Very
engaging match that was closer than the scoreline. With a semi
final walkover, #1 seed Alfredo Avila had put in only 52
minutes on court, compared to 140 for the veteran Alister
Walker - Avila was fresh and rested, and it showed.
In the semis, Walker had used his athleticism, patience, and
accuracy to prevail over the always-creative Zac Alexander. But
today Avila was able to withstand Walker's short game and superb
length, and project enough counter-pressure to come out ahead.
To everyone watching this match, two things were clear: Alister
Walker still has his old magic, and Alfredo Avila is the same
major talent that propelled him to #35 in the world just two
seasons ago.
"Pleasure playing in the Hyder this week,"
said Walker. "Credit to Alfredo, he kept the pace high and made
it hard for me physically. Just what he had to do to win the
title. I think it was a very high standard event for a 5k. I
look forward to seeing the event grow bigger."
Scott Young (Eng) 3-1 Jon Geekie (Sco)
9-11, 11-3, 11-5, 11-9
Kush Kumar (Ind) 3-0 Antonio De La Torre (Gua) 11-5,
11-7, 11-5
Tyler Osborne (Can) 3-1 Babatubnde Ajagbe (Mgr) 11-5,
7-11, 11-3, 11-6
Aditya Jagtap (Ind) 3-2 Juan Gomez (Mex) 11-7, 6-11,
11-8, 5-11, 11-4
Semis: Walker wins as Avila gets a walkover
Avila w/o Enriquez
Walker 3-1 Alexander
Zac
Alexander: I enjoyed that match very much and it’s great to
be back playing singles after three months of focus on doubles.
I felt more comfortable physically than in the early round
matches – legs and lungs felt good. I’ve been trying to do lots
of different things with the ball, while at the same time still
being patient.
Cleve's Comments:
A very compelling match. Alexander was consistently creative,
mixing in skid boasts and thundering nicks. Walker countered
with patience and experience, coupled with near-miraculous
retrieving that belied his 35 years. In the end Walker’s
consistency and speed prevailed.
Quarters: Top four seeds through to the semis in New
York ...
Avila 3-0 White
Enriquez 3-2 Lovejoy
Lovejoy: “Today I didn’t know what to expect, because
I’d never seen Josue play. Both of us rely on speed, so the
rallies were long – he seemed to get everything. I will learn
from this: I had several match balls and I wasn’t able to
put it away, maybe because I was a bit too passive. He played
really well, he dug in deep, never gave up, so a lot of credit
to him.”
Cleve's Comment: Simply amazing match with Enriquez
prevailing 14-12 in the 5th. Superb retrieving by both players
led to enormous rallies and incredible suspense as Josue dug
deep to come back from multiple match balls down to eventually
prevail. An epic battle of very clean squash left the audience
breathless - enormous credit to both players.
Walker 3-1 Douglas
Alexander 3-0 Varela
Alexander: “Happy to play better today. I had a tough
match yesterday and feel a bit rusty as I haven’t focused on
singles for a few months. I played Hugo in March in a tough
match – he is very dangerous. Really happy to move on to the
semis.
Round One:
It was a good day for the seeds in NY as all but one of
the favoured players won through to the quarter-finals ...
Avila 3-1 Jagtap:
Avila: “Really happy to win tonight, especially since I didn’t
feel very good in practice this morning. Aditya has great hands,
so I played deep and straight. I played well and am happy to
move to the next round.”
White 3-0 Cromwell:
White: “Really happy with how I played, especially since the
courts here are faster than what I’m used to. I played positive
squash and felt nice and relaxed.”
Enriquez 3-0 Nawar:
Enriquez: “It was a hard match for me, and my first time against
Mustafa. I felt great on court. The rallies were long but I was
able to defend well, and I’m very happy to move on.”
Walker 3-0 Lasusa:
Walker: “So fun to play again, and in New York City! Looking
forward to another match tomorrow and to see what kind of squash
I can still play against the youngsters.”
Douglas 3-1 Yanez:
Douglas: “I really struggled in the first, but found my rhythm
and played well from then on. Hard match and a tough draw. Good
win for me.
Lovejoy 3-1 Young:
Lovejoy: “I practice with Scott a lot, but I’m coming off a
month of not playing so I was a little nervous. I lost the first
10-12 but I adjusted length and height and that helped. I was
really happy with my fitness and I felt great throughout the
match. Good win for me and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Varela 3-0 Osbourne:
Varela: “Tyler was tired from two tough matches yesterday, but I
still had to work very hard. Happy to be through in three games
and relatively fresh for tomorrow.”
Alexander 3-2 Kumar:
Alexander: “In one word: tough! I know how good Kush is, he’s
not an average college kid but probably the strongest CSA
player. I’ve been training less due to the Commonwealth Games in
Australia, and I’m coming down from the high of winning a Gold
there, so I’m really happy to move on.”
Cleve's Comment: This was the match of
the night and was squash of a very high caliber. Kush’s
creativity and use of angles was met by Zac’s precision and
length. Some incredible rallies and retrievals – hugely
entertaining.
Zac
Alexander: I enjoyed that match very much and it’s great to
be back playing singles after three months of focus on doubles.
I felt more comfortable physically than in the early round
matches – legs and lungs felt good. I’ve been trying to do lots
of different things with the ball, while at the same time still
being patient.
