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| 2002 National Championship - May 23, 2002 |
| News | Entry Form | Draw Sheets | Results |
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May 23, 2002 Favorites go through in singles events Brossard, Quebec – No surprises to report from the first day of the singles events at the Canadian racquetball championships, at Club Sani-Sport, in Brossard, Quebec. The men’s top seeded player, Michael Green, from Hamilton defeated Francois Viens, of Rock Forest, Quebec. The veteran is expected to take over the national title with the absence of the two-time defending champion Kane Waselenchuk, of Edmonton, who stayed home in Houston, Texas after injuring his playing hand. “I don’t approach this tournament differently or else it’s going affect my routine and my game. No matter who’s here I still have to go through the same process that I would with Kane here. I see every player I meet as my biggest threat,” said Green. Finalist in the doubles event, Vincent Gagnon, of Longueuil, Quebec had an awful start against Tom O’Brien, of Toronto, but overcame his loss in the opening game and a 7-1 deficit in the following game to score 25 of the 27 next points on his way to a 15-8, 11-1 tie-breaker victory. Gagnon will meet fourth seeded Greg Starodub, of Saskatoon in Friday’s quarter finals. “I felt good after I started going back to the way I’ve been serving since I’m a kid and things turned my way,” said Gagnon. Same picture in the women’s tournament. Top seeded Josee Grand’Maitre, of Longueuil was sent to the following round by forfeit and will now face Linda Ellerington, of Saskatoon, in Friday’s quarter finals. Second seeded Jennifer Saunders of Winnipeg had a walk in the park, winning 15-1, 15-0 against veteran Louise Lanctot, of Toronto. She will face Julie Nebauer, of Calgary in Friday’s quarter finals. “Sometimes you like it to be a little tougher but I got to trust that what I’ve done all year is going to come up for my next game. Julie (Nebauer) is not a player I can take lightly, she moves really well and she’s a good shooter,” said Saunders. Third seeded Lori-Jane Powell of Calgary and fourth seeded Amanda MacDonald, of Saskatoon also moved on. The quarter finals will be played starting at 11 a.m., followed by the semi-finals. The title matches are scheduled on Saturday afternoon. |
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