Local Hero Rooney Leads Upsets In Leinster

Local squash hero John Rooney delighted the packed crowd at the Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club in Dublin when he upset fourth-seeded Frenchman Mathieu Castagnet in straight games to reach the men's semi-finals of the Bymac Leinster Open in Ireland.

The 28-year-old Irishman was made to work hard for his win as he came from behind in every game, most notably in the third where Castagnet stormed into a 5-0 lead only to see the Galway native force a tie-breaker and take the game and the match 11-9, 11-8, 12-10 after 62 minutes.

Rooney, the seventh seed, will now face Jorge Isaac Baltazar Ferreira for a place in the final after the second seed from Mexico beat England's Scott Handley 6-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-7.

Chris Ryder, top seed in the men's $12,000 PSA Tour event, managed to hang on for a five-game victory over fellow Englishman Chris Simpson in a marathon 101-minute match. Ryder seemed to be cruising to victory as he took a two game lead. However, Simpson fought back to level the game, only to see Ryder see the match out, winning 14-12 in the decider.
The women's $8,000 WISPA World Tour event saw Sligo's Aisling Blake up against Laura Mylotte's conqueror Victoria Lust. Blake, the third seed, put in an extremely accomplished performance to book her place in the semi-finals with the minimum of fuss.

The Amsterdam-based 27-year-old was always in control - beating the qualifier 11-5, 11-9, 11-8 - and looks in fine form heading into what looks to be an exciting climax to the tournament. Blake will face England's Sarah Kippax after the second seed despatched Hong Kong's Elise Ng 11-3, 11-4, 11-4.

Top seed Latasha Khan was stunned by the resilient Camille Serme. The French teenager twice came from behind before taking the deciding game in a nail-biting finish.

Fourth seed Orla Noom was also beaten by a lower-ranked opponent in England's Laura Hill. Hill was on top right from the start and never looked like slowing the pace as she moved Noom around the court at every opportunity - ultimately winning 11-5, 11-7, 11-9. Hill, the seventh seed, will now face sixth seed Camille Serme in what is sure to be an open and exciting semi-final.

Men's quarter-finals:
[1] Chris Ryder (ENG) bt [6] Chris Simpson (ENG) 11-3, 11-9, 13-15, 6-11, 14-12 (101m)
[3] Bernardo Samper (COL) bt [8] Matthew Karwalski (AUS) 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 (30m)
[7] John Rooney (IRL) bt [4] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) 11-9, 11-8, 12-10 (62m)
[2] Jorge Isaac Baltazar Ferreira (MEX) bt [5] Scott Handley (ENG) 6-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-7 (42m)

Women's quarter-finals:
[6] Camille Serme (FRA) bt [1] Latasha Khan (USA) 11-7, 8-11, 11-8, 13-15, 11-9 (44m)
[7] Laura Hill (ENG) bt [4] Orla Noom (NED) 11-5, 11-7, 11-9 (35m)
[3] Aisling Blake (IRL) bt [Q] Victoria Lust (ENG) 11-5, 11-9, 11-8 (38m)
[2] Sarah Kippax (ENG) bt [5] Elise Ng (HKG) 11-3, 11-4, 11-4 (20m)