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San Francisco Bay Club
PREVIEW |
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13-Nov, Final:
[4] Shahier Razik (Can) bt [3] Mark Chaloner (Eng)
11/7, 9/11, 11/7, 11/4
Razik's
San Fran Revenge
 After
losing last year's finals here, Canada’s Shahier Razik returned to
San Francisco to defeat Mark Chaloner 11/7, 9/11, 11/7, 11/4 to win the
$20,000 Tennyson West North American Open.
The 70-minute match, held at the San Francisco Bay Club on Sunday,
featured Razik's unwavering game of attrition.
"Chaloner was in the match and kept fighting until the end, but never
really had enough weapons at the front of the court to unsettle the
Canadian," said Mark Allen, head squash coach at the Bay Club.
"Razik played with the same patience and tireless movement that he had
displayed all week – absorbing everything his opponent had to throw at him
in the first 30 minutes of the match, and then using his backhand drop and
forehand boast to excellent effect as his opponent began to tire. It was a
well-deserved win for him."
Throughout the tournament, the 28-year-old Razik relied on his quickness
and fitness to wear down opponents. In a spectacular semifinal match,
Razik overcame a two-game deficit to defeat second seed Alex Gough 7/11,
7/11, 11/1, 11/7, 11/4. Razik defeated Raj Nanda in another gruelling five
game match in the quarterfinals.
"It took me two years, but I did it," said Razik, who was runner-up in
last year's Fog City Open, losing to Cameron Pilley in a hard fought
5-game final match.
"It's such a good event and a great city. I definitely look forward to
coming back here."
In 2006, tournament organizers hope to again double the prize fund to
$40,000 and hold the main draw in a glass court erected at a prominent
downtown location.
The 2006 Tennyson West North American Open will feature the top ten
players in the world with plans to add pro women and amateur draw events,
according organizers. |
North American
Open Revived ...
Formerly known as the Tennyson West Fog City Open, the United States
Squash Racquets Association (USSRA) this year granted tournament
organizers the rights to the name "North American Open," thus reviving is
one of the oldest squash titles in the game. The North American Open, born
out of a merger between the U.S. Open and the Canadian Open in 1966,
became one of the pre-eminent hardball championships in the western
hemisphere. It boasts such past winners as Sharif Khan, Mark
Talbot and Jahangir Khan, the greatest squash player of all
time.
USSRA CEO Kevin Klipstein said reviving the North American Open
offered the USSRA an opportunity to elevate the profile of the sport in
the United States, as well as "promote cause related work much the way the
PGA Tours does for golf."
"With the US Open firmly established on the East Coast, we felt it was
important to help establish a major pro championship on the West Coast and
we found the Bay Area to be a perfect fit," said Klipstein.
All proceeds from this year's tournament go toward building sports
programs for underserved communities. On Sunday, the North American Open
and the Giving on the "T" Foundation, in partnership with the Western
Athletic Clubs, provided seed grants of $200,000 to support the Bay
Area-based Sports 4 Kids (a non-profit that creates youth sports and
recreational opportunities in inner city schools) and the USSRA programs
to bring squash to underserved youth.
"The opportunity to bring physical activity, squash and wellness programs
into our schools is profound," said David Levy, founder of Giving on the
"T". "We appreciate that squash players and the corporate philanthropic
community are working together to help schools and kids who need and
deserve it need most." |
 North
American Open 2005
San Francisco, USA, 08-13 November, $20k
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Round One
Nov 10 |
Quarters
Nov 11 |
Semis
Nov 12 |
Final
Nov 13 |
[1]
Bradley Ball (Eng)
11/8, 11/5, 11/7
Shawn De Lierre (Can) |
Bradley Ball
9/11, 11/10(2-0), 11/3, 11/2, 2/1 rtd
Matthew Giuffre |
Matthew Giuffre
11/9, 11/9, 5/11, 11/10 (3-1)
Mark Chaloner |
Mark Chaloner
11/7, 9/11, 11/7, 11/4
Shahier Razik
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[6]
Matthew Giuffre (Can)
11-7, 9-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-3
[Q] Callum O'Brien (Nzl) |
[3] Mark
Chaloner (Eng)
11/2, 11/1, 11/2
[Q] Jonathan Perry (Eng) |
Mark Chaloner
11/2, 11/6, 11/8
Dylan Bennett |
[8] Dylan Bennett (Ned)
10-11(5-3), 11-0, 11-6,6-11,11-10 (2-0)
Julian Illingworth (Usa) |
[Q] Tom
Richards (Eng)
11-7, 11-9, 11-7
[5] Raj Nanda (Aus) |
Raj Nanda
3/2
Shahier Razik |
Shahier Razik
7/11, 7/11, 11/1, 11/7, 11/4
Alex Gough |
Daryl
Selby (Eng)
9/11, 11/6, 11/2, 11/10(2-0)
[4] Shahier Razik (Can) |
[Q] Cameron White (Aus)
11-9, 11-10 (3-1), 9-11, 11-5
[7] Eric Galvez (Mex) |
Eric Galvez
11/9, 11/10(2-0), 11/9
Alex Gough |
Nick Kyme
(Ber)
11/6, 11/3, 11/7
[2] Alex Gough (Wal) |
10-Nov,
Quarter-Finals:
Daryl's Diary
Daryl Selby reports from
San Fran ...
 Hi
again, this time hopefully I can give you a quicker update of the
matches!!
First on was Bradley against Matt. I missed the first game but
apparently pretty close, 11-9 to Bradley. He was 10-8 up in the second and
if he had won that game it could have been different, but Matt battled
well and kept the ball out of the tin to sneak the game on a tie-break.
After that you could see Bradley was struggling with something, and
half-way through the fourth game he had to retire.
Next was Mark and Dylan. Dylan was throwing everything he could at
Mark but he was picking everything up with interest as well. Mark was just
too strong and playing well, and Dylan hit a few too many errors.
Then it was Alex and Eric. This was a great game of squash, both
guys taking it in turns to control the rallies. Outrageous shots and
retrieving from both players. But Alex's experience showed on the crucial
points as he won in a very tight 3-0, 11-9, 12-10, 11-9
The last match, between Shahier and Raj, went on quite late and a
few people had left, and they would be kicking themselves if they knew the
drama that was about to unfold. Raj attacked at every opportunity with
some awesome nicks and won the first. The next game went back and forth
with Shahier's attritional game slowly wearing Raj down, but Raj just kept
coming back.
At 2-2 the fifth was even all the way. At 9-9 a full-length dive from
Shahier couldn't prevent Raj having match ball. Then halfway through the
next rally Raj got some cramp in his calf and seemed to be in some serious
pain. Anyway after 3 minutes injury break Raj hobbled on. He lost the next
point. Then on match ball down, still hopping, like Karate Kid, he just
stood and slotted Shahier's serve into the front nick, and out it rolled.
A classic moment. Unfortunately for Raj, 2 tins gave Shahier the match.
Anyway hope that is ok. I'm off to catch a flight home. See you soon.
Daryl Selby |
10-Nov,
Round One:
Daryl's Diary
Daryl Selby reports from
San Fran ...
Hello! Just a quick update from the first round main draw.
The
first round matches started here at midday, with a half full crowd to see
Callum O'Brien nearly pull off an upset against Matthew Giuffre.
I don't think either player played as well as they would have liked with
Matt hitting a lot more tins than normal. But a few decisions in the
fourth seemed to upset Callum's rhythm and Matt won 3-2.
The next match on was Raj Nanda and Tom Richards. This match
was a quick-paced game with both guys looking to take the ball early. Raj
floating in some great volley drops and Tom sending Raj the wrong way a
few times on his backhand. Raj took the first and win the second 11-9,
after Tom was 9-7 up. This deflated Tom and Raj got on top again in the
third to run out a 3-0 winner.
Next was Eric Galvez playing Cameron White. This match was
going to be a long one, you could sense this from the outset, with both
guys being so quick around the court. The rallies were long and at 8-8,
there was a huge rally where Cameron did 2 John White style full-length
dives and managed to win the rally. The crowd and players watching were
loving it. Eric sneaked the first, and Cameron led 10-7 in the second, but
Eric produced his best squash to win on a tie-break. The feeling now was
that Cameron was tired and that would be it, but he came out fighting and
gave everything and squeezed out the third in another long game, 11-9. But
the work he had done in the previous games now took its toll. Raj pointed
out that now Eric was tired as well, his movement and speed had come back
down from his superhuman level to everyone else's level, and he had played
for over an hour! Eric was just too strong and in the fourth and that was
3-1.
Following on was Dylan Bennett against Julian Illingworth,
who casually turned up 45 mins before his match, but started at a
blistering pace and sneaked the first on a tie-break, with Dylan unhappy
at some of the refereeing. Dylan then took his frustration out on the ball
and creamed some winners to clean sweep the 2nd 11-0. They traded the next
2 games, and the fifth was close until Dylan stepped up a gear and led
10-6. Julian rallied tho and with Dylan looking to finish the rallies
early, the match hit a tie-break. The crowd was full now and on the edge
of their seats, but a no let followed by a tin from
Julian gave the match to Dylan.
The top 4 seeds were scheduled for the evening and with a full house of
about 15 rows of seating it proved to be a good idea. First on was Mark
Chaloner against Jon Perry, a local actually from Essex who
beat 2 PSA guys to qualify. This looked like it had taken its toll on him,
and Mark moved him to all 4 corners, and took the ball so early that Jon
never really got into the game. Mark 3-0.
The Brad attack and number one seed took to the court next to play
Shawn De Lierre, in what was always going to be a fast-paced
attacking game. Both guys hitting kills and going short from wherever on
the court, but it was Bradley who was ahead in each game and capitalised
to gain a 3-0 victory which is always a good result against Shawn who can
be a very dangerous player.
Next on was myself against Shahier Razik. I'm going to write
about how I thought it went but people watching from the outside might
disagree, who knows, here goes. I was prepared for a long match as I know
Shahier is an attritional
player and likes to wear down his opponents. The first game was long and
gruelling and I had to work hard throughout but a couple of good attacking
shots at the end of the game gave it to me 11-9. I led 5-2 in the second
but Shahier just keeps coming at you and no matter how hard you think you
make him work he always looks fresh and ready for more. Some errors led to
a momentum shift and Shahier took the second. The third was a write off,
as Shahier got off to a flyer and I was never in the game. The fourth was
nip and tuck all the way with the crowd getting right behind me for some
reason?! I hit a couple of lucky backwall nicks in the middle of the game
and this would come to haunt me as at 10-10 Shahier hit 2 rollers,
including the last one with a broken string! Doh! Oh well it was an
enjoyable game and
Shahier is good honest player, and I think the crown quite enjoyed it
also.
Last but not least was Mr Gough v Mr Kyme. Both guys started
at a fair old pace, but Alex's tightness of shot to the front and quality
of length meant Nick was on the end of most of the rallies, although when
he did get the chance to attack his straight kills were mostly winners.
Alex wins the first 11-6. The next game Alex stepped up a gear and another
yard up the court and before you knew it the game had gone 11-3. Nick
never stopped working though and although Alex was hitting some exquisite
drop shots, the rallies were still fast-paced but it never looked in doubt
and Alex claimed a 3-0 victory.
Daryl Selby |
UPGRADED FOR 2006 ...
Last year’s Tennyson West Fog City Open was such a huge hit
in San Francisco that sponsors Tennyson West and The San Francisco
Bay Club have doubled the prize money to $20,000 for this year’s
event.
The tournament, to be held November 8-13, has also been granted (by
the USSRA) the rights to the title “North American Open,”
thus reviving one of the oldest squash titles in the game.
Born out of a merger between the US Open and the Canadian Open in
1966 (at the time, hardball events), went on to become one of the
pre-eminent hardball championships in the western hemisphere.
Full Story from Mark Allen |
 Blimey
I wrote much more than I thought I was going to. Hope that is
ok??!!!
Anyway I will try and get back tonight for the quarters and write
them up, but I'm coming home (Woo Hoo!) tomorrow so will miss the
semis and final
unfortunately.
I'm gradually spreading the word about SquashSite over here and
hopefully squash in general will continue to grow here in the US!
Speak soon ...
Daryl Selby |
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Qualifying:
Tom Richards (Eng) bt
Beau River (Usa)
11/6, 11/9, 11/6
Jonathan Perry (Eng)
bt Paul Davis (Aus)
11/8, 6/11, 11/8, 11/8
Callum O'Brien (Nzl) bt Ryan Thompson (Nam) 3/0
Cameron White (Aus) bt Dave Barnett (Eng)
11/3, 11/2, 4/11, 11/5
Round One:
Tom Richards (Eng) bt Richard Elliot (Usa)
11/8, 11/8, 11/6
Beau River (Usa) bt Armando Olguin (Mex)
11/5, 11/5, 11/6
Paul Davis (Aus) bt Mark Allen (Usa)
11/10(2-1), 11/10(4-3), 11/3
Jonathan Perry (Usa) bt
Patrick Bedore (Can) 11/8, 2/11, 6/11,
11/10(5-3), 11/8
Callum O'Brien (Nzl) - bye
Ryan Thompson (Nam) bt Joshua Millar (Usa)
11/3, 11/5, 11/6
Dave Barnett (Eng) bt Mike Robberds (Usa)
11/5, 11/10(2-0), 8/11, 11/10(5-3)
Cameron White - bye
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 Daryl's Diary
Daryl Selby reports from
San Fran ...
The
matches are at three different clubs
in the city.
The Bay Club which is where the main draw is being held, is a huge club
situated between the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge. The club has
everything you could hope for, as most of the clubs over here seem to
have.
The views are spectacular especially from our billets magnificent house
on the hill, Calla, Spencer and Cesca (they are really really lovely
people and know how to look after squash players!) as we have views of
Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. I have only been here two days but
already it is one of the best places I have visited.
Mark Allen (ex Essex boy) who is the pro at the Bay club has done a
superb job of getting sponsorship for the tournament and has raised an
extra $200,000 for the Bay-Area based Sports4Kids organization which is
a non-profit organization that creates youth sports and recreational
opportunities in inner city schools, which is a fantastic effort.
Daryl Selby
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Tennyson West North American
Open 2005 Tournament Preview
By Mark Allen
Last year’s Tennyson West Fog City Open was such a huge hit in San
Francisco that sponsors Tennyson West and The San Francisco Bay Club
have doubled the prize money to $20,000 for this year’s event.
The tournament, to be held November 8-13, has also been granted (by
the USSRA) the rights to the title “North American Open,” thus
reviving one of the oldest squash titles in the game.
The North American Open, born out of a merger between the US Open
and the Canadian Open in 1966 (at the time, hardball events), went
on to become one of the preeminent hardball championships in the
western hemisphere. Several of the game’s greats won the North
American Open, including Jahangir Khan, America’s own Mark Talbott,
and Sharif Khan who captured the title an unparalleled 12 times.
With the reemergence of the US Open in 1985 as a softball
tournament, the luster of the North American Open began to wane
until its final year in 1995, the only year it was played as a
softball event with Rodney Eyles claiming the title.
In explaining why the USSRA was interested in reviving the North
American Open through this partnership with the Tennyson West Fog
City Open and licensing the rights to the North American Open to the
nascent PSA event, USSRA CEO Kevin Klipstein stated, “We are eager
to facilitate the development of the most prestigious tournaments in
the world to elevate the profile of the sport in the United States,
and we are especially enthusiastic about the concept of using events
to promote cause related work much the way the PGA Tour does for
golf.” Klipstein went on to say, “With the US Open firmly
established on the East Coast, we felt it was important to help
establish a major pro championship on the West Coast and we found
the Bay Area to be a perfect fit. Working together, Western Athletic
Clubs and “Giving on the ‘T’” are very focused on community-based
youth initiatives. We instantly recognized we had excellent partners
to help us accomplish both objectives to the highest standard. We
are looking forward to reintroducing the North American Open in the
US, and I have no doubt the North American Open will be among the
most prestigious events on the PSA calendar within a few years.”
In addition to the upgraded title, the event is expanding to include
qualification rounds at two other local venues—The University Club
of San Francisco, and The Pacific Athletic Club, in Redwood City.
Qualification matches will take place on Nov. 8-9, with the four
winners taking their place in the first round of the main draw at
The San Francisco Bay Club on Thursday, Nov. 10.
As a $20,000 event, the tournament is expected to attract a playing
field of pros ranked between 25 and 75 in the world. The match
schedule and tournament draw are available on the official
tournament website, www.tennysonwest.com/naopen.
One player certain to appear in the first round is US National Men’s
Champion Julian Illingworth, who has been given the tournament
organizer’s wildcard. It will be interesting to see how well the
21-year-old Yale University student fairs against world class
opposition.
Tickets for the event can be purchased by calling the San Francisco
Bay Club (415.901.9335). Early round matches start at $15, and a
“Spectator’s Package” that includes VIP seating for every round, a
tournament shirt from Court Kit, and a place on our PSA Play with
The Pro’s clinic is priced at $350. Our tournament hotel, The
Holiday Inn Express at Fisherman’s Wharf, is offering a great
tournament rate for any out-of-town squash fans traveling to San
Francisco for the event.
We hope to continue growing the tournament each year. In 2006, we
aim to double the prize fund to $40,000 and include the use of a
glass court in a prominent downtown location. The city of San
Francisco recently imported 200 tons of snow to hold a ski jump
event in the heart of San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood,
so there is hope that the city council will be just as receptive to
erecting a squash court in the middle of Union Square, or the Ferry
Building on Embarcadero.
All proceeds from this year's event go toward building sports
projects for underserved communities. The North American Open and
the Giving on the “T” Foundation, in partnership with the Western
Athletic Clubs, will provide seed grants in excess of $200,000 to
support the Bay Area-based Sports 4 Kids (a non-profit organization
that creates youth sports and recreational opportunities in inner
city schools) and the United States Squash Racquets Association
programs to bring squash to underserved youth.
Giving On the “T” was formed by San Francisco investment bank
Tennyson West to offer grants and create philanthropic partnerships
that bring squash coaches, yoga instructors and nutritionists to
inner city youth.
“We wanted to see the North American Open back on the tour and as a
charity squash championship with a purpose that would impact kids
who deserve and need it the most,” said Giving on the “T” chairman
David Levy.
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