Coppinger fights his way into the finals
Winner of the title in 2008, Steve Coppinger, fought his way into the final of the S A National Men's Squash final on Thursday, accounting for defending champion Rodney Durbach in four sets 8-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-4 in a match lasting 60 minutes.
Durbach started off strongly, taking a 7-4 and then a 9-5 lead before Coppinger, lengthened the rallies forcing Durbach into a string of errors, and fought back to trail 8-9. An unforced error by Coppinger gave Durbach game ball at 10-8 and catching Coppinger flatfooted, Durbach pocketed the first game 11-8.
A determined Coppinger ran up a 9-5 lead in the second game before Durbach levelled matters at nine points all. However, that was as good as it got for the defending champ as Coppinger took the game 11-9.
From there on in it was all Durbach could do to stay in the game as Coppinger moved Durbach all over the court to win the next two games 11-3 11-4 to set up a clash in the final with second seeded Clinton Leeuw.
Leeuw who was involved in a marathon quarterfinal match against Western Province's Zuko Kubukeli on Wednesday evening, showed few signs of the strenuous battle, prevailing 10-12, 11-6, 11-4, 5-11, 11-6 against Craig van der Wathvan der Wath.
In contrast the women's semifinals were fairly tame affairs.
In the first match, third seeded Siyole Lusaseni waltzed through the first game 11-3 against her second seeded Western Province teammate Milnay Louw. Louw turned the tables winning the second game by the same margin.
Lusaseni wasted no time in taking the third game 11-4. The fourth game produced the best squash but Lusaseni made less errors winning the match on her second match point at 11-9.
Lusaseni now meets Farrah Sterne of Northerns, presently ranked number one in South Africa.
Stern coasted through 11-6 11-3 11-5 against sixth seeded Adel
Weir Nunan.
