It was a tough opening day for the four Irish competitors at the European Individual Closed Squash Championship in France, with two losing matches that went all the way to five games.
Fresh from playing in two tournaments in Australia and helping the Ireland team at the World Squash Junior Championships, Breanne Flynn, the No.128 PSA women’s rank, fought an engrossing round of 32 battle with Saskia Beinhard, the No.72 rank from Germany.
Flynn started well, leading 1-0 and 2-1 in Chartres after 11-2 and 11-9 games, but she was beaten 8-11 and 5-11 in the final two games to lose 2-3.
Jack O’Flynn also endured this cruel outcome in his men’s round of 64 match, losing out 2-3 to Denmark’s Theis Houlberg having led 1-0 and 2-1. He was in contention all the way through the fifth, only losing 9-11.
Sean Murphy, the recent PSA Satellite tour winner at Fitzwilliam, was beaten 0-3 by David Maier, the No.175 men’s PSA rank, and Alex Smith 1-3 by Daniel Mekbib, the No.222 rank from the Czech Republic.
That latter matter included an exhausting 34-point game, Smith eventually taking it 18-16.
European Individual Closed Squash Championship
Women’s round of 32:
Breanne Flynn [17/32] LOST 2-3 (11-2, 4-11, 11-9, 8-11, 5-11) v Saskia Beinhard [5/8] of Germany
NEXT: Plays Tessa Ter Sluis [9/16] of the Netherlands in the 17th/32nd play-offs on Thursday
Men’s round of 64:
Sean Murphy LOST 0-3 (9-11, 2-11, 5-11) v David Maier [17/32] of Lichenstein
NEXT: Plays Ville Eskola of Finland in the 33rd/48th play-offs on Thursday
Jack O’Flynn LOST 2-3 (11-8, 3-11, 11-7, 4-11, 9-11) v Theis Houlberg [17/32] of Denmark
NEXT: TBC
Alex Smith LOST 1-3 (8-11, 18-16, 8-11, 10-12) v Daniel Mekbib [17/32] of the Czech Republic
NEXT: Plays Ivan Krznaric of Croatia in the 33rd/40th play-offs on Thursday