British Junior Open – Denis Gilevskiy Just Misses Out

BRITISH JUNIOR OPEN 2019

 

RESULTS/DRAWS

LIVE STREAMING

PICTURES

DAY 5

After a slow start in the 1st game, Denis Gilevskiy settled nicely after playing some patient squash and won the 1st 11-6.In the 2nd, Denis started well playing some lovely tight balls down the wall, with great weigh for a perfect length. However the Malaysian came back well and went 7-3 up. Chandaran was playing with more confidence and went on to win the 2nd 11-6, to level it 1 all in games.

Chardaran went out strongly in the 3rd and won in 11-6. His confidence building all the time. In the 4th, he was gaining momentum, very few mistakes and most of his shots coming off. He was very accurate and playing with an intensity to go 7-1 up. He was also playing some beautiful creative squash and went 9-4 up, He then played an unbelievable rally, retrieving brilliantly to go 10-5 and match ball. Denis did his best to stay in it and got 2 points, but Chandaran closed it out 11-7 to win the title 3-1.

Denis played magnificent squash all week, today just wasn’t his day, Hard Luck. All of us in Irish Squash are so, so proud of you. Well done!!

Boys U15
Ameeshenraj Chandaran [5/8] Malaysia
Ireland Denis Gilevskiy [1]
8-11 11-6 11-5 11-7

9th – 16th Play Off

Boys U19
Conor Moran [33/64] Ireland
New Zealand Gabe Yam [9/16]
9-11 6-11 11-7 11-6 11-6    

Conor Finished 15th

Boys U19
Ivan Pérez Saavedra Spain
Ireland Sam Buckley [17/32]
Walkover

Sam Finished 15th

Play Offs (Various)

Boys U19
Max Forster [17/32] England
Ireland Scott Gillanders [33/64]
11-7 11-6 11-4

DAY 4

What a match! Super determined squash from Denis Gilevskiy as he beat Raheem El Torkey, 3-2 in a very enjoyable duel. Again Denis played a controlled match with great reactions at the front & perfect pace into the corners. Denis won the first 2 games well. El Torkey rallied in the 3rd but Denis had a match ball at 10-9, The Egyptian came back and won the 3rd 12-10. In the 4th Denis started really well and went 3-0 up and kept up the pressure to win 3-1 in convincing fashion. He now plays the Final tomorrow v Chardaran of Malaysia at 12.20 on Sunday.

 

 


Boys U15

Denis Gilevskiy [1]
Ireland
Egypt Kareem El Torkey [5/8]

11-5 7-11 11-4 11-5
    44 min

 

9th – 16th Play Off

Boys U19
George Crowne [9/16] Canada
Ireland Sam Buckley [17/32]
13-11 13-11 11-5
Boys U19
Josh Owen [17/32] England
Ireland Conor Moran [33/64]
11-9 11-6 8-11 9-11 11-7

Play Offs (Various)

Girls U19
Gigi Yeung Macau
Ireland Laura Neill [17/32]
11-5 11-7 11-8
Boys U19
Owen Ledger England
Ireland Gavin L’Estrange [33/64]
11-4 12-10 11-8
Boys U19
Scott Gillanders [33/64] Ireland
Scotland Alasdair Prott [17/32]
Walkover
Boys U15
Sean Murphy [33/64] Ireland
England Christopher Chak [33/64]
11-6 11-8 11-9
Boys U17
Alex Smith Ireland
India Lakshit Bohra [17/32]
11-7 11-9 5-11 11-8    
Boys U15
Jack O Flynn [33/64] Ireland
Scotland Kyle Penman [33/64]
11-8 11-7 Retired
Boys U15
Laszlo Godde [33/64] France
Ireland Sean Murphy [33/64]
11-9 11-7 11-5
Boys U15
Jonah Bryant [3/4] England
Ireland Elliot Kelly
11-4 11-3 11-7
Boys U17
Alex Smith Ireland
Poland Jakub Pytlowany [33/64]
11-7 13-11 11-6

British Junior Open day 4:

Semi finals day today, for the elite. A nervous tension could be felt around the glass court at the University of Birmingham, exciting atmosphere building and we were lucky enough to have an amazing player to support on his quest for a second ‘world title’.. 
Denis was typically relaxed before his battle, a testament to his maturity, considering the enormity of the occasion.

When play began it seemed that Denis was playing all the right shots, at the right time. Applying pressure to the key areas and generally controlling the early stages. It did get tougher as the match progressed and the fight was on as the two warriors traded games to the end. The 5th set was when Denis excelled and shut out the Egyptian completely. He found the front of the court with more ease and venom, ran away with it really. 
Complete ecstasy in his camp, another final to look forward to! Tune in at 12.20pm to support!

Elsewhere, in West Warwick’s club, Gavin L’Strange has a tough loss, Gav is in his weak year though, he’ll be back for more next year! 
Jack, Sean and Alex all had good wins in the early part of the day, unfortunately only Alex kept to his winning ways as Sean lost to a strong French opponent who he would fancy his chances against next time around. Jack, after his tough 1st round draw, went on to win the remainder of his matches. That’s impressive mental resolve, he’ll be all the better for pushing through those plate matches! 
Elliot had a bye in the morning and his reward was to play the talented Jonah Bryant this evening. Jonah won the U13 event last year, found himself in an unusual position, exiting early this year, but had a good battle with Elliot. Elliot lost 3-0 but definitely a match to learn from!

Scott had a bye against his old foe, Scot, Alasdair Prott, and will face tough English opposition tomorrow afternoon to try finish his event on a high. 
Sam had a physically demanding match against a tough Canadian tonight, unfortunately losing in 3 and having to pull out of the tournament.. the body will need a few days to recover from the work load he put in, an amazing tournament for Sam, establishing himself amongst the worlds best! 
Conor had a topsy turvy performance against Josh Owen of England.. came back from 0-2 and fought all the way in the 5th.. the body suffering, he couldn’t pull it out of the bag tonight. Great effort though. He’ll play Gabe Yam tomorrow, another one of the worlds best, that’ll be a nice test for the legs in the morning. No doubt Conor will be up to the task and set a good precedent for Denis in his final!

Exciting day for our sport tomorrow, a privilege to be part of such a great event and such a great group of Irish players! 
Best of luck to Denis on his quest!

David Noone 
National Junior Coach

 

DAY 3

In the British Junior Open U15 quarter final, Denis Gilevskiy had a 3-1 victory over Malaysia’s Han Wen Chuah. Tested in the 3rd game, Denis refocused and won the 4th after some very long rallies. Calm & determined he showed his quality versus a very good opponent. Denis from the Mount Pleasant club in Dublin, who won the U13 final 2 years ago, will be hoping for his 2nd title in 3 years. The semi final is being played Saturday at 12oc on the glass court and will be live streamed on https://psaworldtour.com/tv/live/1 
 
Main Draw – Quarter Final
9th – 16th Play Off

Boys U19
Sam Buckley [17/32] Ireland
New Zealand Gabe Yam [9/16]
11-9 7-11 8-11 11-4 12-10  

Boys U19
Abbas Zeb [9/16] Pakistan
Ireland Conor Moran [33/64]
11-5 11-7 11-9
 
Play Offs (Various)
 


DAY 2

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND

 

Today the Dunlop British Junior Open saw three Irish players go further in the main draw. Conor Moran Moran & Sam Buckley both had 3-0 wins to reach the last 16. Denis Gilevskiy also had two 3-0 wins today,  to reach the 8 of the U15’s draw. Gilevskiy, the 2017 U13’s  champion is the number 1 seed and in commanding form, is looking strong to win another title in 2019.

Another massive day at this hugely impressive tournament. All four venues were busy from start to finish. Majority of the Irish matches were played at the University Of Birmingham, where the all glass court is staged.

Gavin was first on but unfortunately didn’t find his best form in the early start. He lost in 3, could easily have gone either way, but it wasn’t to be for Gav today, the glass court is a tough adjustment!

Denis followed straight after Gavin on the glass. Another clinical performance from Denis, looking very good.

Jack O’Flynn and Alex Smith added to the tally of Irish wins, both players will hope to push deep in their playoff draws.

The U19 boys trio were up next.. Sam, Conor and Scott. All hoping to push into the top 16.. arguably the worlds top 16! 
Sam played a solid match, didn’t give much away and applied serious pressure to Lewis Anderson. A 3-0 win, a great achievement! 
Conor looking on top form in his match against the higher seeded Canadian, playing a beautiful array of shots, a delight to watch. His lob was probably the one shot doing the most damage. A 3-0 win also! 
Scott had a different challenge altogether. He played Leonel Cardenas, a seasoned pro and hardened PSA player. Tough work to win a single point, Scott did string together some outstanding squash. Losing in three, but gave a good account of himself.

The afternoon sessions continued with Sean Murphy winning a physical battle against a Croatian player, struggling a little at the start, Seán pushed hard and wore his opponent down using his skills beautifully.
Jack O’Flynn has a straight forward win. As did Denis, who’s challenges are getting tougher as he progresses deeper into the draw, but still looking too strong and fast for his challengers. 
Elliot Kelly notched up some quality court time, stretching his match to 5 but coming out victorious. Good performance.
Gavin got a well deserved win, he will expect to finish out his event on a positive note, hopefully winning the remainder of his games. 
Sophie unfortunately lost in 3, showing the strength and depth of the women’s section when a player of her quality can lose in the playoff..
Scott got the better of Conor’s opponent from his early match, showing he’s really in good form! The Canadian won’t want to see an Irishman on a court again for a while.. 
Sam was playing Omar ElTorky. Conor taking on Scott’s victor, Leo Cardenas. Both matches ending in 3-0 losses, great for the guys to be contending at the business end of the event though. Both of their opponents easily PSA top 100 level.

Friday’s excitement builds with Denis’ title challenge on early which is streamed from the Glass court. The playoffs continue, more great squash in store for our Irish juniors.

David Noone 
National Junior Coach

 
Below are the 1st round match results from Day 2
 

 

 

DAY 1

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND
 

In the 2019 Dunlop British Junior Open, there are 11 Irish players playing this year, including the 2013 U13 winner, Denis Gilevskiy, who is the number 1 seed in the Under 15 event this year. The British Junior Open is in effect, the Junior World Championships for the different age groups, with all the best players in the world playing in it. The Irish players had 8 wins from 11 matches today.

A mammoth opening day of play in Birmingham, 12 hours of squash across four venues and 22 courts. This event attracts the best players in the world and often many of the best known faces in squash too. No shortage of top coaches, top players and ex world no.1’s in the viewing galleries today.

The Irish contingent competed very well today! Some outstanding performances regardless of results and some outstanding results also! The learning curve is steep at events like this, winning and losing can be decided on a handful of mistakes or winners. Playing on the world stage is certainly no place for the faint of heart.

Our 9am starters, Alex Smith and Sean Murphy, got us off the starting blocks nicely with two great wins. Next up, Jack O’Flynn was playing one of India’s top players. He would be forgiven if he was annoyed at the fact his opponent was unseeded! A class player who most definitely isn’t too far from being India’s no.1, he had a bit too much for Jack on this occasion. Jack will be disappointed with the early exit from the main draw but experience gained, great motivation to perform through the rest of the week.

Elliot Kelly played out of his skin to take down a higher seeded Scotsman in a close 4. Conor Moran, Scott Gillanders, Sophie O’Rourke and Denis Gilevskiy all had good first round wins. 
Gavin L’Strange will be disappointed in losing his match, definitely winnable for the talented Sutton based player. As will Laura Neill who lost out in 3 to Polly Clarke.

The afternoon/evening matches again started with Alex and Sean. Both putting in performances that were showcasing the strength of Irish squash. Amazing squash from both, Sean losing in 3 and Alex in a close 4, but really gained a lot by putting it up to their higher seeded opponents. 
Sam Buckley was on the glass show court and he showed his class in taking out a strong Englishman, Oliver Beach in 4 games. 
Conor Moran played phenomenal squash, dispatching the higher seeded Indian player in 3, looking dangerous in the process! 
Scott Gillanders had a huge win against 9/16 seed Jared Carter, this match was a real bruiser! Gillanders digging deep into his mental reserves to pull off the upset and earns a well deserved place it the top 32!
Elliot Kelly went down in 3 to a player he most definitely could have troubled more. He’ll be looking back wishing he could have a second crack at that match, especially after his earlier performance. 
Sophie O’Rourke was up against it in her match, vs the inform Georgia Adderley, British U19 champion, who proved too strong this time around.

Thursday is another big day, more stern tests lie ahead for our top players. An exciting time for Irish Squash. 

 
Below are the 1st round match results from Day 1