BEN FORD BOWS OUT IN KENT OPEN QUARTERS

Kent Open quarter-finals:
(1) Alan Clyne (Sco) beat (5) Ivan Yuen (Mas) 11-3, 11-6, 11-6 (35 mins)
(6) Piedro Schweertman (Ned) beat (4) Joe Lee (Eng) 11-9, 11-6, 11-5 (43 mins)
(3) John Rooney (Ire) beat (8) Ben Ford (Eng) 11-8, 11-8, 11-8 (41 mins)
(Q) Jonny Harford beat (Q) Chris Truswell 11-5, 11-6, 12-10 (41 mins).

Top seed Alan Clyne was too fast and too accurate for young Malaysian Ivan Yuen, completing a clean sweep of straight-game results in the
quarter-finals of the Kent Open, a new $10,000 One Star event on the PSA
World Tour taking place at The Mote Squash Club in Maidstone, Kent.

Clyne won 11-3, 11-6, 11-6 in 35 minutes to confirm his status as the tournament favourite. From 3-1 down in the opening game he dominated
throughout, never allowing his opponent to put more than two points
together as he controlled the scoreboard.

Clyne has one of the best counter-drops in the game and showed that as he nullified the Malaysian's touch play at the front of the court.

He now takes on tough Dutchman Piedro Schweertman, who produced a performance of power and precision to overcome England's No.4 seed Joe
Lee.

Lee lost a tight first game and will be kicking himself for blowing a 6-2 lead in the second.

Schweertman maintained his ice-cool composure to dominate the third game but he will need to repeat that form to trouble Clyne, who beat him
in straight games in the recent final of the West of Ireland Open in Galway.

Jonny Harford outplayed his Birmingham housemate Chris Truswell to reach the semi-finals. In the battle of two qualifiers, Harford was always the
more consistent player, mixing accurate drops with tight, deep drives to
clinch a deserved victory which gives him bragging rights in the
Birmingham suburb of Edgbaston.

Harford, who beat No.2 seed Muhamed Asyraf Azan in the first round, meets John Rooney in the semi-finals after the Irish No.3 seed beat Kent
veteran Ben Ford.

Ford, the Kent captain and county coach, began strongly and opened up an 8-3 lead before Rooney began to work his way into the match, amazingly
winning eight points in row to take the opening game 11-8.

Ford won the first two points of the second game but again Rooney countered strongly to lead 7-2. This time it was Ford's turn to fight
back and a run of five points brought him level at 7-7. Again the score
see-sawed and Rooney bagged the next three points to reach game ball. He
clinched the game 11-8 and Ford was facing a tough challnge getting back
into the match.

The third game was level pegging until 7-7 when Rooney won four of the next five points to clinch his place in the last four.


Semi-finals:
17.00: Rooney v Harford
18.00 Clyne v Schweertman