Giant-killer Parker leads English march into Madeira main draw

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Unranked Englishman Luke Parker stunned compatriot Sam Ellis to qualify for the main draw of a PSA World Tour event for the first time in the final qualifying round of the Madeira International Squash Tournament in Caniço, Portugal.

Parker, the brother of World No.74 George, also upset the odds by ousting Dutchman Tesse Jutte earlier in the previous round, and showed flashes of his younger brother’s shot-making as he battled to an 11-9, 5-11, 11-9, 11-8 victory in the PSA M5 event at the Onda Revital Club.

The 21-year-old now faces English seventh seed Ben Coates for a place in the last eight, but admitted he has already exceeded his own expectations.

“I didn’t really expect anything this week,” explained Parker.

“I came to Madeira for a holiday with my girlfriend, so it’s a bonus that I’ve made the main draw. I’m not a particularly flashy player but I just try not to give too many points away. Thankfully, I managed to frustrate Sam and hopefully I can do the same tomorrow.”

Commenting on his last-16 clash with Coates, Parker added: “He has got a lot more tournament experience than I have, but I remember playing him a few times when we were juniors and it was pretty close.

“He’s obviously turned professional since then, whereas I haven’t, but I’m still quietly confident heading into the match.”

Meanwhile, Adam Auckland continued his comeback from a near two-year injury layoff as he cruised past Welshman Owain Taylor in straight games. Auckland, who reached the semi-finals of the British U23 Open in January, barely surrendered control in a one-sided encounter and now faces Irish sixth seed Sean Conroy for a spot in the quarter finals.

But while Auckland and Parker will steel the headlines, the biggest cheer of the day was reserved for Spaniard Pascal Gomez who edged past Matthew Broadberry to book a first-round matchup with top seed Shehab Essam. Gomez’s boundless energy drew plenty of gasps from the Portuguese crowd and ultimately proved the difference maker as a frustrated Broadberry fell to a three-game defeat.

On the adjacent court, England’s James Peach secured a last-16 meeting with second seed Carlos Cornes Ribadas after comprehensively outclassing unranked Irishman Michael Conroy. Conroy, who was bidding to join Parker as a first-round debutant, struggled to keep pace with Peach’s intensity and fell to a 3-0 defeat in just 19 minutes.

Results – Final Qualifying Round: Madeira International Squash Tournament 2016
[1] Pascal Gomez (ESP) bt [6] Matthew Broadberry (ENG) 3-0: 11-9 11-8 11-3 (36m)
[8] Adam Auckland (ENG) bt [4] Owain Taylor (WAL) 3-0: 11-5 11-3 11-7 (32m)
[5] James Peach (ENG) bt Michael Conroy (IRL) 3-0: 11-6 11-3 11-1 (19m)
Luke Parker (ENG) bt [2] Sam Ellis (ENG) 3-1: 11-9 5-11 11-9 11-8 (39m)

Draw – First Round
[1] Shehab Essam (EGY) v [Q] Pascal Gomez (ESP)
[8] Emyr Evans (WAL) v Kyle Finch (ENG)
[6] Sean Conroy (IRL) v [8] Adam Auckland (ENG)
[4] Rui Soares (POR) v Patrick Rooney (ENG)
[3] Edmon Lopez Moller (ESP) v [WC] Pedro Damaso (POR)
[7] Ben Coates (ENG) v [Q] Luke Parker (ENG)
[5] Sam Gould (USA) v Claudio Pinto (POR)
[2] Carlos Cornes Ribadas (ESP) v [Q] James Peach (ENG)

By Michael Catling