|
| |
| Daily
Results and Reports from Manchester |
|
Day FIVE, Thu 10th Feb THE
NORTH-EAST MASTERS |
QUARTER-FINALS:
[1] Lee Beachill bt [8] Alex Gough
11/9, 11/5, 11/5 (41m)
[4] Nick Matthew bt [6] Adrian Grant
11/5, 12/10, 11/4 (54m)
[1] Linda Elriani bt Dominique Lloyd-Walter
9/0, 9/0, 9/1 (25m)
[3] Jenny Tranfield bt [6] Jenny Duncalf
8/10, 9/6, 9/1, 9/0 (53m) |
|
NOW IT STARTS TO HURT…
It’s with those words than Alex Gough started the after match
interview. He was physically in pain, and described playing against Lee
Beachill as “a slow death”…
And don’t think for a minute it wasn’t…
 Alex
Gough, I call him Mr Adaptability, as he moulds into whatever shape, game or
form that is required to make the life of his opponent as difficult as
possible, had a very good start, living up to my nickname to perfection.
His drop shots were inch perfect, his retrieving as always breathtaking, and
he took full advantage of Lee’s slow start, as the former (and soon to be
again, I’ll say) world number one made a few uncharacteristically unforced
errors.
The two players found themselves at 9/9, and I thought that Alex was going
to get the reward of his hard game, but Lee placed a superb tight backhand
drop shot to get game ball.
The next rally saw a few amazing saves from the Welshman, but also a “tin
under pressure” that he saluted with a frustrated shout, as Beachill walked
away with the game, 11/9, in 18 minutes.
From that moment on, Beachill just breezed through, 8 minutes for each game,
delaying his shots to perfection as only he knows how, finding as usual
perfect length, perfect width, shots glued to the wall, and making it all
complete with superb drop shots.
He is Lee Beachill after all, you know…
[1] Lee Beachill bt [8] Alex Gough
11/9, 11/5, 11/5 (41m)
|
 "It was reasonably comfortable, but hard in places. You have to be
disciplined against Alex. I did a couple of stupid things at the start of
the third, and he punished me and opened up a lead, so I had to go back to
what I was doing.
"Overall I was quite happy with my performance. Beating Alex 3/0 is always a
good result, he can keep anyone on court for a long time and make it very
hard, so I'm glad to have got away with a relatively short match."
Lee Beachill |
 "Oh God, it's starting to really hurt. He turned me brutally so much until he
finally broke me.
"I gave myself every chance, but the quality of his shots
second to none.
"The gap between him and the other players I've played
recently is just enormous. It's like a slow death, it's brutal. In the
beginning I don't think he was that comfortable, he made a few mistake. The
quality of my shots was better to start with, but then it just went.
"I
should have dome more with it ... but then again, I didn't. I couldn't get
onto the ball enough, and I started playing the wrong shots, but overall I'm
quire pleased with my performance.
"When I was introduced, and Lee heard that I was 34, he said "how old! Christ
..." You can imagine my reply to that one, and I was still laughing when I
went on court."
Alex Gough
"I told Alex to volley more, to step up the court, to play the ball in the
back more, because if you let Lee get into his rhythm you can't get out of
it."
Simon Parke |
|
NO ENERGY FOR GRANT
“We know each other so well, Adrian couldn’t hide the fact that he was still
run down from his flu over Christmas”….
Yes, Adrian Grant was not at his top physically, and when you play
Nick Matthew, it’s not a good thing…
 “Those
top 10 players, they play at a different pace from anybody else I normally
play, you know”, said the Londoner quietly after his match, “and I just
couldn’t sustain the pace today”.
Those two quotes summarise the match perfectly. And if I add the timing of
the match, 12 minutes in the first, 11/5, 27 minutes in the second, 11/10
(2-0), and 9 minutes in the third, 11/4, you will have a perfect picture of
what happened: a slow start for Grant, who made a few tins too many, then a
big battle that he could have won, but didn’t, and Matthew walking off with
it all in the end.
Done and dusted. Nick at the top of his game very rightly takes his revenge
from last year's quarters, (he lost with the same score to Adrian at the
same stage of the competition) and now meeting Lee Beachill for a Yorkshire
Derby…
[4] Nick Matthew bt [6] Adrian Grant
11/5, 12/10, 11/4 (54m)
 |
 "The
second was crucial. I didn't think he'd be able to come back from 2-0
down, knowing that he's been suffering with his fitness.
"I'm pleased with my form, I've timed coming back to my best well. I
think this is the best I've played since Hong Kong. After then I was
always struggling with my back, playing at about 80% and if you're not
100% these days it's just no good."
"I had some good training over Christmas, and just needed some games.
The Grantham BSPA last week gave me five games, plus National League,
all helping me get back to match fitness.
"It's all about confidence. When you've got that you see the ball that
bit quicker, and feel half a yard faster."
"I'm looking forward to playing Lee when I'm fit and fresh. I last
played him in Bermuda, and though we've been seeded to meet a few
times I've messed up.
"But playing him when I'm fresh will at least show me how far I've got
to go ..."
Nick Matthew |
 "I feel extremely run down. I've been ill over Christmas, and I felt a bit
lethargic, and when you play the top ten boys they play at a totally
different level.
"I think it was a mistake of me to play Dayton, but I
decided to play no matter what, and I think I did myself lont-term damage.
But Nick played extremely well today. I wish I could take a long rest, but I
can't as I'm going to the ToC, then Pakistan, then Kuwait."
Adrian Grant |
|
DUNCALF: GOOD START, BAD FINISH…
The battle of Jenny’s (Duncalf, 22, world number 11, and Tranfield,
29, number 8) was to the advantage of the young Jenny Duncalf to start with.
Very quickly, she shot to 5/0, with short rallies, precise shots, and taking
advantage of the apparent nervousness of her opponent. Soon Jenny T started
to find her rhythm, and caught up to 6/6, to gain her first game ball 8/6
when Jenny Duncalf tinned a return of serve.
 But
now it was Jeny Duncalf that seemed to regroup, refocus, and equalised at
8/8. And although Jenny Tranfield won herself three game balls, the young
English player seized the opportunity, and in 20 long minutes, takes the
first game 10/8.
The second game saw some remarkable shots from Jenny Tranfield. She seems to
have found a new weapon, the cross court lob , that worked wonders to not
only get her out of pressure from precise drop shots from Jenny Duncalf,
forcing her opponent to run to the back again and again, but also wrong
footed her a few times…
In other words, combined with drop shots, lethal…
 And
that’s what I felt ended up discouraging Jenny Duncalf, who at 6/2 in the
second, seemed to lose her spirit. Oh she still fought hard, and from 8/2
game ball, succeeded to clinch four points, thanks to a tinned drop shot
from Jenny Tranfield, a beautiful backhand front court boast, and two great
cross court shots. But she was so far behind she couldn’t prevent Jenny
Tranfield from taking advantage of her third game ball, 9/6.
The third game still lasted 10 minutes (pretty close to the second, that was
11 minutes long), so the score doesn’t reflect the battle that went on, 9/1.
Totally discouraged, Jenny Duncalf will let the fourth go 9/0 in five
minutes.
I was impressed by the transformation in Jenny Tranfield's game, which I
understand is due to her work with Sue Wright. That was time and energy well
spent, Jenny. But Jenny Duncalf is an extremely talented young lady, and for
her, this match was probably “a bad day at the office…”
[3] Jenny Tranfield bt [6] Jenny Duncalf
8/10, 9/6, 9/1, 9/0 (53m)
 |
 "Every time I've played on that court before I've been as ill as a dog, but I
felt good today.
"I've got the best coach in the world in Sue Wright, who
changed my game totally. I used to just play the ball up and down the walls,
but now I've got much more variety, in particular my overhead shots and
lobs, and she taught me when to play them on the big points, when it
matters.
"Between the games she told me 'I don't care about the result, just get on
with it and play', she also told me after the first game about getting my
racket ready, and that helped me pick off some passing shots in the next
games.
"I don't have any preference about who I play next, I'm just going to
concentrate on what I'm doing."
Jenny Tranfield
Sue Wright |
 "I was diabolical, I just fell apart. Jenny played well, but I was awful.
"At least I was hitting and running a bit in the first, but after that I was
useless.
"Not the most enjoyable match I've ever played, and it's not as if I hadn't
been there before ..."
Jenny Duncalf |
|
OUPS
 It
must be so hard to play under such a lot of pressure…
The score is very harsh, but I feel that Dominique Lloyd-Walter was
probably overwhelmed by the circumstances, not to mention the fact she
doesn’t have much practice on the glass court. And Linda Elriani
didn’t take any prisoners, I’m here to tell you.
 But
although it was a very punishing score in the first two games (Dominique
only served 6 times, including the fact she started the match), the 23 year
old fought back valiantly, got her point, ran the marathon, placed some
great drives and drop shots.
The appreciative crowed saluted her first and only point with a loud round
of applause…
[1] Linda Elriani bt Dominique Lloyd-Walter
9/0, 9/0, 9/1 (25m) |
 "I felt good on there, I quite like this court, actually ...
"But it must be
said that I've got much more experience on the glass than Dominique. It's
very hot, hotter than normal, they must have turned up the heating.
"After
the worlds I came back and did a month of hard training with Mike Harris
and Laurent before the tournaments in the states.
"I needed it to get myself fitter and faster."
Linda Elriani |
|
|
