Anjema Progresses In Rotterdam
by Howard Harding

31 August 2013 - Dutch number one Laurens Jan Anjema moved comfortably into the semi-finals of the Double AR Rotterdam Open after dismissing Germany's Raphael Kandra in the PSA World Tour Challenger 15 squash event at Victoria Squash in the Netherlands city of Rotterdam.

Top seed Anjema (pictured below) won the first and third games with ease - but the eight-time Dutch champion had to fight back from 9-6 down in the second before overcoming German number three Kandra 11-3, 11-9, 11-6.

Second seed Adrian Grant, the global ambassador of title sponsor Double AR, displayed great skill and athleticism in his match against Steven Finitsis. Englishman Grant started off slowly, but managed to claw his way back in time to edge the first game against his hard-hitting Australian opponent. From there the Londoner looked at ease on the Victoria show court, dominating the next two games to secure his 12-10, 11-4, 11-7 win against a dangerous opponent.

Flying Finn Olli Tuominen had an easier time against Jens Schoor. The reigning European champion took control from the outset and simply outplayed his German opponent who couldn't find an answer to the fast and explosive play of the third seed, winning 11-4, 11-7, 11-4.

In the last match of the evening fourth seed Mathieu Castagnet proved too strong for fellow Frenchman Lucas Serme in a highly competitive and long encounter. Underdog Serme took the first after nearly half an hour, but this seemed to take its toll on the youngster, who kept working hard but lacked the punch of the early stages of the match to really trouble his compatriot in the next three games. The final score line: 10-12, 11-3, 11-7, 11-7.

RESULTS: PSA Challenger 15 Double AR Rotterdam Open, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Quarter-finals:
[1] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) bt Raphael Kandra (GER) 11-3, 11-9, 11-6 (43m)
[4] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) bt Lucas Serme (FRA) 10-12, 11-3, 11-7, 11-7 (76m)
[3] Olli Tuominen (FIN) bt Jens Schoor (GER) 11-4, 11-7, 11-4 (33m)
[2] Adrian Grant (ENG) bt Steven Finitsis (AUS) 12-10, 11-4, 11-7 (69m)

Semi-final line-up:
[1] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) v [4] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA)
[2] Adrian Grant (ENG) v [3] Olli Tuominen (FIN)