Continuing 1st-round results from Monday's play

from Peter Goodings on-site at the University of Richmond...

#12 Ali Walker (Eng) 'v' (Q) Nicolas Mueller (Sui) - 3-0 Walker (11/9, 11/4, 11/8) - 34 mins

This was their 2nd PSA tour meeting, the first one Walker lost - which was just over a year ago. Walker was determined to undo that result & stamp his authority on the match from the word go! What Walker didn't realise was that Mueller was in no mood to lie down and was equally focused on extending that winning record. Mueller came out of the blocks like a bullett from a gun and went 8-2 up in a matter of minutes firing in some excellent winners to the front. Walker finally found his composure and started to gain his range & rhythm and clawed his way back to 8-9. From here he was matching Mueller's aggressive volleying and continued through to take the game 11-9. The pace remained the same throughout the match and Walker seemed now to have the edge and came out the better on a majority of exchanges. Walker pushed through to take the second game convincingly 11-4 and even though he followed through with the same kind of dominant hitting and control in the third Mueller made him work for every point - so a well deserved victory went to Walker, although Mueller should be fairly happy with his overall performance.

#7 James Willstrop 'v' Aaron Frankcomb (Aus) - 3-0 Willstrop (11/4, 11/4, 11/8) 36 mins

This was their first PSA encounter and Willstrop started the better, dominating the 'T' from the start - with Frankcomb desperately trying to get to grips with the pace that Willstrop was putting on the ball. As the match progressed Willstrop was taking the ball earlier & earlier and also started to vary the pace which Frankcomb seemed to struggle with, always seeming to be of balance or reaching too far to be able to do something with it other than just about get it back. First 2 games to Willstrop 11/4, 11/4. The pressure never let up even though a blood break mid-way through the third disrupted the flow and at the re-start Willstrop pushed hard again and never let Frankcomb get remotely comfortable. Willstrop took the 3rd 11/8 and sets up an all-English encounter against Ali Walker.

Joey Barrington (Eng) 'v' Rafael Alarcon (Bra) - 3-2 Barrington (10/12, 11/5, 11/7, 9/11, 11/6) - 85 mins

Many long rallies, many discussions with the referee and a match that became increasingly impossible to predict was the story here - this had 5 games written all over it even before they started. No-one really asserted any dominance here and the game was littered with controversy, disagreements on decisions and tentative play, but the player who first reached nine points sniffed out the game-winning strategy to take it. The long and the short of it is that Barrington did it a little better, particularly from 6-5 up in the final game, losing only a lone point before closing out the match.

#4 Gregory Gaultier (FRA) vs. (Q) Yasir Butt (PAK) - 3-0 Gaultier (11-6, 11-9, 11-6) - 38 minutes

High-paced game with lots of great shot-making and a big battle for the center of the court. Gaultier won a majority of the exchanges to gain dominance and this showed with the speed with which he contained Butt and took the match. A few flurries from the Pakistani, attacking the ball into the nicks, didn't fluster the Frenchman, who kept the pace high and the qualifier couldn't capitalize on any opportunities because the low, hard cross-court drives from Gaultier were just too good to get a racket on. Ultimately, Butt was slower in and out of the frontcourt corners than Gaultier, and this was the telling factor in a well-deserved 3-0 victory for the fourth seed.