14-Oct, Final:

[1] Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) bt [2] Shahier Razik (Can)             11/8, 0/11, 8/11, 12/10, 13/11

LJ takes title in Bare Hills thriller

Top seed Laurens Jan Anjema claimed his sixth PSA title in 16 final appearances when he emerged the victor over second seed Shahier Razik in a thrilling final at the Bare Hills Merritt Athletic Club in Baltimore.

After a good start from the Dutch National Champion Razik struck back, winning the second on a whitewash as he took a 2/1 lead, but Anjema got the better of two tense final games to take the title.
  

It was crazy .... Lefika Regontse reports

Spectators who came to Bare Hills on Sunday morning for a nice relaxing morning of squash got a lot more than they bargained for. Laurens Jan Anjema and Shahier Razik met head to head in the Merritt Properties Open Final, a match that was full of intensity and excitement.

Although Razik was able to sneak some points in, the first game was very much dictated by Anjema and his fast paced, quick style of play. Razik bounced back quickly however, and blanked Laurens 11-0 in the second game by slowing down the pace and moving the ball around the court and hitting all of his shots. He took this momentum with him to the third game and brought himself to a 10-2 lead.

It was this score however, that proved to be the turning point for Anjema. Although Razik was able to pull of a win in game three, Anjema fought himself back to an 11-8 loss. He did not look back from this point and brought the momentum of the third game with him to the fourth and fifth games.

The decider was a very close, high intensity game with a number of lets and a number of opportunities for both players, but Razik appeared to bt playing it a little too safe and it was Anjema who had the edge over Razik in the end.
 

13-Oct, Semi-Finals:

[1] Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) bt [3] Alister Walker (Eng)
       11/6, 8/11, 11/9. 11/4

After a long, four game, physical match Laurens Jan Anjema was able to pull far enough away from Alister Walker to lock up his place in the finals.

The first two games of the match went back and forth. In the first, Anjema had the better of Walker with an 11-6 win, but the game was very evenly matched. It was very similar in the second, but this time it was Walker who was able to string together enough points to come out on top.

Anjema credits the evenly matched games to their similar offensive style of play, and both felt that the third game was going to be crucial. When the game got to 9-9, Anjema made his mind that he would step up his game and be the one to take the win, and win he did. After suffering the big mental blow of losing the third, Walker found it difficult to fight his was back in.

Anjema’s strength in the middle was too much for Walker to handle and it was the Dutchman who moved on to the final.

[2] Shahier Razik (Can) bt Bernardo Samper (Col)
       16/14, 11/7, 11/2

While watching the first game of this superb match up, the spectators at Bare Hills thought they were in for a long hard night of squash. Bernardo Samper and Shahier Razik took that first game to a score of 16-14, which took a lot of energy out of both players.

For Razik, this type of match was one of his first in the tournament. For Samper, this was more of the same, the Colombian having had a number of difficult and long games every day that he has been in Maryland.

While he has been able to power through all of them up until now, today those matches caught up with him. As the game carried on the steam continued to come out of Samper’s play, and Razik was right there to exploit the opportunity.

The Canadian walked away with a 3-0 win, and moves on to the final match tomorrow, where he will play Laurens Jan Anjema.
  

11/8, 0/11, 8/11, 12/10, 13/11

Shahier Razik

Qualifying, 09/10 Oct:

Finals:
David Phillips (Can) bt Stuart Crawford (Sco)            11/3, 11/5, 11/6
Regardt Schonborn (Rsa) bt Patrick Chifunda (Zam)  3/0
Ben Garner (Eng) bt David Barnett (Eng)                  11/9, 9/11, 11/6, 11/13, 11/3
Wade Johnstone (Aus) bt Christopher Callis              11/6, 11/3, 8/10, 11/6

Round One:

David Phillips (Can)                                                bye
Stuart Crawford (Sco) bt Gilly Lane (Usa)                 12/10, 8/11, 12/10, 11/6
Regardt Schonborn (Rsa) bt John Fullham (Usa)        11/6, 11/7, 11/8
Patrick Chifunda (Zam)                                           bye
Ben Garner (Eng) bt Lazarus Chifuliya                      11/5, 11/5, 9/11, 8/11, 11/6
David Barnett (Eng) bt Jacques Swanepoel (Rsa)       11/6, 11/6, 11/9
Christopher Callis bt Robert Mcfadzean (Usa)            11/8, 14/12, 18/16
Wade Johnstone (Aus)                                             bye

12-Oct, Quarter-Finals:

Laurens Jan Anjema bt
Shawn Delierre    11/6, 12/10, 11/6

Although Laurens Jan Anjema and Sean Delierre had never played each other, Jan Anjema knew exactly what to expect. According to Jan Anjema, Delierre is known for his tricky and sometimes unorthodox plays, particularly in front.

To adjust, Jan Anjema decided that he would play a sharp counter-attack style game in order to keep Delierre in his sights. After pulling off a clear win in the first game, Jan Anjema needed to test this tactic in the second game when he was down three game points. When he started playing the right kind of game, he was able to string together four straight points to pull out a win and go up on Delierre 2-0.

This win put him in perfect position to stay steady through the third game and win the match. With tonight’s win, Jan Anjema moves on to tomorrow’s semi-final round where he will meet Alister Walker.

Alister Walker bt
Aaron Frankcomb     11/2, 11/9, 11/7

Knowing and studying your opponent’s game can definitely be an advantage for some, but it can also put some players at a disadvantage. In this case, it was both.

Alister Walker and Aaron Frankcomb are very familiar with one another’s games due to the fact that they often train together. Walker’s strategy was one of a slow and steady attack on Frankcomb because he knew how quickly the match could turn with Frankcomb’s quickness. Walker knew that his defence was going to be the key to his success.

Since Frankcomb already knew and prepared for Walker’s every move, the only thing Walker could do was respond to Frankcomb even better and that is exactly what he did. With his win tonight Walker secures his spot in the semi-finals against Laurens Jan Anjema.
 

Bernardo Samper  bt
Wade Johnstone      11/4, 11/5, 11/9

Bernardo Samper and Wade Johnstone both powered through long tough matches yesterday.

With tired legs, both players took the court. Johnstone was armed with a crew of supporters behind him; Samper was armed with the knowledge that if he came out with a few strong, fast-paced points at the start of each game, he would be able to break Johnstone’s game.

His strategy worked flawlessly through the first two games, but as he began to tire Johnstone started slowly climbing back in. With a few lucky third game points in Samper’s favor, he eventually came through with a win, sealing his spot in the semi-final match tomorrow where he will meet Shahier Razik.

Shahier Razik bt
Liam Kenny      11/9, 11/5, 11/8

Shahier Razik and Liam Kenny faced off this evening after two very long but different days yesterday. Shahier had a shorter match, but a day of travel delays while Kenny dealt with a five set match that surely left him with heavy legs.

Last night, Razik had trouble finding his rhythm last night, which made his match more of a struggle. Tonight however, his rhythm kicked in quickly and he was able to move the ball around easily on the Bare Hills courts.

As Razik found his rhythm, Kenny could not quite find his which led to his eventual downfall in the match. With Razik’s win tonight, he is set to play Bernardo Samper in the semi-finals tomorrow afternoon.

11-Oct, Round One:

Laurens Jan Anjema bt Julian Illingworth
      11-2, 11-2, 11-5

LJ shows his class

Laurens Jan Anjema is the highest ranked international player in the Merritt Properties Open and he came out tonight to prove why. In his debut at this tournament, Anjema eliminated his opponent, Julian Illingworth, with relative ease. It was clear in both the first game that Anjema was the dominant player of the match.

However, in the second game Anjema let Illingworth back into the match and was even tied 9-9 at one point. Anjema was fortunate that Illingworth appeared to lose his focus which allowed Anjema to seal a win in the second game.

Knowing that he had almost lost one in the second, Anjema came out firing in the third. With his win tonight, Anjema moves on to the second round of play tomorrow night.

Alister Walker bt Ben Garner
     11-4, 11-2, 11-9

Walker in form

It isn’t often that a player who is off of the professional circuit and has given up his training time for coaching time is able to “hang” with those still on the circuit. Ben Garner is an example of one of those rare individuals who is able to give the topped ranked players a run for their money.

Although Alister Walker kept his win tonight to a 3-0 match, he admitted that Garner produced a number of “tough battles” throughout the competition. Walker credits his ability to come out with the win to being able to focus primarily on training, and also coming off of a very tough loss in his last match with a vengeance.

Walker looked as though he was in great form and will show his spirit again in round two of play tomorrow night.

Bernado Samper bt Renan Lavigne
       11-6, 11-8, 6-11, 11-8

Samper rocks Renan

Bernado Samper and Renan Lavigne toughed out a very excited, well matched game in their first round game this evening. Samper, who is behind Lavigne in ranking, believed that the key to his success in this tough match was keeping up the pace of his play regardless of his opponents actions.

He felt as though he had good control of the match, but admits that errors were his downfall in the third game. In the start of the fourth game, the points were traded back and fourth until Samper finally pulled through with a number of very strong plays to win it.

Samper is set to play Wade Johnstone in round two of competition tomorrow night.

Aaron Frankcomb bt Lefika Ragontse
       11-5, 11-5, 11-4

Aaron disappoints locals

Aaron Frankcomb played his first match of the Merritt Properties Open against the tournament host, Lefika Ragontse. Because Ragontse spends all of his time coaching and none of his time training, he knew that his match against Frankcomb would be a tough one.

It appeared as though Ragontse was never able to find his groove in the match and that his competition, Frankcomb, was younger, stronger and more conditioned. With this advantage, Frankcomb was able to get pull through tonight’s challenging match-up with a win.

He now moves on to the second round of play tomorrow night, where he will take on Alister Walker.

Wade Johnstone Matthew Giuffre
     11-8, 9-11, 4-11, 11-8, 11-9

Johnstone at home

The Merritt Properties Open is Wade Johnstone’s stage. With a large loyal crowd behind him, Johnstone pulled off the biggest win of his career upsetting the number 42 player in the world in the first round of play. Johnstone showed Giuffre that he was not going to go down easily in the first match.

Despite a hard fought battle in the second and third Johnstone let back Giuffre back into the match. Johnstone realized that he was allowing Giuffre to get in front of him and that he needed to step up his game. In the fourth and fifth set, Johnstone did just that. Johnstone walked off the court after his best ever match feeling ecstatic while his competitor walked away disappointed and frustrated.

Johnstone is set to play Bernado Samper tomorrow night in the second round of play.

Shahier Razik bt Regardt Schonborn
       11-8, 11-9, 11-1

Shahier eases away

In his first appearance at the 2007 Merritt Properties Open, Shahier Razik had to shake out his travel legs and find his focus in order to pull of a win against the very strong and well conditioned Regardt Schonborn.

In their first meeting, Schonborn hung in the first two games of the match using his strength and fitness to his benefit. However, once Razik was able to find his rhythm, he geared the game more to his style of play and away from Schonborn’s.

In the third, Razik was able to defeat his competitor fairly quickly and move on to the next round of play where he will meet _the winner of Liam Kenny and David Phillips

10-Oct, Qualifying Finals:

Wade Johnstone bt Chris Callis 11-6, 11-3, 8-10, 11-6

In his first match since July, Wade Johnstone came out prepared to show his stuff. He had been training all summer and was ready to see some game action. He felt in comfortable and in control from the start, and that feeling remained until the third match, when Johnstone began to lose his grip. Callis started going for (and making) more aggressive shots.

Johnstone ended up losing the third match, but all the loss served the purpose of firing him up to come out gunning in the fourth final game. Johnstone moves on to the main draw tomorrow night where he will play against Matthew Giuffre.

Ben Garner bt Dave Barnett 11-9, 9-11, 11-6, 11-13, 11-3

Just as yesterday, Ben Garner started the match strong and confident. He was matched up against fellow Englishman, Dave Barnett. The two had played each other in the past, but not for a number of years. Tonight, they Garner started with a win. The two then traded wins until the final decisive game. In the end, Garner came out on top with an 11-3 win.

Garner believes that he was able be successful not only because of his extensive international experience, but also because he is more relaxed not being on the professional circuit anymore. Garner moves on to the main draw tomorrow night where he will play against another Englishman, Alister Walker.

Dave Phillips bt Stuart Crawford  11-3, 11-5, 11-6

Dave Phillips, of Canada, came off of a first round loss from last weekend with something to prove. He took on Stuart Crawford of Scotland, and was expecting a tough match. Although the two had never played each other, Phillips takes everyone seriously at a tournament like this.

Phillips credits his win with his choppier style of play. Due to the fact that Crawford prefers longer rallies, he was never able to find his groove when he took on Phillips. The main draw begins tomorrow night and Phillips has secured himself a spot.

Regardt Schonborn bt Patrick Chifunda 3-0

Regardt Schonborn showed up tonight knowing what to expect, but that doesn’t mean it was easy. Schonborn, who is from the Republic of South Africa, is familiar with Patrick Chifunda’s style of play as they both trained in Schonborn’s native country. Chifunda is known for his speed and aggressive style of play which always makes for an exciting game for spectators.

With two tie breaks in this match, both of which fell in Schonborn’s direction, Chifunda’s speed certainly tested Schonborn’s game. With his win tonight, Schonborn advances into the main draw and is set to play Shahier Razik
 

2006 Event

09-Oct, Qualifying Round One:

David Barnett (Eng) bt Jacques Swanepoel (Rsa)
      11/6, 11/6, 11/9

David Barnett had a good start to the day and was happy with the way the match went.

He anticipated the match being a bit tougher than it was, and felt that he had good control of the match, despite a close third game in which Barnett earned and lost a number of match balls. But in the end, Barnett was able to find his focus and his way out of the match with a win.

Ben Garner (Eng) bt Lazarus Chilufiya (Zam)
           11/5, 11/5, 9/11, 8/11, 11/6

Ben Garner, who works and lives in the Baltimore area, but is originally from England, defeated Lazarus Chilufiya, from Zambia, in an exciting five-set match. Garner felt that the first two games were fairly comfortable wins. He credits Chilufiya's lack of recent competitive play for this result.

Garner, who also struggles to get a large quantity of competitive matches, began to lose his focus in the next two games creating a crowd pleasing decisive fifth set. In the end, Garner's game experience was crucial in his ability to pull off a win.

Regardt Schonborn (Rsa) bt John Fulham (Usa)
       11/6, 11/7, 11/8

Regardt Schonborn, originally from the Republic of South Africa, defeated John Fulham in a pretty straight forward three game match. The two have competed twice in the past, the most recent being just a week ago, so Schonborn new exactly what to expect.

The game went smoothly for him, although he mentioned that he could feel Fulham starting to "sneak up on him," as he got more used to his competitors play. Schonborn is set to play a local favorite, Patrick Chifunda, originally from Zambia, tomorrow evening.

Stuart Crawford (Sco) bt Gilly Lane (Usa)
             12/10, 8/11, 12/10, 11/6

Stuart Crawford, of Scotland, defeated Gilly Lane of the United States in a close four game match. Although the match score of 3/1 appears to be quite one-sided, Crawford did not dominate through all three of his wins.

The first three games of the match were uncomfortably close with both players reaching game points. In the first, Lane thought he had the win when he brought Crawford to 8-10 match point. Crawford was able to pull himself together in the end and start the match with a 12-10 first game win. Similarly, in the third, Lane was up on Crawford, 9-10, but Crawford would not go quietly. His drive and determination, again, brought him through the third and fourth games.

With tonight's win, Crawford is lined up to play David Phillips in the second round of Qualifier play tomorrow night.

Chris Callis (Usa) bt Robert Mcfadzean (Usa)
         11/8, 14/12, 18/16

The first two games were very close; Chris had the edge and took advantage of Rob's loose balls in the front. The third game changed and it seemed like Chris was getting tired, at 16-16 in the third Rob had couple crucial calls that frustrated him and probably cost him the match.
 

Baltimore moves
up a gear at Bare Hills

Merritt Athletic Club at Bare Hills is proud to announce that a staple tournament in Baltimore squash tradition, The Merritt Properties Open, is moving to our “up and coming” squash facility.

This event is being held from October 10th-14th 2007 at the Merritt Athletic Club at Bare Hills, which is located just north of Baltimore City, Maryland. In just over one year of existence, Bare Hills, and its highly influential Squash Director, Lefika Ragontse, has developed over 250 new squash members, including a youth National Champion. If you are a squash fan, this $25,000 PSA and amateur event, at this facility, is one that should not be missed.

There are certainly high expectations for top internationally ranked players such as Laurens Jan Anjema (ranked 24), Shahier Razik (ranked 27), Alister Walker (ranked 30), and Renan Lavigne (ranked 31) to perform, but don’t count out some of the local professionals who are geared up to create a competitive, interesting tournament for the fans.
   

Lefika Ragontse and Merritt Athletic Club at Bare Hills would like to thank the generous sponsors of the Merritt Properties Open.

Without the following contributors, this event would certainly not be possible:

Merritt Properties, LLC (www.merrittproperties.com), Capital Funding Group, Inc., IXIA Restaurant Lounge and Bar (www.ixia-online.com), Franklin Financial Group, LLC (www.franklin-group.com), PNC Bank, Harrrow Sports, and Red Rose Photography.