario Raponi (Can) 3-0 [3/4] Robert Jan Anjema (Ned) 11-6, 11-9, 11-5
John Carroll (Aus) 3-0 [2] Ian Graham (Eng) 11-1, 11-9, 11-6
W65
[1] Laura Ramsay (Can) 3-1 Sue Wastie (Eng) 10-12, 11-2, 11-5, 11-2
Yvonne Trotter (Aus) 3-0 Marjorie Barnett (Nzl) 11-5, 11-2, 11-3
[3/4] Gaye Mitchell (Aus) 3-1 Denise Kyme (Ber) 6-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-6
[2] Faith Sinclair (Sco) 3-1 Maureen Carroll (Sco) 8-11, 13-11, 19-17, 11-7
M70
[1] Brian Cook (Aus) 3-0 [5/8] Claudio Hassler (Sui) 11-4, 11-5, 11-5
[5/8] Aubrey Waddy (Eng) 3-0 [3/4] Bert Kornyei (Usa) 11-8, 11-4, 11-6
[3/4] Ian Ross (Sco) 3-1 [5/8] Jack Halford (Eng) 11-5, 12-14, 11-2, 11-3
[5/8] Frikkie Bester (Rsa) 3-2 [2] Barry Featherstone (Eng) 4-11, 11-8, 11-4, 14-16, 11-4
W70
[1] Ann Manley (Eng) 3-0 Sheena Worwood (Rsa) 11-7, 11-9, 11-3
[3/4] Marilyn Kennedy (Aus) 3-0 Averil Murphy (Eng) 11-4, 15-13, 11-9
Margaret Hunt-Kemp (Rsa) 3-1 [3/4] Bett Dryhurst (Eng) 4-11, 11-8, 11-9, 13-11
[2] Robyn Prentice (Aus) 3-0 Christine McIntyre (Aus) 11-6, 11-5, 11-7
M75
[5/8] Michael Gough (Usa) 3-2 [1] Adrian Wright (Eng) 11-6, 11-7, 6-11, 5-11, 11-4
[5/8] Howard Armitage (Can) 3-2 [¾] Desmond Sacco (Rsa) 9-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-2
[¾] John Nelson (Usa) 3-0 [5/8] Voon Chan (Can) 11-5, 11-2, 11-3
[2] Gerry Poulton (Can) 3-0 [5/8] Tom Slattery (Aus) 11-8, 11-5, 11-6
W75 Round Robin of 6
Unbeaten so far Joyce Davenport and Jean Grainger (3 wins out of 3)
M80
[1] Lance Kinder (Eng) 3-0 John Prichard (Aus) 11-8, 11-8, 11-9
[3/4] Stanley Fanaross (Rsa) 3-1 Geoff Peppiatt (Usa) 7-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-6
[3/4] Edward Burlingame (Usa) 3-1 Robert Pirie (Usa) 11-3, 9-11, 11-6, 11-5
[2] Barry Gardiner (Nzl) 3-0 Mike Barnard (Fra) 11-4, 11-4, 11-5