|
|
Cleveland US Men’s Team Selection Event
May 2006:
Nathan Dugan reports ... photos by Holly Smedira |
 In
May 2006 Cleveland Racquet Club became the venue for some of
the best players in the US game of squash. Although not a large
draw, the field was strong for the selection event with five of the
countries top ten present. |
|
QUARTERS
Mike Puertas bye
Chris Gordon bt
John Fulham
7/9, 9/1, 9/7, 9/0
Jamie Crombie bt
Beau River
9/3, 9/1, 9/1
Ryan Donegan bye |
 |
Quarter-Finals:
The scoreline of the first match
of the event between Beau River and Jamie Crombie was
not a true reflection on the length of the match. It took Crombie,
head Pro at the Cincinnati Country Club, 25 minutes to get his first
game ball at 8-1. River rallied back to 8-3 before the Chicagoan
went down 9-3 in just under 30 minutes.
Crombie maintained control of the match from the restart working
River around the back of the court, then dragging his 6’5 frame to
the front with a number of Forehand boasts. It was a tired looking
River who came away losing the second and third games 9-1, 9-1 to
set Crombie up with a semi-final match with Ryan Donegan.
Christopher Gordon was the last to take his place in the
final four defeating John Fulham in a rematch of their U/23
semi-final last month. This time around however, Gordon didn’t have
it all his own way. Fulham, the youngest player in the draw at 18,
started off the brighter of the two young American prospects.
Keeping the ball tight on the backhand wall and then using his
volley drops to good effect, he was setting the early pace by
exposing Gordon’s steady play and forcing him to do a lot of
retrieving. Gordon’s tenacity was paying off however as Fulham was
starting to show signs of fatigue, leaving him looking extremely
relieved to sneak the game 9-7.
Fulham was not able to sustain the pace he showed in the first game
allowing Gordon to gain control, running out a comfortable 9-1
victor to tie the match. Gordon didn’t get it completely his own way
in the third though as Fulham gave a last ditch effort to stay in
the match.
Fulham picked the pace back up causing Gordon all sorts of problems
at the front of the court, but again tired he allowed Gordon to
prevailed 9-7. This proved to be the crushing blow. Gordon came out
strong in the fourth and a slightly demoralized looking Fulham
subdued to a 9-0 defeat. |
Semi-Finals
Mike Puertas bt Chris Gordon
9/6, 9/6, 9/6
Jamie Crombie bt Ryan Donegan
9/3, 9/3, 9/5 |
The first of the semi-final matches
was an eagerly awaited affair between Jamie Crombie and
Ryan Donegan.
Donegan has been using the Cleveland Racquet Club as a US training
base for the past six months since English Pro Nathan Dugan became
the Squash Director this past December. Even though familiar with
the club and his surroundings, it was Donegan who looked the more
nervous at the start of the match. Crombie raced to a 5-0 lead
before Donegan found any rhythm and was able to make any impression
on Crombie’s fast pace, yet patient style of play.
Any rhythm Donegan did find was short lived as a mixture of unforced
errors and poor lengths allowed Crombie to take a 9-3, 9-3 lead. The
third started out more promisingly for the young Dartmouth graduate,
he started to display his potential in taking a 4-1 lead by playing
some controlled squash, leaving Crombie, for the first time in the
match showing signs of frustration.
Crombie didn’t have to worry for long as he was back at 5-5 in a
matter of minutes. Crombie’s experience and patience combined with
the Donegan’s lack of both turned the game round securing Crombie
with a place in the final with a 9-5 victory.
Christopher Gordon upset the seeding at Nationals in March when he
defeated the countries second ranked player, Mike Puertas, in a five
game thriller. In Cleveland he was not to have the same joy.
Puertas, the newly appointed Athletic Director of the St. Louis
Racquet Club gained his revenge in three straight games, 9-6, 9-6,
9-6. In previous encounters the two players have had very tight and
physical battles, one leaving Puertas suffering a broken rib or two.
This was to prove no different as it took 79 minutes and a sore
ankle for Puertas to come away with the victory. The pattern of the
match took shape from the start, Puertas would maintain most of the
T control while his younger opponent of some 20 years would use his
youth to scamper form corner to corner, using all of his long reach
in the process.
At points of the match Gordon was working so hard his expression
made the crowd think he was going to need a bucket, but he showed
the character that has taken him into the world’s top 100, by
picking up where he had left off in the previous rally, forcing
Puertas to win the point again and again.
Eventually Gordon slowed as Puertas joined Crombie in the final as
the narrow victor.
|
Final
|
Mike Puertas
bt Jamie Crombie 9/5, 9/0, 9/3 |
The
statistics of the two finalists were quite staggering. They
boasted 20 years of professional world tour experience between
them and 27 world tour victories. Both had career high world
rankings of 30 and have won medals at the Pan American Games.
Puertas and Crombie had used their experience to get this far but
who would prevail in the final?
 Puertas
went into the final nursing a sore Achilles so he played a very
different style of play from the day before. Against Gordon we saw
pace on the ball, now we were seeing lobs and drops but all with
devastating accuracy. This broke the rhythm of Crombie who’s fast
pace of play was unable to make an impression, the first game
going from his grasp 9-0 in only five minutes.
Crombie got into the match in the second but was still clearly
frustrated by the continual use of the height of the court that
Puertas was using. Puertas took the second 9-5 and Crombie was
still left contemplating a way to make an impression.
The third picked up at the same slow tempo and Puertas was soon
celebrating a 3-0 victory after taking it 9-3 after being on the
court less than 30 minutes.
|
|
More US Squash Events |
|
