[ TODAY ] [ SEMIS ] [ QUARTERS ] [ Round TWO ] [ Round ONE ] [ Qualifying ]

Qualifying Finals:                                               Day ONE

Tarek Momen (Egy) bt Tom Richards (Eng)                                  1/11, 11/9, 11/7, 11/6 (56m)
                                            plays David Palmer
Yasser El Halaby (Egy) bt Wade Johnstone (Aus)               9/11, 11/3, 11/6, 10/12, 11/4 (61m)
                                            plays John White    
Daryl Selby (Eng) bt Kashif Shuja (Nzl)                            11/6, 10/12, 12/14, 11/7, 11/1 (70m)
                                            plays Greg Gaultier
Amr Swelim (Egy) bt Simon Rosner (Ger)                                           11/5, 15/13, 11/5 (48m)
                                            plays LJ Anjema
Renan Lavigne (Fra) bt Julien Balbo (Fra)                        5/11, 11/7, 11/8, 6/11, 17/15 (113m)  
                                           plays Shabana
Jonathan Kemp (Eng) bt Aaron Frankcomb (Aus)                                 11/9, 11/7, 11/5 (35m)
                                           plays Ong Beng Hee
Mark Krajcsak (Hun) bt Joey Barrington (Eng)                          11/9, 11/5, 11/13, 11/5 (88m)
                                           plays Azlan Iskandar
Omar Abdel Aziz (Egy) bt Chris Walker (Eng)                                    11/8, 11/8, 11/7 (41m)
                                           plays Adrian Grant

Daryl Selby (Eng) bt Kashif Shuja (Nzl)
            11/6, 10/12, 12/14, 11/7, 11/1 (70m)

DARYL, THE PRO…

That boy has some guts I tell you. After a great week in Canada – where he won in the final against Tarek – the Englishman had a long match yesterday against Tall Scott, won only 14/12 in the fifth, whereas he was comfortably up 2/0. And today was never going to be a walk in the park against determined Kashif Shuja.

The New Zealander had a game plan, trying to lengthen the rallies, and make Daryl work as hard as possible. And although he lost the first game, the plan seemed to pay off in the third, when I truly thought the Englishman was down and out. Frustrated with his looseness, Daryl started whinging at the ref, for two or three calls in a row. He was having a good ref, luckily for him, who didn’t jump to his throat, aware that the anger was directed towards himself, and let it pass. It did pass very quickly. Clever ref…

Now led 2/1, Daryl seemed lost, but at 2/2 in the fourth, we could see Kashif’s face completely drained, dark circles under his eyes, and it became obvious that he was getting extremely tired. Sensing blood, Daryl regained composure, fed off his opponent's unforced errors, and reassessed his confidence. Kashif was never there in the fifth, went down 9/0 before clinching one little point… Daryl was through, and got his wish, a well deserved day’s rest…

"Daryl is a very steady player. In the fourth I just went too short too early, and lost confidence in my shots, in my game. And I fell back into his game plan. As long as I was attacking, I was fine, but the minute I was back defending, he was in charge…

"Oh well, it’s the beginning of the year, after a long Christmas break, I’m looking forward to go back to training, and playing a few more matches…"

"Well, that was some tough qualifiers…

It’s never easy to do well, and then, two days later, having to re-motivate yourself again. Actually, it’s not re-motivating yourself as being 100% committed for the whole match. Yesterday I was committed to a few rallies, but not all of them, I was in and out a bit…

"I was playing two tough guys, who were hungry to do well and play in the main draw. And maybe I didn’t play as well as I did last week [winning in Vancouver], but I’m happy that I was able to still show up, and play my 100%. And pretty or not pretty, it’s all about turning up at each PSA match, and give your 100%; because at least with that, you give yourself a chance.

"Well, tomorrow, I’ve got nothing to lose, and I’m not going to say I’m hoping for a rest day, because every time I wish for that, I don’t get it, so…"

"This is my first time playing in the TOC, and of course, my first time qualifying…

"This court is very fast, and the ball was very bouncy. I couldn’t do what I wanted with it, and I had to work very hard, make him move a lot, move a lot before I was able to control the game.

"Simon is tall, he hits the ball well, he volleys well, but I think that he got tired in the end, and he couldn’t move as well as he wanted.

"The second game was crucial, I took an awful start, I was down 6/1, but I kept thinking, don’t think about winning or losing the game, just think about wining the point…"

Amr Swelim (Egy) bt Simon Rosner (Ger)
                      11/5, 15/13, 11/5 (48m)

AMR IN GREAT FORM

Simon Rosner never felt comfortable on the court today. Not sure if he is right in saying that Amr was just too good for him, and that he couldn’t find any solution. Or if it’s because he had a few patches of drifting in and out of the match, in particular in the first game where he let five points go in a few seconds, or in the second where he was up 6/1 to get two game balls, save three to finally lose the game on the fourth game ball…

Coming back from 2/0 against an Egyptian is NEVER EASY! They can relax, and they find shots that ain’t in the book I tell you. And that’s exactly what Amr did. He found great volley nicks, his shots played at the right time, and couldn’t do anything wrong.

I don’t speak a word of German, but I’m pretty sure that Simon actually said to his dad in the third, “I can’t do anything!!!”… He was feeling completely helpless…

Amr played superb squash, he was mixing his shots very well, found some stunning shots, his fitness is impeccable, and I’m looking forward to seeing him against LJ tomorrow. But Simon’s game has improved tremendously. This young man is full of ambition, well driven, hard worker, with a great sense of humour, and very well behaved on a court. I believe in him, I believe he will achieve an awful lot. And don’t you dare prove me wrong, young man….

"The first game, I took everything too short, I was impatient, but I straightened my game in the second. I didn’t do anything really, nothing special, and I found myself 6/1. And then, he played so well.

"Whatever I was throwing at him, he was doing it better. I was playing long, he was more accurate than I was, I was playing short, and his drop shots were better than mine, and that got me frustrated…. I tried everything I could, but he was just too good, all credit to him…

"With my coach, I did a lot of fitness training, and I felt fine on that level, but he hardly made any unforced errors, and I just didn’t have any answers today…"

Omar Abdel Aziz (Egy) bt Chris Walker (Eng)   
              11/8, 11/8, 11/7 (41m)

"I tell you, that man is still moving well! I could see he was really tired, I could hear him breathe heavily, and still he would retrieve everything, and in a really unorthodox way as well!

"Whatever I was doing, I kept trying to up the pace, and to never let him get to say, 5/5, because in the situation like that, I knew he would win! He’s got so much experience..

"What saved me today, was that I played Simon Parke a few months back, just before he retired, and it’s the same kind of player, so fit, so experienced, so determined. And I was expecting the same style of game, and I was right, it was a tough battle…"



"I don’t think I was controlling the ball as well as I did yesterday, but then again, the court was warm, I had more trouble finding accuracy, and different player as well. I wasn’t able to settle in the match as well as I did yesterday.

"Omar was more patient than Eric, and kept me at the back much more, reducing my shot options, and taking the opportunity when it presented itself.. And he tried to make the match a bit physical, which added a another dimension to the match.

"I’m disappointed, obviously, but I just love the game, and I’m flattered that Omar had the world number one to coach him, that he considered me enough of a threat to bring in the big guns!!!!!

"And I would like to seize the opportunity to thank John Nimick for having trusted me in offering me a WC qualifier spot. I’m extremely grateful, and I’m starting to train for next year…"

Mark Krajcsak (Hun) bt
Joey Barrington (Eng)
  11/9, 11/5, 11/13, 11/5 (88m)

"I’m so happy, I’ve just beaten Joey, and that’s not the result you would expect!

"Today, I tried and not gave him any easy point, I was careful not to open the court too early, and I did my best to lengthen the rallies. Also, for the past few months, I’ve been working on my short game, and that paid off today. I’m really happy I was able to apply that game even under extreme pressure…

"Plus that court really suits my game, it’s bouncy, it’s quick, I can volley and cut off the ball..

"This is definitely my highest win in PSA, so as I got near to wining in the third, I had match ball, I got a bit overexcited I guess…. But Joey had to put a lot of effort in to come back, and I think he got tired in the end…"

Tarek Momen (Egy) bt Tom Richards (Eng)
               1/11, 11/9, 11/7, 11/6 (56m)

"I took a very slow start, but he was playing so well, he was retrieving everything, and everything went in!

"Then I decided it was time for me to wake up, and I started to lengthen the rallies, he got a bit tired I felt, and my shots started to get in…

"In the second, I was 9/8 down, and I gave it a last push, I didn’t want to be 2/0 down, that would have been too hard to come back from there… So I hang in there, and the third was no more easy.. Tough, tough match…"

Jonathan Kemp (Eng) bt
Aaron Frankcomb (Aus)  
             11/9, 11/7, 11/5 (35m)

"Because Renan and Julien went on for about two hours, we started nearly at 9, and we were not in the best of conditions… So, it was a bit of a scrappy start, I must have just sneaked it in…

"After that, I think I started to relax, got on top of him, and cut down the errors…..

"We met three times in PSA, I won every time, but Aaron is always tough to play, he is fit and quick, and he gets everything back…"

HEARD AROUND…

… “It’s going to be a boring match, Eric is going to win so easy….” That’s what the general feeling was among the players/spectators before Chris Walker came on court to face Eric Galvez, famous for his speed and determination on court. But Chris showed tactical skills and knowledge of the game that let his fiery opponent with no answers. It was a clinical performance, I’m told, pretty impressive. And at 41, how does he do it???

… The two derbies were very disputed, as it was expected, although the score doesn’t reflect the intensity of the All Australian match between Aaron and Ryan, which had a few contacts and too many decisions, I’m told. But that’s to be expected I guess, between players who know each other’s game too well? And our Drama Queen Omar prevailed in a tight match against Reda, which was not the obvious result…

Amr Swelim took his time to get rid of “Local” Bradley Ball, 11/9 in the 5th, in an excellent match, while Simon Rosner gets the reward for his hard work with his Egyptian coach against a Chris Ryder just back from a long Christmas break, I heard.

Kempy played his normal game, great shots, great noisy tins, normal day at the office… Daryl won only just against an tough tall and motivated Scott, 14/12 in the 5th. The Englishman had to be tired from his performance in Canada last week, maybe more mentally than anything? Scott will be disappointed with that loss I’m sure….

But the winner of the day is Julien Balbo, who recovered from the loss of the first game to win an 86 minute match for only four games against Liam Kenny. He’ll be fresh as a rose for his match against his room buddy and compatriot Renan Lavigne, who took only 41 minutes to defeat Hamza…

           Matt Lombardi at the Yale Club
                          Setya Seshadri at StreetSquash

21-Jan, Qualifying Round One:

Wade Johnstone (Aus) bt Mohammed Abbas (Egy)
          11/5, 8/11, 11/9, 5/2 rtd (24m)
Yasser El Halaby (Egy) bt Saurav Ghosal (Ind)
          8/11, 11/8, 6/11, 11/9, 11/4 (61m)
Kashif Shuja (Nzl) bt Adil Maqbool (Pak)
          11/8,11/9, 11/8 (21m)
Daryl Selby (Eng) bt Scott Arnold (Aus)
           11/7, 12/10, 6/11, 5/11, 14/12 (81m)

Renan Lavigne (Fra) bt Ahmed Hamza (Egy) 
            11/7, 11/9, 11/2 (41m)
Julien Balbo (Fra) bt Liam Kenny (Irl)
            8/11, 13/11, 11/4, 14/12 (86m)
Aaron Frankcomb (Aus) bt Ryan Cuskelly (Aus)
           11/7,11/7, 11/2 (71m) 
Jonathan Kemp (Eng) bt Graham Bassett (Usa)
            11/9, 11/5, 11/4 (23m)

Joey Barrington (Eng) bt TG Raubenheimer (Rsa)
             11/4, 11/3, 11/6, (37m)
Mark Krajcsak (Hun) bt Ben Oliner (Usa)
             11/1, 11/6, 11/3, (24m)
Omar Abdel Aziz (Egy) bt Ali Anwar Reda (Egy)
            11/7, 11/7, 2/11, 11/8 (55m)
Chris Walker (Eng) bt Eric Galvez (Mex)
             11/9, 11/7, 11/7 (44m)

Simon Rosner (Ger) bt Chris Ryder (Eng)
              9/11, 11/9, 11/4, 11/3 (58m)
Amr Swelim (Egy) bt Bradley Ball (Eng)
              5/11, 12/10, 8/11, 11/2, 11/9 ( 61m)
Tom Richards (Eng) bt Chris Gordon (Usa)
              11/8, 11/7, 11/7 (40m)
Tarek Momen (Egy) bt Gilly Lane (Usa)
              11/9, 11/6, 11/5 (34m)

EN BREF #1
An evening with Hashim

"I managed to frustrate him in the end. I would dearly love to get on the glass court one last time ..."

 

"I had a nice rest over Christmas, I now feel strong, relaxed, and looking forward to the matches to come…"

Yale Club

Yasser El Halaby (Egy) bt Saurav Ghosal (Ind)
       11/8, 6/11, 11/9, 11/4

BRAIN THING?

It was hard to figure out what was going on that court. Yes, Yasser was very accurate, and in particular was able to mix his shots very well, bringing Saurav to the front, and killing the ball in a smashing backhand crosscourt.

But still, Saurav’s brain didn’t seem to be connected at all. He kept playing the wrong shot at the wrong time, far too short, a complete lack of lucidity. So he kept being in the wrong position, and had to run an awful lot from far far away…

An excellent performance from an Egyptian – yes, another one - I had never seen playing, who delighted his American supporters with a well deserved victory.

"I’m now a touring pro here in America. I was a British Junior Champion, and I went on the circuit when I was 16, got to 68th. Then I left to study philosophy in the US, in Princeton, and played a lot with Julian Illingworth, who was playing College squash in Yale. I was lucky enough to become College National Champion four times in a row, from '03 to '06, which had never been done before.

"I’m trying to play as many matches as possible, but you don’t get that many opportunities in the US. Still, I’m happy with my movement, my shots, my fitness. I just need to catch up on the matches, as the lack of competition interferes with my concentration. But today was a good match, and certainly a good start to the year!"

"My legs were just too heavy, I don’t know why, I had a pretty light week, so there is no reason why. I’m shocked myself, I need to figure that one out…

"The court was very bouncy, and you had to work very hard. And although the pace was not that fast, I just couldn’t volley or cut the shots as I normally do.. And I was trying to figure out what was going on as I was playing..

"He played very well, he took his chance, playing in his home club. Oh well, it was the first match of the year… I guess I’ll have to come back next year then!"

Wade Johnstone (Aus) bt Mohammed Abbas (Egy)
          11/5, 8/11, 11/9, 5/2 rtd (24m)

NOPE…

For the second rally, well, lack of it really, I knew that Abbas was not recovered from his injury. He hardly played the first game, and although he did his best in the second to place the ball very well, and put his opponent in enough trouble to take that game, it was like he was getting his brain to accept that once again, he would have to stop this match…

”I’ll be OK, I know”, he said afterwards with his little sad smile I’ve come to adore, “it’s just… It’s been a while now, you know…”.

Yes, I know, Abbas, and it’s breaking my heart to see such a talented gentleman crippled by injuries. Like he said, he now has a few days before his next match in the US. Inshallah he be fine by then…

"I got injured before going to Canada, played a couple of matches there, but just couldn’t finish the last match, my right hamstring was just not right. And to still play, I had to overwork the left leg…

"For this tournament, I kept telling myself that I would be ok, I had some pretty good physio treatment, and was hoping I would be fine. But as soon as I started to stretch, I knew it was not right…

"I have two tournaments coming up, so I want to rest now, I have nine days before the next one, and I’ll make sure I’m alright by then…"

"I got injured just after Doha, with what I think was an overstretched tendon, and stayed pretty much all of November and December without playing, but still doing the fitness job.

"I was pretty lucky there, as Abbas was not moving at his best, but still, his racquet skills are quite amazing, and I had to keep pushing, and pushing. Still, at 1/1, I did get worried…"

Wade Johnstone

"I tried hard, although I didn’t get the result I was hoping for…

"But I’m happy with my performance, as I was out for the past two months with a hamstring injury, and as this is my first match back.

"Yes, I feel that my game has improved, and that’s thanked to the work I’ve been doing with Mike Roberts, from Hartford. Also, I’m playing with David Palmer in Boston, which is a great opportunity.

"At the moment, it’s like I have elements in my game that are quite positive, it’s all about trying to put them together!

"But today, it was so beautiful for me to play here, where I learned squash and played all my junior career, in front of people I not only know but also care about, and who know me quite well, that was a fantastic moment for me…"

Tom Richards (Eng) bt Chris Gordon (Usa)
              11/8, 11/7, 11/7 (40m)

IS THAT “BEING IN THE RED”????

One thing is sure, American Chris Gordon gave it every drop of energy he had tonight. My Lord that boy fought hard, and never ever gave up, and although led at the start of each game quite significantly, kept clawing back, wining some gruelling hard run, well thought, and perfectly executed rallies.

Chris was all red today, from his outfit to his face, that turned to extreme red from the second rally. We could all see how he never let his recent lack of matches take the better of his mental process. He kept varying the game, getting Tom doing what he hates doing, rallying….

Like Tom, I was impressed with Chris’ short game, in particular with his backhand counterdrop that stuck to that wall, and won him a few well deserved points.

Add to that they are two tall boys who luuuuve volleying, and attacking, and the result was a very entertaining match, and if the Englishman never really seemed under real threat, it was far too close for comfort. Tom will be glad to have escaped from that one in three, but Chris has got to be proud of an excellent mental performance, where he was able to apply the new game he’s been working on in training under extreme pressure… That’s the name of the game, isn’t it?

"That was a tough match back!

"I was a bit impatient to begin with, and I was getting frustrated with myself as I was drifting in and out of concentration…

"Chris fought well, he dug in, although I never really felt I was going to lose that match, I was always 1, 2 points ahead, and felt like.. “I had him”..!!!

"But I must say he impressed me, he played very well. I played him last year about the same time, and his game has improved an awful lot, in particular his short game, much much better…"

Tarek Momen (Egy) bt Gilly Lane (Usa)
              11/9, 11/6, 11/5 (34m)

AN AMERICAN ANDY WHIPP!

As I was watching that 23 year old boy I never saw playing before, I was thinking of the French expression for him, “Chien Fou”, which led me to the translation of it, “Mad Dog”. “Mad Dog Whippy”! Of course, that’s who Gilly reminded me of, bless both of them….

Well, they’ve got in common a great attack game, good fitness, lovely personality, excellent reading of the game, and fast hands. And the “I connect my brain, now I disconnect my brain, and I connect my brain….”

As Tarek lacked a bit of accuracy at times – as he tends to do, unless he is in front of his own crowd playing the world number two and beating him in the first round of a big tournament – it was an up and down match, with good rallies, past pace, lots of reflex shots and nice volleying, but also far too many unforced errors.

Still, Tarek’s famous touch and fast movement prevailed. Shame Gilly doesn’t get to grip with his concentration. I believe he’ll be a fine player if/when he does.

"I’m originally from Philadelphia, but I’ve been training in Amsterdam for a year now, with Tommy Berden and Lucas Buit. They both make me work on my all around game, and try to emphasise the mental side of the game, how to be more strong mentally during a match, as it was really their strength as players, how they could grind their opponent down…

"Today was a bit of a typical match for me, I started well, and gradually, it became more and more difficult…"

"I’m feeling well, and that surprises me actually! I had some tough exams that ended on the 21st January, and had only 18 days to prepare myself for this trip. And really I’m pleasantly surprise with my performance last week.

"Today, I had a few blisters, and I started to think about that a bit too much while in the game, and made a few errors, I didn’t feel that confident. But then I started to relax, and found my shots again…

"I’m so happy to be here, I passed my exams, and being here is my reward really…"

Joey Barrington - first on
and quickly through

Limited viewing at Yale

Matt Lombardi
at the Yale Club ...

Mark Krajcsak (Hun) bt Ben Oliner (Usa)
             11/1, 11/6, 11/3, (24m)

A one-sided match -  Mark took up residence on the T and moved Ben around for 24 minutes. The only points he lost were a result of his own errors.

It was a classic demonstration of the difference between a competitive former U.S. college player and a genuine pro.

Omar Abdel Aziz (Egy) bt Ali Anwar Reda (Egy)
            11/7, 11/7, 2/11, 11/8 (55m)

The most competitive match of the evening. For much of the match Reda was the aggressor, dictating the pace of play, while Aziz remained patient and error-free, counterattacking when he found the opportunity. The difference was that, at the end of each game, Aziz maintained his composure.

In Game one, Aziz won a long, brilliant rally to go up 9-7, and then took the final two points on strokes. In Game two, from 6-6 Reda tinned four balls to give away the game. Game three, Aziz lost his focus and hit one loose ball after another, which Reda made quick work of. Game four, both players were tiring, the number of lets skyrocketed, but Aziz managed to play his best squash when he needed it most.

At 6-6 he ended a long rally with a perfect length to the back right corner, and he won the next two points with untouchable forehand nicks. The match ended with a brutal service winner - a rolling nick off the back wall.

Chris Walker (Eng) bt Eric Galvez (Mex)
             11/9, 11/7, 11/7 (44m)

This match was played at about half the pace of Aziz/Reda. Walker lofted the ball deep to the corners and waited for Galvez errors, which were plentiful.

In their first game, Chris Walker bloodied his nose. Play had to stop, and a court attendant had to wipe the blood up off the court.

In the third game Walker started going short, and Galvez didn't have any answers - he was visibly frustrated. It was an impressive display of cunning and skill on Chris's part, but Eric must have something more to his game than he showed last night.

It's worth noting that the matches were dispute-free, and all of the players showed model behaviour. If the same holds true for the Aziz-Walker match tonight, it can be counted as a squash miracle.

TOC Qualifiers at StreetSquash
from Satya Seshadri,
StreetSquash Squash Director

Kashif Shuja (NZL) bt Adil Maqbool (PAK)
       11-8, 11-9, 11-8

Kashif seemed strong from the word go. He was too strong today for Adil who seemed to be having trouble with his movement on court today. Seemed like he had an ankle injury before he came here. However, he did come up with some amazing nicks and deep lengths in his straight game loss to Kashif.

Overall, Kashif was too strong and he looks like he is in good form, covering the T well and volleying most of the balls before they reach the back. Should have a good match with Selby tomorrow.

Daryl Selby (ENG) bt Scott Arnold (AUS)
        11-7,12-10,6-11,5-11,14-12

What a match!! WOOH, that was my expression and several people around me…Daryl won the first two games with relative ease and he looked in solid form with his recent win in Vancouver.

However, game 3 looked like Daryl was trying to get his breath back and gave it away 6-11…and that’s when during the break Rodney martin Arnold’s Coach/mentor gave him words of inspiration or something. Game 4 we saw a completely different Arnold, attacking and moving Selby all over the court. He seemed to control the T well and put pressure on Selby. Although, it did look like Selby was holding his hamstring during the game, do not know if it got too tight in the match. Arnold wins game four 11-5.

Enter the decider, and this was time for who held their nerves and who was mentally stronger. Selby looked like he would put his twitch on his hamstring aside and come firing but it was Arnold who had taken a 3-1 lead in the fifth. After few more long rallies the momentum switched and we have Selby leading 5-4 in the fifth. From there it was 7-7 and then 8-8, another long rally and we have Arnold leading 9-8 in the fifth.

Selby looked exhausted but held his nerve to make it 9-9. We were in for a treat, at 9-9 Arnold hits an unbelievable nick from the far backhand corner and it is 10-9 match ball Arnold. Both players look real tired but Arnold and Selby were going for every ball. A lose shot from Arnold in the front and Selby tricks him with a deceptive trickle boast and it’s 10 all. Within seconds a quick winner by Selby the next rally and he led 11-10 match ball Selby.

Arnold knew he came back from 2 games down and did not give up and made it 11-11 all with a real tight shot down the line on the backhand corner which forced Selby to make an error. We were in for another long rally at 12 all but in the end Selby forced Arnold to hit a lose shot in the middle of the court and Selby hit a beautiful drop into the forehand nick. 13-12 match ball Selby. The crowd saw a number of long rallies and the last point of the match that is exactly what happened, before Arnold was forced to hit an error. Game and match Daryl Selby.

It was a wonderful performance by both players and they seemed to be running for every ball in the last game. In the end the “in form” Daryl Selby was at the winning end.

Simon Rosner (GER) bt
Chris Ryder (ENG)
       9-11, 11-9, 11-4, 11-3

The first game started off with long rallies with Chris looking like he had the momentum on his side. He won the first won 11-9. The second was another long game with both players exchanging hand relatively slow.

However, Simon won the second 11-9, in the third and fourth Simon had taken complete control of the game and moved Chris all over the court with excellent drops and superb lengths and won both with ease 11-4 and 11-3 respectively. However, in my opinion Chris looked real solid in the first and everyone in the crowd thought that he would win the match with the way he was moving Simon around all over the court and controlling the “T”.

In the end Simon seemed to be the better player that day and pulled off a 3-1 win.

Amr Swelim (EGY) bt
Bradley Ball (ENG)
    5-11, 12-10, 8-11, 11-2, 11-9

Another great match to wrap up the day. I have never seen Bradley Ball play, but he was in superb form. This guy has unreal racket skills. The first game he was toying Amr all over the court and made him look like a novice.

The second Amr got his groove on and came back from 5-3 down to win the game 12-10. In the third Bradley hit some good drop shots but Amr seemed to pick them all up. Amr moves so well on the court, he picks up every ball but Bradley was just too strong, he hit some nicks, deception shots and caught Amr off guard in several occasions. It seemed like Bradley would win this match. However, Amr had other plans, after a quick 4-2 lead in the fourth by Amr it seemed like Bradley would fight back, but he needed a breather and just went for nicks from the back and threw the fourth away 11-2.

We were in for another 5th game match. The final game saw both of them running for every ball and trying their best, but it was Amr’s beautiful court coverage and movement that frustrated Bradley and Amr won the fifth 11-9.

Another great match for everyone who was there at StreetSquash. What a great day in the qualifiers!!!

Yale Club