White Tames Anjema In Detroit

After losing to the Dutchman in their last meeting in the US, and being taken the full distance in the World Open two months ago, top seed John White eliminated Laurens Jan Anjema in straight games in the quarter-finals of the Motor City Open in Detroit, USA.

Anjema, the fifth seed from The Hague, never really threatened on this occasion as the hard-hitting Scot had everything working - putting on a fireworks show of explosive drives mixed with deft boasts from all angles. Anjema's only lead came at 8-4 in the second game, but White ran off seven of the next eight points to take the game - and the match 11-5, 11-9, 11-5.

"The crucial game was the second," White said. "Any point of any given match, if you can fight and get 2-0 up or even 2-1, it's a big thing to have."

White will now play fellow Briton Alex Gough for a place in the final. Third seed Gough, the British O35 Open champion from Wales, beat Bernardo Samper - ending the Colombian qualifier's run in a 5-11, 11-3, 11-3, 11-2 scoreline.

The other semi-final will see Englishman Adrian Grant face Ireland's Liam Kenny. Second seed Grant was taken the full distance by Hisham Mohd Ashour before beating the sixth seed from Egypt 9-11, 11-5, 11-3, 7-11, 11-4 - while Kenny faced only 12 points before opponent Shahier Razik, the fourth seed from Canada, conceded the match with the score standing at 6-6 after sustaining an injury to his right quad muscle.

Quarter-finals:
[1] John White (SCO) bt [5] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) 11-5, 11-9, 11-5
[3] Alex Gough (WAL) bt [Q] Bernardo Samper (COL) 5-11, 11-3, 11-3, 11-2
[8] Liam Kenny (IRL) bt [4] Shahier Razik (CAN) 6-6 ret.
[2] Adrian Grant (ENG) bt [6] Hisham Mohd Ashour (EGY) 9-11, 11-5, 11-3, 7-11, 11-4