Daryl Selby, Alister Walker Into $35K Halifax Semis by Howard Harding 19 October 2013
- The four seeds duly secured their places in the semi-finals of the
Fiera Properties Bluenose Squash Classic in Canada - but were not given
easy rides by their quarter-final opponents in the PSA World Tour
International 35 event in its eighth successive year at Saint Mary's
University Homburg Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
While English
favourite Daryl Selby chalked up his second successive straight games
win in the event - beating compatriot Eddie Charlton (pictured above
with Selby, foreground) 11-8, 11-2, 11-8 in his second 46-minute
victory in 24 hours - second seed Alister Walker was taken the full
distance by Martin Knight before beating the New Zealander in 78
minutes.
Kiwi Knight, the world
No47 celebrating his seventh successive Bluenose Classic appearance
since 2006, twice led the world No15 from Botswana. But Walker dug deep
to force a decider.
Game five saw both
players enter the court with a heightened sense of intensity and focus.
With everything on the line, the score remained close throughout the
game. It was nip and tuck up to seven-all. A stroke against Knight put
Walker ahead 8-7. Three Knight tins later gave victory to Walker 6-11,
11-7, 10-12, 11-3, 11-7.
"Martin is constantly
improving and adding more shots to his weapons," said Walker (pictured
above, foreground, with Knight) later. "He kept me unsettled throughout
the match."
Walker now faces
Miguel Angel Rodriguez, the No3 seed from Colombia who needed four
games to see off Mexican qualifier Eric Galvez 11-3, 8-11, 13-11, 11-5.
The other semi will be
a European affair in which Selby takes on Dutch champion Laurens Jan
Anjema. The fourth seed from The Hague defeated New Zealand's Campbell
Grayson in straight games, but it took the world No18 62 minutes to
close out the match 11-7, 11-8, 13-11.
"I felt like I was
always one step behind and there was a lot of pressure," said Anjema
afterwards. "The last time I played Campbell, in Guatemala, I was
struggling. He has a good technique and you never know where the ball
is going till the last second."
RESULTS: PSA International 35 Fiera Properties Bluenose Classic, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
