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 Kiva
Club Open 2015
15-20 Sep, Santa Fe, Usa, $5k |
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20-Sep,
Final:
[1] Chris Hanson (Usa) 3-1 Jesus Camacho (Mex)
11/9, 4/11, 11/7, 11/4 (60m)
Hanson claim first title in Santa Fe
Matt Wilson reports
No. 1 seed Chris Hanson won his
first PSA tournament on Sunday, beating the unseeded Jesus Camacho
at the Kiva Club Open in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
 Hanson,
who is 24-years-old, beat the 17-year-old Camacho in four games,
11-9, 4-11, 11-7, 11-4.
Through out the match, both players tended to hit to their
opponent's backhands. Because Hanson is a lefty and Camacho is a
righty, this meant a lot of crosscourts.
 Hanson
jumped to 6-1 lead in the first game, but Camacho battled back to
trail by two at 4-6. Hanson reasserted himself to go ahead 8-4, but
Camacho battled back again and again to trail by two at 6-8 and 7-9
-- and then it tied it up at 9-9.
Camacho tinned an overhead backhand to make it 9-10, then Hanson hit
a drop that Camacho couldn't reach. Game to Hanson, 11-9. It took 18
minutes.
 The
second game was all Camacho. He jumped to a 9-2 lead, frustrating
Hanson by retrieving every shot. Hanson won two more points with
drops that Camacho couldn't reach, but Camacho returned the favor at
game point to win it 11-4. It was a 10-minute game.
Both players changed to clean shirts for the third game, and both
players started even, trading points to make it 4-4. Then Camacho
tinned four shots in a row to trail 4-8 before hitting a tight, low
rail that Hanson couldn't reach.
 But
Hanson kept the pressure on, and got to game point at 10-6. He took
the game, 11-7, in 14 minutes.
Camacho changed his shirt for the fourth game. With Hanson leading
4-3, Camacho slipped, missed a return and sat on the court with a
leg cramp. Within a few minutes he was back up, racing about the
court, but Hanson rushed ahead with five straight points to make it
9-3.
 Hanson
took the game, 11-4, and the match, three games to one.
The match lasted exactly an hour.
Hanson had only been tested in the tournament in his semi-final
match against qualifier Ahmad Alzabidi, which went to five games.
Hanson's other matches were quick, three-game affairs against
unseeded players. Camacho's route to the finals went through three
seeded players -- No.2 Fred Reid, No 8. Auguste Dussourd and No. 4
Faraz Khan.
|
|
  Kiva
Club Open 2015
15-20 Sep, Santa Fe, Usa, $5k |
Round One
17 Sep |
Quarters
18 Sep |
Semis
19 Sep |
Final
20 Sep |
[1] Chris Hanson (Usa)
11/3, 11/2, 11/2
Mark Broekman (Eng) |
[1] Chris Hanson
11/3, 11/4, 11/4
[LL] Italo Bonatti |
[1] Chris Hanson
11/9, 7/11, 9/11, 11/9, 11/7
[Q] Ahmad Albazadi |
[1] Chris Hanson
11/9, 4/11, 11/7, 11/4 (60m)
Jesus Camacho
 |
[LL] Italo Bonatti (Gua)
11/7, 11/8, 7/11, 7/11, 11/8
Jon Geekie (Sco) |
[6] Diego Gobbi (Bra)
11/8, 11/8, 8/11, 8/11, 11/6
[Q] Ahmad Albazadi (Jor) |
[Q] Ahmad Albazadi
6/11, 11/5, 11/8, 11/7
[Q] Juan Dominguez |
[3] Babatunde Ajagbe (Ngr)
13/11, 11/6, 1/11, 11/8
[Q] Juan Dominguez (Mex) |
Mauricio Sedano (Gua)
11/6, 11/3, 11/4
[4] Faraz Khan (Usa) |
[4] Faraz Khan
11/5, 11/6, 11/6
[7] Anthony Graham |
[4] Faraz Khan
8/11, 11/3, 11/4, 12/10
Jesus Camacho |
[Q] Dylan Cunningham (Usa)
11/8, 9/11, 11/7, 11/9
[7] Anthony Graham (Eng) |
[Q] Sam Gould (Usa)
11/4, 11/4, 11/6
[8] Auguste Dussourd (Fra) |
[8] Auguste Dussourd
6/11, 11/5, 11/8, 11/8
Jesus Camacho |
Jesus Camacho (Mex)
11/4, 11/5, 11/9
[2] Fred Reid (Can) |
16-Sep, Qualifying Finals:
Sam Gould (Usa)
3-0
Heraclio Salaiz Estrada (Mex)
11/8, 11/7, 11/3
Ahmad Alzabidi (Jor) 3-0 Drewe Williams (Usa)
11/1, 11/6, 11/6
Dylan Cunningham (Usa) 3-0 Tom Abrams (Usa)
11/5, 11/3, 11/3
Juan Gomez Dominguez (Mex) 3-0
Italo Bonatti (Gua) 11/6, 11/5, 11/7
15-Sep, Qualifying Round One:
Sam Gould (Usa) 3-0 Sean Gallagher (Usa)
11/4, 11/3, 11/4
Drewe Williams (Usa) 3-1 Bryan Bonilla (Gua)
11/5, 11/6, 5/11, 13/11
Tom Abrams (Usa) 3-0 Walter Burke (Usa)
11/9, 11/9, 11/9
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19-Sep, Semis:
Top seed to face top junior in Santa Fe final
Top seed Chris Hanson and unseeded Jesus Camacho reach the final
in Santa Fe, where one of them will win their first PSA title ...
Matt Wilson reports
 No.
1. seed Chris Hanson was severely tested by unseeded Ahmad
Alzabidi Saturday, but Hanson squeaked out a five-game
semi-final win at the Kiva Club Open in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Hanson, a left-hander who is the current world No. 85, has been cool
and surgical on the court during this Kiva Club Open, but Alzabidi
quickly ruffled him by asking the referee for lets. Before the
match's first point, there were two lets. And the first point was a
stroke.
Between the complaining, there were many long rallies and
wonderfully athletic points from both players.
Alzabidi, a lefty who is world No. 304, varied his speed, mixing
soft shots with smashes, but Hanson was the more consistent and
patient.
 Alzabidi
eventually worked his way to a 9-7 lead, but Hanson battled back,
got a "no-let" call to make it 9-9, and won the next two points and
the game, 11-9.
The second game picked up where the first left off, as both players
argued their cases.
With the game tied 5-5, Alzabidi hit a winning shot, then turned to
the referee and yelled, "No let! No way!"
"I didn't even ask for one," Hanson yelled back.
Alzabidi took the next two points, and never lost the lead, winning
the game, 11-7.
In the third game, both players slowed the pace, using more lobs and
off-speed shots. And they even agreed on a let call.
Alzabidi took the first three points, and Hanson the next three.
 The
game tied at 3-3, 4-4, 5-5 and 7-7. Then Hanson got a stroke call
and Alzabidi hit the tin with a smash to give Hanson a 9-7 lead.
Alzabidi then played patiently, hitting rails until he had a chance
for a winner. He won the next three points to get to game point, and
Hanson tinned a possible winner to give Alzabidi the game, 11-9.
Hanson changed his shirt before the start of the fourth game and
jumped to 4-1 lead. Alzabidi interrupted Hanson's serving rhythm by
adjusting his shoes and circling the court. He won two points before
Hanson hit a perfect forehand drop to make it 5-3.
Hanson stretched the lead to 10-4 with the help of three unforced
errors by Alazibidi. Alzabidi tinned at game point to give Hanson
the game, 11-4, and tie the match at two games apiece.
Alzabidi tried to speed the pace at the beginning of the fifth, but
Hanson blunted the tactic with his quickness.
Both players renewed their "let/no let" arguments.
After the game was tied at 5-5, the arguments became more heated,
but Hanson edged ahead, finally taking the game, 11-7, to win the
match.
 In
the second semi-final unseeded 17-year-old Jesus Camacho
upset 22-year-old No. 4 seed Faraz Khan in a thrilling
four-game match.
The first game lasted 15 minutes, with many long rallies as both
players tested the other with a mix of shots. The drop shot was much
in evidence with both players following a drop with a drop, often
leading to three or four drops in a row.
The difference in the game was unforced errors: Camacho made several
more than Khan, and he lost the game, 11-8.
In the second game, Camacho's play became more consistent and he
took a commanding 8-1 lead. He hunted down and returned every Khan
shot and made no errors.
 He
won the second game, 11-3, in 10 minutes.
Camacho changed his shirt to start the third game, but didn't change
his intensity. He took a 3-0 lead, frustrating Khan by retrieving
absolutely every shot. Khan fought back, getting even at 4-4.
Camacho then ran off seven straight points with flawless play to
take the game, 11-4, in 12 minutes.
Camcho changed his shirt again for the fourth game, setting a record
for shirt changes in a single Kiva Club Open match.
 The
fourth game started with both players hitting to all four corners,
making their opponent run. Neither player could pull ahead. The game
tied at 3-3, 5-5, 6-6, 8-8, 9-9 and 10-10. At 10-10, there were five
let calls in a row.
Camacho finally hit a winning drop to get it to match point, 11-10.
This was followed by another let, then Camacho hit a winning
backhand crosscourt to perfect length, winning the game, 12-10, and
the match, three games to one.
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The Kiva Club Open
is a first-time tournament, and has $5,000 in prize money.
The tournament is being played at a private squash club in Santa Fe,
New Mexico.
The club has about 120 members.
Santa Fe’s elevation is 7,000 feet, so players are using a
high-altitude ball.
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18-Sep, Quarters:
Surprise semi-finalists in Santa Fe
While top seed Chris Hanson and fourth seed Faraz Khan made it
safely through to the semi-finals of Kiva Club Open in high-altitude Santa Fe,
both face unexpected opposition in the last four ...
Matt Wilson reports
 No. 1 seed Chris Hanson needed just 27 minutes to sweep past
unseeded Italo Bonatti in the quarterfinals of the Kiva Club Open in
Santa Fe, New Mexico.
 Hanson won 11-3, 11-4, 11-4. He dominated the T, hitting tight rails
deep and cutting off lose balls. He was patient and made very few
errors, allowing Bonatti to make the mistakes under unrelenting
pressure.
 In
a battle of two unseeded players, Ahmad Alzabidi edged Juan
Gomez Dominguez in a 51-minute, four-game match.
The players traded the first two games, with Gomez Dominguez taking
the first, 11-6, and Alzabidi the second, 11-5. Gomez Dominguez
dominated the first, making few errors and out-hustling Alzabidi.
Alzabidi returned the favor is the second game, changing the pace,
mixing fast and slow serves and hitting good drives to length.
 The
third game turned into a on-court debate about lets and strokes,
with both players working the referee and playing to the crowd. The
debate was interrupted by complaints about the court floor being
slippery, and play was delayed for a damp-mopping.
When play resumed, Alzabidi kept altering his pace, floating lobs to
the back of the court along with smashing his rails and crosses.
Alzabidi eventually took the game, 11-8. It wasn't pretty or fluid
squash.
The final game was similar, with Alzabidi mixing the pace of his
shots and both players appealing lets. Alzabidi won, 11-7.
 No.
4 seed Faraz Khan dispatched No. 7 seed Anthony Graham in
three hard-fought games.
Khan took the first game, 11-5. That game was filled with long
rallies, with both players mixing speeds and lengths. The game
lasted 13 minutes. Khan jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the second game.
His ability to out-last Graham in rallies began to show -- and to
frustrate Graham.
 Graham
slowed play between points, and drew within three points at 9-6
before making two errors to lose the game, 11-6. That put him behind
two games to none. The second game lasted 9 minutes.
 The
third game was delayed a few minutes when Graham slipped and fell.
He had been leading 5-4, but lost a point with his slip to tie the
game. As he rested on the court, he joked about a let and then asked
that the damp spot he created on the court be mopped.
He won just one more point, and Khan took the final game, 11-6, in
11 minutes.
 In
match of young talent and wiry frames, unseeded 17-year-old Jesus
Camacho defeated No. 8 seed Andre Dussourd. Dussourd is 19 years
old.
Camacho won the 1-hour, 11-minute match three games to one. Dussourd
took the first game, 11-6. He jumped to a 5-0 lead. Camacho seemed
nervous, and missed several early shots. He settled down after
winning two points, but never got closer than three points,
eventually losing 11-6 after 15 minutes of play.
 There
was some arguing with -- or at least making faces at -- the referee
over lets and strokes during the first game, and that accelerated
and became more verbal in the second.
The second game was tied at 3-3, 4-4 and 5-5. After the three ties,
the players seemed to find their rhythms and began playing through
bumps and touches rather than debating.
Comacho switched to a higher gear, running the court and returning
everything. He didn't lose another point, and took the 13-minute
game, 11-5. That tied the match at one game a piece.
In the third game, Camacho jumped to a 3-0 lead, then made two
unforced errors to make it 3-2. He then ran off four straight points
to make it 7-2. Doussard finally got within two at 10-8.
 On
a ferocious 10-8 game point, Dossuord ran into Comacho trying to
reach a drop shot. He hit the back of Comacho's leg with his knee.
Play stopped for a few minutes as Comacho's leg was iced.
Comacho showed no ill effects, winning the next point on a long
rally along with the game, 11-8. It was a 29-minute game.
As the fourth game started, both players clearly were tiring. With
Dossourd leading 4-3, he took a spill chasing a drive to his
forehand corner. Play was suspended for about three minutes, giving
both players a rest. The players then tied at 6-6, but then Camacho
won three in a row with crisp play before Dussourd won a point,
making it 9-7.
The players traded points to make it 10-8, then Camacho hit a winner
to take the game, 11-8 -- and the match, three games to one. |
Kiva's oldest - and founder - member Bud Kelly. At 94 he still plays
twice a week!
The Kiva Club Open
is a first-time tournament, and has $5,000 in prize money.
The tournament is being played at a private squash club in Santa Fe,
New Mexico.
The club has about 120 members.
Santa Fe’s elevation is 7,000 feet, so players are using a
high-altitude ball.
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17-Sep, Round One:
Qualifiers advance in Santa Fe
Round one of the Kiva Club Open in high-altitude Santa Fe saw two
qualifiers, one unseeded player, and a Lucky Loser advance to the
quarter-finals ...
Matt Wilson reports
 Top
seed Chris Hanson easily defeated unseeded Mark Broekman,
11-3, 11-2, 11-2, in the first round of the Kiva Club Open's main
draw on Thursday.
The left-handed Hanson, who is currently No. 85 in the world,
controlled the middle and forced Broekman into many early errors.
Hanson lives in Greenwich, Connecticut. Broekman, who is ranked No.
215 in the world and stands 6-feet, 5-inches tall, is from
Cheltenham in the United Kingdom.
 Italo
Bonatti took more than an hour to beat Jon Geekie. Bonatti, from
Guatemala City, Guatemala, won the first two games, 11-7 and 11-8 as
he mixed his shots well and caught the left-handed Geekie off-guard
several times in the first game.
In the second game, Bonatti started
hitting deeper, and when Geekie attempted drops, Bonatti turned them
into winners.
In the third game, Bonatti took a 7-3 lead, but, facing elimination,
Geekie won the next 8 points and took the game 11-7.
Geekie, who lives in Lee on Solent in the United Kingdom and plays
for Scotland, won the next two games, 11-7 and 11-8. Geekie
increased his power and improved his shot mix. Bonatti seemed to
lose concentration and gave up three strokes in the fourth game.
 By
this time, both players were arguing lets and strokes with the
referee.
The final game was tense. Geekie made several unforced errors and
Gould himself down 4-9. He then rallied to 8-10 before getting beat
on a deep cross off a drop shot.
Geekie was unseeded in the main draw, while Bonatti was seeded No.2
in the qualifying draw. He lost to Mexican Juan Gomez Dominguez, but
drew a slot in the main draw as a "lucky loser" when No. 5 seed
Nicholas Cabellero withdrew from the tournament.
 Unseeded
Ahmad Alzabidi won a hard-fought victory over No. 6 seed Diego
Gobbi. Alzabidi, who is ranked No. 304 in the world, won the first
two games, 11-8 and 11-8, but the 203-pound left-hander seemed to
tire toward the end of the second game.
Gobbi, who is ranked No. 197 in the world, took next two games, 11-8
and 11-8.
 Alzabidi
slowed the game down by making Gobbi delay his serve, but the
159-pound Gobbi remained fleet of foot and won points by tracking
down and returning every shot.
Alzabidi, who is from Amman, Jordan, and was ranked world No. 149 in
December 2011, won the last game, 11-6.
The game was tied 4-4 when Alazbidi won three straight points,
including a stroke on a Gobbi drop to give him a 7-4 lead. "Yes!"
Alzabidi yelled, pumping his fist at the stroke call.
Gobbi, who is from San Paulo, Brasil, managed just two more points
as Alzabidi steamed to the finish line.
 Unseeded
Juan Gomez Dominguez upset No. 3 seed Babatunde Ajagbe. Gomez
Dominguez, 19, won the first two games, 13-11 and 11-6, and seemed
to have the match in hand.
Ajagbe, a 28-year-old Nigeria, seemed exhausted, frequently bending
over to gulp oxygen.
 But
Ajagbe made it a match, winning the third game 11-1.
But Gomez Dominguez, who is from Vera Cruz, Mexico, closed out the
match, winning the fourth game, 11-8.
No. 4 seed Faraz Khan easily dispatched unseeded Maurico
Sedano. The 22-year-old took the first game 11-6, both he and the
24-year-old Sedano were hitting hard and deep.
 The
second game opened with a brutal first rally that ended when Khan
nailed Sedano with an attempted cross-court. The two players
exchanged words, and that added an edge to the rest of the match.
Khan, from Old Greenwich, Connecticut, than ran up a 5-1 lead.
Sedano, who is from Guatemala City, Guatemala, doggedly retrieved
shots, but Kahn extended his lead to 10-3 before Sedano tinned to
give Khan the win.
In the final game, Khan was his most creative, moving the ball
around the court and taking advantage of his chances up front. Khan
won the game 11-4 and took the match.
 No.
7 seed Anthony Graham defeated unseeded Dylan Cunningham in a
brutally physical match that ended without the players shaking
hands.
The 25-year-old Graham won the match three games to one 11-8, 9-11,
11-7 11-9.
The games were filled with jostling and complaints about jostling,
and the younger Cunningham was the most aggrieved. When the match
ended, he declined to shake hands with Graham.
 No.
8 seed Auguste Dussourd easily defeated unseeded Sam Gould.
Dussourd, a 19-year-old Frenchman, won the match in three quick
games, 11-4, 11-4, 11-6.
Dussourd is world No. 248. Gould, a 26-year-old from Cambridge, MA,
is world No. 310.
 Unseeded
teenage phenom Jesus Camacho swept past No. 2 seed Fred Reid.
Camacho, a 17-year-old from Cuautitlan Izcali, Mexico, beat Reid
with finesse, speed and the ability to retrieve every shot hit at
him.
The game scores were 11-4, 11-5 and 11-9 with Reid, a 25-year-old
Canadian, making many unforced errors.
|
 15-Sep:
Qualifying complete in Santa Fe
Matt Wilson reports
The final four qualifying matches of the Kiva Club Open were played
Wednesday evening in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
 In
the first match, Sam Gould upset Heraclio Salaiz Estrada
in three games, 11-8, 11-7, 11-3.
The 26-year-old Gould is ranked No. 310 in the world. He controlled
the match with accurate rails, especially on the backhand side. He
dominated the third game, winning the last four points and running
off a string of five in a row before that.
 Gould
lives in Cambridge, MA, and was the No. 6 seed in the qualifying
draw.
Salaiz Estrada, 29, is based in Phoenix, AZ, but plays for Mexico
(he was born in Chihuahua, Mexico). He is currently ranked 257 in
the world, and was the No. 1 seed in the qualifying draw.
 In
the second match, Ahmad Alzabidi, a big left-hander who lives
in Washington, DC, and plays for Jordan, took apart Drewe
Williams, the Kiva Club pro and hometown favorite, in three
straight games, 11-1, 11-6, 11-6.
 Alzabidi
is 6-feet 2-inches tall and weighs 203 pounds, but he danced around
the court like a bantam-weight boxer.
Alzabidi mixed brutal fast-paced drives with delicate drops to
control play, making the 37-year-old Williams work to stay in every
point.
Alzabidi, 26, is currently ranked 304 in the world. His highest
ranking was 149 in December 2011. He was the No. 3 seed in the
qualifying draw.
 In
the third match Dylan Cunningham, a lanky 21-year-old from
Cleveland, Ohio, ran 53-year-old Tom Abrams all over the
court, winning in three easy games, 11-5, 11-3, 11-3.
Cunningham, who is ranked 326 in the world and was the No. 4 seed in
the qualifying draw, dominated the T, using his 6-foot, 4-inch frame
to cut off shots and pressure Abrams.
 As
he left the court after the first game, Abrams, who is a Santa Fe
realtor, said, "I'm breathing, sort of." (Such are the
effects of Santa Fe's thin air -- the city is 7,000 feet above sea
level -- especially when you are a 53-year-old playing a
21-year-old.)
The afternoon's final game was the most competitive and intense.
 Juan
Gomez Dominguez, a 19-year-old from Vera Cruz, Mexico, defeated
28-year-old Italo Bonatti from Guatemala City, Guatemala,
11-6, 11-5, 11-7.
Both players worked the referee, complaining about lets, and Gomez
Dominguez complained that Bonatti was slowing down play between
serves.
 Gomez
Dominguez is the current world No. 361 and was the No. 5 seed in the
qualifying draw.
Bonatti is ranked 267 and was the No. 2 seed in the qualifying draw
[and made the main draw as a 'lucky loser' after the withdrawal of
Nicolas Caballero].
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15-Sep:
Locals star in Santa Fe qualifying
Matt Wilson reports
The Kiva Club Open featured three qualifying matches Tuesday
afternoon, all involving local players.
 In
the first match, Sam Gould easily handled Sean Gallagher,
winning in straight games, 11-4, 11-3, 11-4. Gould, a 26-year-old
from Cambridge, MA, is currently ranked 310 in the world and is the
qualifying draw's No. 6 seed. Gallagher, 49, is a wealth manager in
Santa Fe, NM. He is unseeded and unranked.
 In
the second match, Kiva Club squash pro Drewe Williams
defeated No. 7 seed Bryan Bonilla in four games, 11-5, 11-6,
5-11, 13-11.
The 45-minute match had many long rallies, and the final game ended
with several dramatic lead changes.
Williams jumped to a 6-1 lead in that fourth game, but Bonilla came
back to move ahead 7-6. After several ties and more lead changes,
Bonilla found himself with a 10-8 lead and a game point that would
have tied the match at two games apiece.
 But
Williams hit a winning cross-court drop to make it 10-9, then
Bonilla missed a drop to tie it up at 10-10. Williams and Bonilla
traded points to make it 11-11, then Bonilla missed a drop shot to
make it 12-11 and caught the tin at match point, giving Williams the
win.
Bonilla, 23, is currently ranked 339 in the world. He lives in
Guatemala City. Williams, 37, is originally from Chester in England.
He now lives in Santa Fe with his wife and two young sons.
 In
the day's final qualifying match, Tom Abrams defeated
Walter Burke in straight games, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9.
Abrams, 53, is a Santa Fe realtor. Burke, 62, runs a catering
business and is the Kiva Club Open tournament chairman.
 The
tournament continues Wednesday with the final qualifying matches.
The main draw of 16 players starts Thursday with the final on
Sunday.
The Kiva Club Open is a first-time tournament, and has $5,000 in
prize money. The tournament is being played at a private squash club
in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The club has about 120 members. Santa Fe’s elevation is 7,000 feet,
so players are using a high-altitude ball.
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