Outsiders Alves & Al Tamimi Take Dutch Junior Open Titles
from European Squash Media
July 3, 2012 - Qatari Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi and France's Melissa Alves - both only seeded to reach the semi-finals - came away with the U19 titles in the Dutch Junior Open Squash Championships at Frans Otten Stadion in Amsterdam.
Twice a runner-up in the French Junior Open, Alves made her breakthrough in the semi-finals of the European Squash Federation Junior Circuit event in the Netherlands when she upset second-seeded compatriot Enora Villard in five games.
The 18-year-old from Paris dropped the first game in the final against Victoria Temple Murray - a 5/8 seed from England who earlier produced the event's biggest shock by removing French favourite Julia Lecoq in the quarter-finals.
The next three games all went the full distance, with Alves finally emerging triumphant after a 4-11, 14-12, 13-11, 17-15 scoreline to score her maiden ESF circuit U19 title success.
Top seed Damien Volland dropped just a single game en-route to the men's final and looked set to pull off a French double.
But Al Tamimi was determined to put Qatar on the ESF Junior Circuit map and, after surviving a marathon opening game 18-16, went on to recover from the loss of the third game to vanquish Volland 18-16, 11-7, 6-11, 11-9 to become the first Qatari winner of the established Amsterdam junior title.
RESULTS: Dutch Junior Open Squash Championships, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Men's U19 quarter-finals:
[1] Damien Volland (FRA) bt [5/8] Baptiste Masotti (FRA) 11-3, 11-3, 11-6
[5/8] Alexandre Cogno (FRA) bt [9/16] Auguste Dussourd (FRA) 9-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-4, 11-2
[3/4] Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) bt [5/8] Faraz Khan (USA) 11-5, 11-6, 11-8
Rishi Tandon (IND) bt [2] Taminder Gata-Aura (ENG) 11-9, 13-11, 11-3
Semi-finals:
[1] Damien Volland (FRA) bt [5/8] Alexandre Cogno (FRA) 11-9, 15-13, 11-7
[3/4] Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) bt Rishi Tandon (IND) 16-14, 13-11, 12-10
Final:
[3/4] Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) bt [1] Damien Volland (FRA) 18-16, 11-7, 6-11, 11-9
Women's U19 quarter-finals:
[5/8] Victoria Temple Murray (ENG) bt [1] Julia Lecoq (FRA) 11-2, 7-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6
[3/4] Tessa ter Sluis (NED) bt [9/16] Katie Smith (ENG) 12-14, 11-7, 11-6, 11-5
[3/4] Melissa Alves (FRA) bt [5/8] Camille Lanier (POR) 7-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-8
[2] Enora Villard (FRA) bt Isabelle Dowling (USA) 8-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-7
Semi-finals:
[5/8] Victoria Temple Murray (ENG) bt [3/4] Tessa ter Sluis (NED) 11-9, 11-8, 11-5
[3/4] Melissa Alves (FRA) bt [2] Enora Villard (FRA) 11-6, 13-11, 7-11, 9-11, 12-10
Final:
[3/4] Melissa Alves (FRA) bt [5/8] Victoria Temple Murray (ENG) 4-11, 14-12, 13-11, 17-15
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