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Krajcsak Captures Primavera Prize |
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Primavera Squash Open
Kecskemet, Hungary
By Howard Harding
Local hero Mark Krajcsak captured the inaugural Primavera Open title in Kecskemet after beating Welshman Rob Sutherland in the final of the Super Satellite PSA Tour squash event in the eighth largest city in Hungary.
The final, on an all-glass court erected in the city's main square, started with the backdrop of rain and umbrellas - with Sutherland, in his first Tour Final, being the quickest to settle. In a fast opening, the fourth-seeded Welshman held leads of 8-5 and 9-7, but just when it seemed that Sutherland would disappoint the home crowd, Krajcsak found a little extra to steal the first game.
The second saw Krajcsak, the top seed from Budapest, up the pace and really start to work the younger Welshman. He moved quickly to 8-2 and, despite a brave fight back from Sutherland, the Hungarian closed it out 11-7 and moved two games up in under 20 minutes - much to the delight of the wet home crowd.
But the 22-year-old from Newport upped his work rate in the third and took the fight to the Hungarian. They both took runs of points, but it evened out at 8-8, then Sutherland jumped to game ball, only for Krajcsak to hit back and move to 11-10 match ball. Again Sutherland dug deep and they swapped a few points until the Welshman claimed his first game, 14-12.
The fourth started with the underdog showing that the last set wasn’t a fluke and he jumped out to a 6-1 lead. The home crowd was getting nervous, then suddenly the older and more experienced Krajcsak won 10 of the next 11 points to claim the title in his home country 11-9, 11-7, 12-14, 11-7.
The win takes the Hungarian's career Tour title total to four - three of which have been this year.
Final:
[1] Mark Krajcsak (HUN) bt [4] Rob Sutherland (WAL) 11-9, 11-7, 12-14, 11-7 (52m)
Krajcsak Cruises Into Primavera Final
Local hero Mark Krajcsak cruised into the final of the Primavera Open in Kecskemet after beating French qualifier Joan Lezaud in straight games in the quarter-finals of the inaugural Super Satellite PSA Tour squash event in the eighth largest city in Hungary.
Krajcsak, the world No52 from Budapest, delighted the local crowd surrounding the all-glass court in the city's main square with the 11-8, 11-8, 11-8 victory which takes him into the sixth PSA Tour final of his career - and his third this year.
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The top seed will meet Welshman Rob Sutherland, the fourth seed who also ended the brave run of a qualifier when he beat England's Olivier Pett 11-5, 11-8, 8-11, 8-11, 11-5 in 55 minutes.
The win takes the 22-year-old from Newport into his first Tour final.
Semi-finals
[1] Mark Krajcsak (HUN) bt [Q] Joan Lezaud (FRA) 11-8, 11-8, 11-8 (39m)
[4] Rob Sutherland (WAL) bt [Q] Olivier Pett (ENG) 11-5, 11-8, 8-11, 8-11, 11-5 (55m)
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