RESULTS:    Seegarten Vitis Squash Open, Schlieren, Zurich, Switzerland

1st round:
[1] Tom Richards (ENG) bt [Q] Abdullah Almezayen (KUW) 12-10, 11-6, 7-11, 13-15, 11-9
[Q] Piedro Schweertman (NED) bt [5] Julien Balbo (FRA) 11-8, 11-9 ret.
[4] Mark Krajcsak (HUN) bt [Q] Henrik Mustonen (FIN) 11-9, 11-8, 11-7
[6] Jan Koukal (CZE) bt Dylan Bennett (NED) 11-7, 13-11, 13-11
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt [8] Ritwik Bhattacharya (IND) 11-9, 12-10, 11-9
[3] Chris Ryder (ENG) bt Rob Sutherland (WAL) 9-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-0, 11-1
[7] Jorge Isaac Baltazar Ferreira (MEX) bt [Q] Siddharth Suchde (IND) 14-12, 11-4, 11-4
Bradley Hindle (AUS) bt [2] Eric Galvez (MEX) 8-11, 11-0, 16-14, 14-12


Dutch qualifier Piedro Schweertman led a series of upsets on the opening day of action in the Seegarten Vitis Open when he beat fifth seed Julien Balbo to reach the quarter-finals of the $10,000 PSA World Tour squash event at Vitis Sports Center in Schlieren, near Zurich, in Switzerland.

The 25-year-old from The Hague was two games up against Balbo when the Frenchman, clearly suffering with a back injury, conceded the match.

Unseeded Bradley Hindle also scored an upset win over Eric Galvez, the No2 seed from Mexico, with an impressive performance which showed further improvement could be in store from this Australian.  The 28-year-old Queenslander's 8-11, 11-0, 16-14, 14-12 win takes him into a quarter-final clash with another Mexican, No7 seed Jorge Isaac Baltazar Ferreira.

Swiss hopes stay alive as Nicolas Mueller scored a resounding 11-9, 12-10, 11-9 win over seasoned PSA campaigner Ritwik Bhattacharya of India, the eighth seed.  The Zurich teenager will now meet No3 seed Chris Ryder, the world No39 from England who recovered from two games down to beat the recently improved Welshman Rob Sutherland.

"Match of the day was between No1 seed Tom Richards and Kuwaiti qualifier Abdullah Almezayen," said tournament organiser John Williams.  "Almezayen displayed his talented array of deft touches and explosive retrieving, delighting the crowd - but it was the steadiness of the more experienced Richards which got him over the line at the end of the fifth."

Quarter-final line-up:
[1] Tom Richards (ENG) v [Q] Piedro Schweertman (NED)
[4] Mark Krajcsak (HUN) v [6] Jan Koukal (CZE)
[3] Chris Ryder (ENG) v Nicolas Mueller (SUI)
Bradley Hindle (AUS) v [7] Jorge Isaac Baltazar Ferreira (MEX)