[2] Paul Coll (Nzl) 3-0 [19] Baptiste Masotti (Fra) 11-1, 11-7, 11-9 (44m)
It took a game for the Frenchman to get used to the conditions – as he was playing on the traditional court in round 1. Once he got settled, he fought pretty well on each point, and never let Paul rest comfortably.
Very close second game, 1/1, 2/2, 3/3, Baptiste in front, caught up 6/6. Paul find some lovely balanced squash, and if the rallies are pretty fast paced, the Nz manages to close them to his advantage, 11/7 in 16m.
The third game is even longer, 17m, and again, Paul never looked like he was enjoying the French ride! Baptiste stuck to the score the whole way through, up to 9/8 at the business end!
He won’t be happy to finish the match with three errors, though; his quality of squash up to them was of the highest calibre.
Paul : “I know what Baptiste is like, he’s always going to come out firing, no matter the scoreline. I knew I had to be on my toes until the end. I’m a little annoyed I backed off a bit at the end, not being as aggressive as we mentioned.
“I’m happy with my overall ball control; it’s another good performance and something we can build on.
“It’s great to have Rob Owen out with me this week. He doesn’t come out to too many events, so when he’s here, it gives me a big boost; energy, focus and determination. Hopefully, we can go far this year.
“Nathan’s playing very well, I haven’t seen any of his matches, but I know him very well. Rob used to coach him, so I’m sure we’ll have a game plan dialled in, and we’ll be ready for it.”
