Spanish Rocafort Open: Fernandez On Form For Victory

For the second time in 2021, Spain’s Marta Dominguez Fernandez came through the field, defeating seeded players ranked higher than her, to take victory on Tour.

The young Spaniard took victory at the Schraglage Squash Open earlier this year, and came into the Challenger 5 level Spanish Rocafort Open as the No.6 seed, in what was a regionally restricted event due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Fernandez started the tournament with a confident performance against Denmark’s Caroline Lyng, in which she required just 14 minutes on court, before coming up against her nation’s No.1.

She took on compatriot Cristina Gomez in the quarter finals, and after a lengthy five-game battle, which lasted for 47 minutes, Fernandez took the win in the fifth to advance.

The Spaniard then beat Ireland’s Breanne Flynn in the last four, before then overcoming the tournament’s top seed, Frenchwoman Marie Stephan, in a four-game final to claim her second title of the year.

Results: Spanish Rocafort Open
Final
[6] Marta Dominguez Fernandez (ESP) bt [1] Marie Stephan (FRA) 3-1: 11-13, 11-4, 11-8, 11-9 (47m)

Semi-Finals
[1] Marie Stephan (FRA) bt [4] Elise Romba (FRA) 3-0: 11-8, 11-8, 11-5 (18m)
[6] Marta Dominguez Fernandez (ESP) bt Breanne Flynn (IRL) 3-1: 11-5, 8-11, 11-4, 11-9 (24m)

Quarter Finals
[1] Marie Stephan (FRA) bt Ines Gomez Valois (ESP) 3-0: 11-3, 11-4, 11-9 (17m)
[7] Varvara Esina (RUS) bt [4] Elise Romba (FRA) 3-0: 11-7, 11-9, 11-2 (14m)
Breanne Flynn (IRL) bt [3] Sofia Mateos (ESP) 3-1: 11-5, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5 (29m)
[6] Marta Dominguez Fernandez (ESP) bt [2] Cristina Gomez (ESP) 3-2: 11-5, 10-12, 11-8, 5-11, 11-8 (47m)

Round One
[1] Marie Stephan (FRA) bt Juliette Permentier (NED) 3-0: 11-1, 11-6, 11-7 (23m)
Ines Gomez Valois (ESP) bt [5] Sanne Veldkamp (NED) 3-0: 11-8, 11-7, 0-0 rtd (10m)
[7] Varvara Esina (RUS) bt Ona Blasco (ESP) 3-2: 11-7, 4-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-7 (30m)
[4] Elise Romba (FRA) bt Andrea Fjellgaard (NOR) 3-0: 11-6, 11-3, 11-4 (11m)
[3] Sofia Mateos (ESP) bt Maia Pannell (ENG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-7, 15-13 (21m)
Breanne Flynn (IRL) bt [8] Ninon Lemarchand (FRA) 3-0: 11-3, 14-12, 11-0 (18m)
[6] Marta Dominguez Fernandez (ESP) bt Caroline Lyng (DEN) 3-0; 11-5, 11-6, 11-7 (14m)
[2] Cristina Gomez (ESP) bt Gabi Fritsche (NED) 3-0: 11-9, 11-2, 11-5 (12m)