RESULTS:    European Individual Squash Championships, Herentals, Belgium

Men's qualifying finals:
Valery Litvinko (RUS) bt Vedran Svonja (CRO) 6-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6
Miroslav Celler (SVK) bt Sergey Kostrykin (RUS) 11-4, 11-5, 11-5
Alexandre Benassi (BEL) bt Miklos Vadas (HUN) 11-2, 11-8, 11-3
Stefaan Vereecke (BEL) bt Filip Madaric (CRO) 11-2, 11-2, 11-1
Mats Raemen (BEL) bt Artem Beba (UKR) 11-2, 11-4, 11-3
    1st round:
[1] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [Q] Valery Litvinko (RUS) 11-3, 11-2, 11-6
[9/16] Rasmus Nielsen (DEN) bt Petr Martin (CZE) 11-4, 13-11, 11-3
[5/8] Adrian Grant (ENG) bt [Q] Miroslav Celler (SVK) 11-2, 11-3, 11-4
[9/16] Dylan Bennett (NED) bt Andrea Torricini (ITA) 5-11, 11-8, 11-5, 6-11, 11-7
[5/8] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) bt Mark Andrew Burke (BEL) 11-3, 11-3, 11-8
[9/16] Simon Rosner (GER) bt Marek Manik (SVK) 13-11, 11-8, 11-3
[9/16] Rene Mijs (NED) bt Kostyantyn Rybalchenko (UKR) 11-4, 11-2, 11-8
[3/4] Peter Barker (ENG) bt [Q] Alexandre Benassi (BEL) 11-3, 11-4, 11-4
[3/4] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt [Q] Stefaan Vereecke (BEL) 11-6, 11-5, 11-3
[9/16] Kristian Frost Olesen (DEN) bt Lukas Jelinek (CZE) 12-10, 11-6, 11-4
[5/8] Borja Golan (ESP) bt Rusian Sorochynskvi (UKR) 11-7, 11-7, 11-1
[9/16] Piedro Schweertman (NED) bt Marton Szaboky (HUN) 11-4, 11-1, 11-9
[5/8] Renan Lavigne (FRA) bt Alexei Severinov (RUS) 11-3, 11-4, 11-6
[9/16] Jose Facchini (ITA) bt Sam van Brusselen (BEL) 11-3, 11-4, 11-5
[9/16] Aqeel Rehman (AUT) bt Carl-Johan Lofvenborg (SWE) 7-11, 9-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-5
[2] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [Q] Mats Raemen (BEL) 11-2, 11-3, 11-5

Women's 1st round:
[1] Natalie Grinham (NED) bye
[9/16] Maud Duplomb (FRA) bt Xisela Aranda Nunez (ESP) 11-6, 11-4, 11-5
[5/8] Camille Serme (FRA) bye
[9/16] Victoria Lust (ENG) bt Yara Delagrange (BEL) 11-4, 11-7, 11-4
[5/8] Orla Noom (NED) bye
[9/16] Kim Hannes (BEL) bt Helga Kecse-Nagy (HUN) 11-4, 11-9, 11-4
[9/16] Linda Hruzikova (SVK) bt Nikoleta Pozidi (GRE) 11-2, 11-7, 11-5
[3/4] Isabelle Stoehr (FRA) bye
[3/4] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bye
[9/16] Celia Allamargot (FRA) bt Eliza Kargioti (GRE) 11-1, 11-3, 11-3
[5/8] Manuela Manetta (ITA) bye
[9/16] Birgit Coufal (AUT) bt Sonja Schrijvers (BEL) 11-5, 11-4, 11-8
[5/8] Annelize Naude (NED) bye
[9/16] Annabel Romedenne (BEL) bt Anna Detter (SWE) 7-11, 11-5, 11-7, 7-11, 11-4
[9/16] Sina Wall (GER) bt Nathalie Philipsen (BEL) 11-4, 11-7, 11-4
[2] Laura Lengthorn-Massaro (ENG) bye
    2nd round:
[1] Natalie Grinham (NED) bt [9/16] Maud Duplomb (FRA) 11-4, 11-9, 11-3
[5/8] Camille Serme (FRA) bt [9/16] Victoria Lust (ENG) 11-4, 11-6, 11-4
[9/16] Kim Hannes (BEL) bt [5/8] Orla Noom (NED) 11-4, 11-6, 11-1
[3/4] Isabelle Stoehr (FRA) bt [9/16] Linda Hruzikova (SVK) 11-8, 11-3, 11-7
[3/4] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt [9/16] Celia Allamargot (FRA) 11-2, 11-3, 11-3
[5/8] Manuela Manetta (ITA) bt [9/16] Birgit Coufal (AUT) 11-9, 11-3, 11-7
[5/8] Annelize Naude (NED) bt [9/16] Annabel Romedenne (BEL) 11-8, 11-8, 11-9
[2] Laura Lengthorn-Massaro (ENG) bt [9/16] Sina Wall (GER) 11-8, 11-5, 11-3


Frenchman Gregory Gaultier marked up his 26th successive match victory in the European Individual Squash Championships as he began his bid to win a sixth men's title in a row in the European Squash Federation event at the Flemish Squash Center in Herentals, Belgium.

The 26-year-old world number two from Aix-en-Provence despatched Russian qualifier Valery Litvinko 11-3, 11-2, 11-6 to set up a second round clash with Rasmus Nielsen, a 9/16 seed from Denmark who beat Czech teenager Petr Martin 11-4, 13-11, 11-3.

Top seed Gaultier is expected to meet English rival Nick Matthew in Saturday's final.  The second seed from Sheffield, a quarter-finalist two years ago, beat Belgian qualifier Mats Raemen 11-2, 11-3, 11-5 and will now face Austrian number one Aqeel Rehman for a place in the quarter-finals.

Whilst there were no surprises in the men's competition, there was domestic delight in the women's event when tournament organiser Kim Hannes pulled off a notable upset over 5/8 seed Orla Noom to claim an unexpected place in the quarter-finals.

The 30-year-old nine-time Belgian champion, a runner-up in the European Junior Championships 12 years ago, defeated Noom, ranked 41 in the world, 11-4, 11-6, 11-1.  Hannes will now face 11-time French national champion Isabelle Stoehr, the defending champion, for a place in the last four.

Top seed Natalie Grinham, the former Australian looking to win her first squash title since becoming a Dutch national 15 months ago, beat Maud Duplomb 11-4, 11-9, 11-3 and will now take on a second French opponent Camille Serme for a place in the semi-finals. 

Serme, a 5/8 seed and a record three-time winner of the European Junior Championship crown, avenged her defeat by England's Victoria Lust in the Welsh Open in January by defeating the former British Junior champion 11-4, 11-6, 11-4.

Men's 2nd round line-up:
[1] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v [9/16] Rasmus Nielsen (DEN)
[5/8] Adrian Grant (ENG) v [9/16] Dylan Bennett (NED)
[5/8] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) v [9/16] Simon Rosner (GER)
[3/4] Peter Barker (ENG) v [9/16] Rene Mijs (NED)
[3/4] Thierry Lincou (FRA) v [9/16] Kristian Frost Olesen (DEN)
[5/8] Borja Golan (ESP) v [9/16] Piedro Schweertman (NED)
[5/8] Renan Lavigne (FRA) v [9/16] Jose Facchini (ITA)
[2] Nick Matthew (ENG) v [9/16] Aqeel Rehman (AUT)

Women's quarter-final line-up:
[1] Natalie Grinham (NED) v [5/8] Camille Serme (FRA)
[3/4] Isabelle Stoehr (FRA) v [9/16] Kim Hannes (BEL)
[3/4] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) v [5/8] Manuela Manetta (ITA)
[2] Laura Lengthorn-Massaro (ENG) v [5/8] Annelize Naude (NED)