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 Colony
Ford Lincoln NSA Open 2015
10-15 Aug, Toronto, Canada, $5k |
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15-Aug, Final:
[5] Shahjahan Khan (Pak) 3-2 [2] Arthur Gaskin (Irl)
6/11, 12/10, 11/2, 4/11, 11/7 (69m)
Khan goes one better in Toronto
The final opened with both
players laying out their traditional tactics; Gaskin taking the ball
short liberally with varied pace, and Khan hammering low drives to a
savage width and hunting the crosscourt nick.
 An
early lead for Khan dissipated due to some errors, and Gaskin ran
away with the game 11-6 as the Pakistani continued to attack
prematurely and cut his margins too fine. This trend continued into
the second game, and at 10-7 for the Irishman, it looked like his
experience might pay dividends in this edgy final.
Khan amazingly reeled of five consecutive points though, won the
game, and entirely reset the momentum of the match. He carried this
high into the third and Gaskin hardly featured, only managing two
points in the game as Shah put himself 2-1 up and on the verge of a
first PSA title.
 Arthur
of course had some fight left in him yet, and surged ahead early in
the fourth with trademark assertiveness. Despite leveling the match
at 2-2, Gaskin looked war weary after 60+mins of unrelenting pace
combined with 30 degree temperatures inside the NSA. Khan opened the
fifth with one final injection of hard hitting that pushed Gaskin
over the edge physically.
Despite some nerves and tension at 10-5, Khan was eventually able to
secure his first tournament win on the PSA Tour.
14-Aug, Semis:
Khan makes another NSC final,
Gaskin ends Camacho run ...
Jamie Nicholls
and Mike McCue Report
Pakistan's fifth seed Shahjahan Khan
reached a second successive NSC Open final as he dashed home
hopes by beating Mick McCue in the semis. His opponent in the final
will be Irish second seed Arthur Gaskin, who ended the run of
teenage Mexican qualifier Jesus Camacho.
#4 Shahjahan Khan (Pak) 3-1 Mike McCue (Can)
 With a capacity crowd and triple digits watching on the live
streaming, the first semi final was highly anticipated as Canadian
hopes were left in the hands of the young star Mike McCue against
the hungry Shahjahan Khan.
Khan had been preparing professionally all week, arriving a few days
early, going through his daily glass court routines with coach and
father Zarak Jahan Khan and was determined and focused in the
lead-up to this match. McCue was equally prepared and had the
backing of family and friends cheering him on.
The first game saw Shah set a furious pace with booming drives
straight and cross court while McCue attempted to slow the ball down
and try to disrupt his opponents intentions. With the court
conditions extremely hot, the ball continued to fly around the court
despite Mike’s best efforts playing into Khan’s favor. He played
error free squash and sprinkled in a few cross court backhand nicks
to take the first game.
 The second was more of the same with Mike starting to make some
inroads, using his boast to change up the rhythm and winning a
handful of points originating from the front left corner. However,
Shahjahan continued his frenetic hitting and was still able to keep
Mike on his back foot during the big points while going short just
enough to keep his opponent honest. Shahjahan takes the 2nd game
11-9 to go firmly in the driver’s seat.
In the 3rd game Khan now had the bit between his teeth with a 2-0
cushion, a weary opponent and playing his best squash of the
tournament. Mike knew he had to make adjustments and started both
slowing the pace down and playing more to the front of the court.
The tactic was effective, but likely too late as Shah was still
fresh enough to generate his own power on the drives and cover
everything short.
Khan continued to play confidently and cruised to
a 10-7 lead with 3 match balls in his pocket when the dramatic
occurred. Shah for the first time in the match showed some tension
at the same time as Mike loosened up with nothing now to lose and
the crowd was treated to a thrilling comeback as McCue summoned
every ounce of his reserve strength to pull even at 10-10 and then
to take the game 12-10 with a series of uncanny gets, spectacular
winners and raw determination.
As the 4th started, the ball was in Shahjahan’s court to see how he
would regroup after the missed opportunity and he responded by
taking his game to an even higher level. McCue battled like a
warrior but had drained the tank in the 3rd game and once Khan
started so positively in the 4th there was little he could do to
stop him.
Shahjahan advances to the championship match with Mike
McCue putting in a valiant effort in an entertaining semi final.
#2 Arthur Gaskin (Irl) 3-0 (Q) Jesus Camacho (MEX)
 The second semi was a more dynamic and varied match than the
opener. Both players were taking the ball short given half a chance
right from the first rally.
Gaskin looked slightly wary of his
Mexican opponent's rapid court coverage and deception on the
counter-attack. As such, Camacho took an early 6/2 lead. The
Irishman found his comfort zone from here though, and constructed a
series of clinical rallies to ultimately win the opener 11/9.
The second game followed a similar pattern and saw Gaskin
consistently take the attacking initiative, with Camacho trying to
reverse the pressure while generally on the back foot. Following
some spectacular dives and winners from the 17 year-old qualifier,
he forced a tiebreak which was certainly the key point of the match.
Gaskin's more structured tactics now finally paid dividends, as a
couple of Camacho's ambitious attacks clipped the tin to put Arthur
in pole position with a 2-0 lead. Jesus' final push came at 3-6 down
in the third game when Gaskin showed some mild signs of fatigue and
impatience.
However, summoning his decade of experience on Tour, the
Irish champion accelerated from 6-6 to 10-6 and eventually closed
out the game 11-8 to clinch a straight-game win.
Massive credit goes
to Camacho, who showed excellent poise and maturity (tactically and
psychologically) all week. Another great prospect coming from Latin
America.
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Draw & Results
Live Streaming
Photos by
Matthew Cloutier
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  NSA
Open 2015
10-15 Aug, Toronto, Canada, $5k |
Round One
12 Aug |
Quarters
13 Aug |
Semis
14 Aug |
Final
15 Aug |
[1] Chris Hanson (Usa)
11/7, 11/7, 12/10 (30m)
[wc] Cameron Seth (Can) |
[1] Chris Hanson
7/11, 11/9, 12/10, 11/4 (52m)
[6] Mike McCue |
[6] Mike McCue
11/9, 11/9, 10/12, 11/2 (58m)
[5] Shahjahan Khan |
[5] Shahjahan Khan
6/11, 12/10, 11/2, 4/11, 11/7 (69m)
[2] Arthur Gaskin
 |
[6] Mike McCue (Can)
11/6, 11/5, 11/7 (42m)
[Q]
Rahul Sehrawat (Can) |
[8] Babatunde Ajagbe (Ngr)
11/2, 11/3, 11/4 (26m)
[Q] Kale Wilson (Tri) |
[8] Babatunde Ajagbe
11/9, 11/7, 5/11, 11/4 (45m)
[5] Shahjahan Khan |
[5] Shahjahan Khan (Pak)
6/11, 11/9, 8/11, 11/7, 11/5 (60m)
Nicolas Caballero (Par) |
[Q]
Jesus Camacho (Mex)
13/11, 11/8, 11/8
[3] Dane Sharp (Can) |
[Q]
Jesus Camacho
11/9, 11/7, 11/3 (34m)
David Ballargeon |
[Q]
Jesus Camacho 11/9,
12/10, 11/8 (56m)
[2] Arthur Gaskin |
David Ballargeon (Can)
11/8, 11/5, 11/6 (27m)
[7] Fred Reid (Can) |
James Bamber (Eng)
11/7, 11/4, 11/3 (27m)
[5] Joe Chapman (Bvi) |
[5] Joe Chapman
11/3, 11/3, 11/3 (27m)
[2] Arthur Gaskin |
Albert Shoihet (Can)
11/5, 15/13, 1/6 (48m)
[2] Arthur Gaskin (Irl) |
11-Aug,
Qualifying Finals:
Kale Wilson (Tri) 3-1
Elliot Selby (Eng)
17-15, 6-11, 11-9, 11-4 (53m)
Rahul Sehrawat (Can) 3-0
Francisco Mendez (Mex)
11-6, 11-8, 11-3 (34m)
James Bamber (Eng) 3-2
Winston Buzzo (Bra) 11-6, 6-11, 11-3, 4-11,
12-10 (64m)
Jesus Camacho (Mex) 3-1 Miled Zarazua (Mex)
11-8, 11-4, 4-11, 11-5 (39m)
10-Aug, Qualifying Round One:
Kale Wilson (Tri) 3-2 John Lamont (Can)
9-11, 4-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-5 (42m)
Elliot Selby (Eng) 3-0 Jackson Kay (Can)
11-6, 11-7, 11-7 (29m)
Rahul Sehrawat (Can)
3-1
Bryan Cueto (Mex)
6-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-6 (42m)
Francisco Mendez (Mex) 3-0 George Crowne (Can)
11-5, 11-9, 14-12 (32m)
James Bamber (Eng) 3-0 Guillermo Valles (Can)
11-1, 11-3, 11-2 (21m)
Winston Buzzo (Bra) 3-0 Alexander Riedelsheimer (Can)
11-6, 12-10, 11-6 (24m)
Miled Zarazua (Mex) 3-0 Thomas King (Can)
11-2, 11-0 11-4 (22m)
Jesus Camacho (Mex) 3-0 Julien Gosset (Can)
11-7, 12-10, 11-6 (24m)
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13-Aug, Quarters:
McCue ousts top seed in Toronto quarters:
Jamie Nicholls Reports:
Two big upsets in the quarter-finals
as home favourite Mike McCue beats top seed Chris Hanson and
16-year-old Mexican qualifier Jesus Camacho also advances to the
semifinals ...
#4 Shahjahan Khan (Pak) 3-1 Babatunde Ajagbe (Ngr)
The opening quarterfinal match featured NSA Open veteran Shahjahan
Khan and newcomer Babatunde Ajagbe. Khan was coming off an edgy
first round victory while Ajagbe was not tested on Day 1. Once again
Shahjahan started with some nerves and made several uncharacteristic
tins.
Unfortunately the Nigerian did not capitalize and responded
with tins of his own as Shahjahan was able to hold on for the first
game. The second game provided better quality from both players as
the rallies lengthened and the tins disappeared. At 6-6 a long rally
ended with a perfect Khan backhand drop and that rally carried him
through the game. Ajagbe responded with several winners early in the
3rd game and once the lead was large enough, Khan started to set his
sights on the fourth.
After regrouping with his coach Zarak,
Shahjahan reached for another gear and played his best tactical
squash with only 1 error to take the match and advance to the
semifinals.
(Q) Jesus Camacho (Mex) 3-0 David Baillergeon (Can)
Both young players came into this match after upset wins the night
before and looked very relaxed and confident leading into the match.
The crowd had started to build up as the first game started as many
wanted to catch a glimpse of the giant slayer Camacho to see if he
was indeed the real deal. He did not disappoint playing with the
same aggressiveness as the night before throwing in kills and boasts
at the first sign of a loose ball from Baillergeon.
David fought
hard in the first game and did not back down in the least, hitting
several of his trademark forehand cross-courts for winners. The
second was close until 5-5 with the effects of Camacho’s relentless
attacks starting to take their toll on the southpaw Canadian as from
that point onwards, the Mexican junior showed that he is indeed the
real deal advancing easily to the semifinals.
#6 Mike McCue (Can) 3-0 #1 Chris Hanson (Usa)
A much anticipated tilt between the home town and home club favorite
Mike McCue taking on the first seed and extremely solid American
Chris Hanson.
The match started with both players feeling out the
court and their opponents with lots of length and long, conservative
rallies. McCue started to try and play some balls short from the
back of the court to get Hanson moving early on but Hanson responded
decisively with a nice array of counter drops and hold-flick-cross
courts to run away with the 1st.
The second saw Hanson once again in
control as Mike was unable to push up and volley anything from the
strong left hander. However, the armour started to chink ever so
slightly as the game wore on with the heat on the court and Mike’s
ability to hang around longer and longer in each rally as Hanson
made a few errors for McCue to escape with the 2nd game.
Clearly the 3rd game was pivotal and proved to be a see saw affair.
Hanson got off to a big lead only to see McCue even the score and
then McCue jumped out to 10-8 and two game balls only to see Hanson
tie it up at 10-10. An error from Hanson and then a great rally from
McCue ending with a crosscourt winning drive from the front left
handed the Canadian the 2-1 lead.
After 45 minutes and only 3 games,
it was McCue who looked the fresher starting the 4th game with
Hanson slightly behind in each rally which as we know can have a
huge effect on the outcome, with Mike now stepping in front and
really for the first time in the match dictating the rallies. McCue,
sensing the upset did not get too excited and his concentration was
laser sharp right to the final point as he advances to the semifinals versus Shahjahan Khan.
A mammoth effort by both players
and a very entertaining match.
#2 Arthur Gaskin (Irl) 3-0 Joe Chapman (Bvi)
The two “gentle giraffes” as the girls at the NSA front desk
described Arthur and Joe played a very fair and sporting match in
our nightcap. The rallies were long and polished but the former
World #70 from Ireland Gaskin seemed to be on the right end of most
of them. G
askin made less errors than could be counted on 1 hand and
sprinkled in a nice array of winners to go with his precise depth
and width in the 3-0 victory. Many now believe Gaskin to be the
tournament favourite headed into the semifinals tonight.
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Draw & Results
Live Streaming
Photos by
Matthew Cloutier
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12-Aug, Round One:
Sharp in early exit in Toronto:
Jamie Nicholls Reports:
Six of the eight seeded players made
it through to the quarter-finals at the National Squash Academy in
Toronto, the main exception being three-time champion and third
seeded Canadian Dane Sharpe, who was beaten in straight games
by Mexican qualifier Jesus Camacho ...
Match reports:
#8 Babatunde Ajagbe (Ngr) 3-0 (Q) Kale Wilson (Tri)
The Nigerian Ajagbe seems to have been adopted by the ladies at the
NSA front desk and his comfort within the facility showed when he
took the court for his first round match today. Ajagbe moved fluidly
and looked as if he could play all evening which was in sharp
contrast to the qualifying weary Kale Wilson who looked a bit off
the pace throughout the match. Ajagbe showed a nice arsenal of
weapons and worked all of his shots with confidence to advance to
the quarterfinals.
#5 Joe Chapman (Bvi) 3-0 (Q) James Bamber (Eng)
Jim Bamber had many around the NSA talking about a possible upset in
the first round after an impressive qualifying run. However, the #5
Joe Chapman from the BVI’s had other ideas and completely shut down
the young Englishman down with incredible precision and a very
polished, professional approach.
The same attacking style that won
him his first two qualifying matches was Bamber’s undoing today as
Chapman responded with deft counter drops and well timed holds to
keep his opponent off balance. Chapman advances decisively to the
quarterfinals.
#4 Shahjahan Khan (Pak) 3-2 Nicolas Cabellero (Par)
Surely the match of the evening as the defending finalist Shahjahan
Khan suffered a very real scare in the form of the unknown Paraguay
player Cabellero.
Nicolas made his debut on the NSA glass court and
played as though he had nothing to lose with great movement, a wide
array of attacking shots early in the rallies and the determination
to believe he could pull off the upset.
Khan, by contrast seemed
tight and nervous as he struggled to find his offense, clipping
several uncharacteristic tins and not moving as fluidly as he is
capable of. Having his father and legend of squash Zarak Jahan Khan
speaking with him in between games proved invaluable as at 2-1 down
and 5-0 down with the upset looking more and more likely, Shahjahan
finally steered the train back onto the tracks and started to play
like the defending champ.
His tins became winners and he loosened up
his approach, starting to accept that yes the young South American
could play but that Khan could also play and was in fact the more
experienced player. Shahjahan escapes with a 3-2 victory and a date
with Babatunde Ajagbe in the quarterfinals.
David Baillergeon (Can) 3-0 #7 Fred Reid (Can)
David Baillergeon of Montreal clinched his first PSA quarterfinal
berth with a decisive victory over Fred Reid in just 24 minutes. The
former Canadian junior champion coaxed Reid into double digit
unforced errors and several uncontested incorrect guesses off drives
from the front corners. Baillergeon is the first Canadian player
into the quarterfinals with fresh legs for tomorrow.
#6 Mike McCue (Can) 3-0 (Q) Rahul Sehrawat (Ca)
The second successive all-Canadian match-up pitted two training
partners in the newly named Canadian National team member Mike McCue
and #2 Canadian junior Rahul Sehrawat. Both knew the court and both
knew the opponent with Mike showing no signs of the pressure a
higher seeded player might feel against a qualifier with nothing to
lose.
The score was 3-0 but Rahul played a mature game with relaxed
movement and several winning mid-court kills on the backhand side to
make a positive deposit in the experience bank. McCue who is playing
in his 5th straight NSA open has gone from losing in the qualifying
final in 2011, to a first round loss in 2012, to a quarterfinal loss
in 2013 to losing 12-10 in the 5th to Zac Alexander in the
semifinals last year. He will no doubt be looking to continue this
upward trend in 2015.
#1 Chris Hanson (Usa) 3-0 (wc) Cameron Seth (Can)
Chris Hanson has been keeping a low profile all week – as the
tournaments #1 seed he knows that 15 other competitors are gunning
for a shot at him. First up to the plate was wildcard and Canadian
Cameron Seth who is a notorious grinder and as mentally tough as
they come.
Hanson passed the first test of the week with a straight
forward 3-0 victory over the former junior Canadian champion with
the precision expected of a top 100 player – tight drives from
everywhere on the court, thoughtful tactics and another gear when
required on both defence and offence. Hanson advances to take on the
home court favorite Mike McCue in the quarterfinals tomorrow.
#2 Arthur Gaskin (Irl) 3-0 Albert Shoihet (Can)
The Western Mustang alumni started to enter the NSA shortly before
this much anticipated match as former captain Albert Shoihet looked
to cause an upset against our #2 seed Arthur Gaskin. After informing
me that he had taken a call earlier that day from 94 year old former
Wester coach and US college squash hall of famer Jack Fairs, it was
apparent Albert would be up for a fight.
The first game saw Gaskin close the court down with tight length
while keeping himself in front of the Canadian in most rallies. With
Albert’s former teammates starting to make some noise from the
bleachers, the intensity picked up in the second game. Shoihet fired
in several winners, used his trademark deception and showed some
feisty retrieving. He led at 9-8 and had game balls at 10-9 and
12-11 before some refereeing decisions seemed to affect his focus
allowing the Irishman to escape and go up 2-0. Albert continued to
fight hard but at 5-5 Arthur showed his class and took his game to
another level to win his NSA Open debut. Gaskin faces Joe Chapman in
the quarterfinals tomorrow.
(Q) Jesus Camacho (Mex) 3-0 #3 Dane Sharp (Can)
The upset of tournament as 3 time NSA Open champion Dane Sharp was
defeated by the giant slayer Jesus Camacho in the nightcap. The
young Mexican who dazzled in qualifying did not seem to register
that Dane had a 17-1 all-time record on the NSA glass court in
tournament play and showed no signs of backing down to the challenge
of this first round match. Jesus attacked early in the rallies,
using a quick boasts and hard low drives to try and assert himself.
However, Dane is a marathoner not a sprinter and after a quick lead
to Camacho, Sharp started to drag out the rallies and grinding the
junior down to get to a 10-7 lead. Uncharacteristically Dane let 3
game balls slip and then another at 11-10 which he could not recover
from as Jesus wont the all-important first game. Sharp continued to
fight for the hometown crowd spurring him on but Camacho now added
the belief component to an already dangerous skill set. He went on
to complete the stunning upset 3-0 to advance to meet David
Baillergeon in the quarterfinals tomorrow.
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Draw & Results
Live Streaming
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11-Aug, Qualifying Finals:
Jamie Nicholls Reports:
It was another hot and
humid night on the NSA all-glass court as four qualifiers were
decided in the 2015 Colony Ford Lincoln NSA Open.
#1 Kale Wilson (Tri) 3-1 #5 Elliot Selby (Eng)
The first game proved critical in this match as the Englishman Selby
held leads at 8-6 and 9-8 but could not convert, succumbing 17-15 in
an 18 minute first game. After taking a much quicker second game by
controlling the middle of the court with his precise volley drops
and deceptive volley straight drives, Selby seemed to wilt under the
humid glass court conditions.
In conjunction with Wilson finding his best patch of his NSA career
with a non-existent error rate and trademark punishing low drives,
the tide was turned in the 3rd and 4th as the former Western Mustang
star and Trinidadian advanced to the main round. He matches up
against the #8 seed Babatunde Ajagbe from Nigeria tomorrow.
Rahul Sehrawat (Can) 3-0 #3 Francisco Mendez (Mex)
Unfortunately for the NSA faithful, the second match featured the
club’s top junior player Rahul Sehrawat and our beloved teaching pro
Francisco Mendez.
The two train together frequently and certainly know each other’s
games inside and out. The match was much closer than the score would
indicate as Mendez actually dominated many rallies and played an
uncharacteristically attacking game style with Sehrawat winning many
of his points by simply “hanging in there” with his movement and
ability to stay off the tin.
By the 3rd game, Sehrawat had found his offensive range and played
his best game so far of the tournament to earn a date with another
training partner Mike McCue tomorrow in the main round.
#4 James Bamber (Eng) 3-2 #7 Winston Buzzo (Bra)
Another NSA Open Classic! This match had all of the elements the
fans craved – two great athletes picking up everything the other
could throw at them, great attacking rallies, wild lead swings and
of course some refereeing controversy.
Both players are making their NSA Open debut and play a similar game
style – lots of holds and flicks, boasts early in the rally and
outstanding movement. Bamber looked very comfortable in the 1st game
but lacked intensity in the 2nd and Buzzo capitalized.
Bamber who was being advised by family members via text over the
live stream throughout the match tightened his britches in the 3rd
but again opened the door to Buzzo in the 4th as he took his foot
off the gas. The 5th saw the Brazilian on the verge of an upset with
6-3, 7-4 and 8-5 leads but play ground to a halt with a series of
lets and stoppages that did not go Buzzo’s way.
The crowd sensed this match might go the distance and sure enough we
found the score knotted at 2 all 10 all where anything can happened.
A quick stroke and a winning forehand drive by Bamber brought the
epic match to a close with the Englishman advancing to face Joe
Chapman of the BVI’s tomorrow.
#2 Jesus Camacho (Mex) 3-1 #5 Miled Zarazua (Mex)
A much anticipated tilt between the future of Mexican squash Jesus
Camacho and a battle tested veteran Miled Zarazua caught the
interest of legends of squash Manuel Loza and Ian Power as they
returned from a hard day of coaching to take in the action.
Camacho’s game plan seemed clear from the outset as he set a
blistering pace in order to tire out the cagey Zarazua who despite
his best efforts could not slow the ball enough down to halt the
attack of his younger counterpart. Camacho continued to move well,
hit with pace and look for every opportunity to attack anything
remotely loose in taking the first two games decisively.
The veteran Zarazua finally started to get some traction in the 3rd
game by rope-a-doping the tempo of the game and putting in some
well-timed drops and boasts. Just as the crowd thought the worm
might be turning, the 17 year old Camacho showed that he could be
the heir apparent to the Mexican squash throne by playing his best
game yet under duress and advanced to the main round of the NSA
open.
He is rewarded with a date with the 3 time NSA Open champion Dane
Sharp which will certainly be Camacho’s toughest PSA test to date.
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Draw & Results
Live Streaming
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10-Aug, Qualifying Round One:
Jamie Nicholls Reports:
The fifth edition of
the NSA Open got under way with eight qualifying round one
matches on the permanent glass court at the National Squash Academy
in Toronto ...
#1 Kale Wilson (Tri) 3-2 John Lamont (Can)
The first match on turned out to the be the best of the evening as
Trinidad’s Kale Wilson showed his experience by clawing back from a
2-0 deficit to upend the Trinity College graduate John Lamont.
Lamont showed a bright PSA future as he set an early high pace with
relentless volleying and blistering drives but the steamy
temperature on the glass court took its toll as the Caribbean Wilson
pulled away in the fifth.
#5 Elliot Selby (Eng) 3-0 Jackson Kay (Can)
Elliot has been living and training and training Toronto for the
last 6 weeks and has been acclimatizing to the glass court leading
up to this event. He played a polished game style and frustrated the
home club favorite and Canadian junior star “NSA” Jackson Kay with
consistent length and well timed drop shots.
Good experience for the 15 year old Kay who has been training hard
and didn’t look at all out of place.
Rahul Sehrawat (Can) 3-1 #8 Bryan Cueto (Mex)
The only mild upset of the evening saw BU19 Canadian Junior Finalist
Rahul Sehrawat put in an impressive performance against the Mexican
Bryan Cueto. Sehrawat was a bit nervy in the first game but settled
in and played consistent length with outstanding movement to wear
down Cueto in four tough games.
Sehrawat will need to attack with greater frequency in order to
qualify for the main draw but otherwise looked very comfortable.
#3 Francisco Mendez (Mex) 3-0 George Crowne (Can)
NSA teaching pro and crowd favorite Francisco Mendez spent 6 hours
on court coaching in preparation for his first match of the
tournament but didn’t look a touch fatigued as he took on Canadian
Junior BU15 champion and NSA hero George Crowne.
This match was extremely entertaining with tons of attacking, many
dives and several exhibition style rallies. Crowne at 14 years old
showed that he has a bright future and dominated many rallies in the
2nd and 3rd games before Mendez’s professionalism finally broke him
down.
Tomorrow, hopefully Francisco’s bosses Ian and Jonathon Power can
give him the afternoon off to prep for his qualification finals.
#4 James Bamber (Eng) 3-0 Guillermo Valles (Mex)
Jim Bamber from England was an unknown entity to the NSA faithful
and looked impressive from the warm-up onwards. He showed off all of
his weapons tonight in dispatching the 15 year old Mexican junior
Valles in short order and had the crowd wondering if he might be
capable of providing a main round upset or two. A nice debut for the
Englishman.
#7 Winston Buzzo (Bra) 3-0 Alexander Riedelsheimer (Can)
The Portuguse speaking Winston Buzzo of Brazil provided the quote of
the tournament so far when the only English he spoke all day was
upon winning his match, exclaiming “I love this court very much”.
Buzzo beat the talented Canadian junior Riedelsheimer with above
average movement and several winning kills when he was given space
to hit into. Riedelsheimer showed flashes of brilliance in the
second game and represented himself well in this match but in the
end Buzzo was not to be denied.
#6 Miled Zarazua (Mex) 3-0 Thomas King (Can) 3-0
Zarazua showed why he was one of the top juniors in the world and
played in the top 3 of the championship Trinity College line-up. He
nonchalantly went about his business this evening playing the ball
in short anytime the Canadian junior King left it loose and used
varied tempo to tie up his opponent.
Thomas could not get any tactical traction against Miled but the
hardest working junior in the country King will no doubt put his
nose to the grindstone to keep improving before his next PSA event.
#2 Jesus Camacho (Mex) 3-0 Julien Gosset (Can)
Always an awkward affair when the billet plays his host in the first
round! Camacho who is one of the most entertaining juniors in the
world (Jonathon Power himself is a huge fan) matched up
unfortunately against his host Canadian junior Julien Gosset who is
an extremely talented player in his own right.
Gosset pushed hard in the second game and hit some uncanny nicks but
otherwise Camacho looked as if he might have had another gear in the
3-0 win.
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Live Streaming
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Preview: Five up for NSA Open in Toronto
The 5th annual NSA Open, presented by Colony Ford Lincoln,
will run from August 10-15th in Toronto's Downsview Park at the National Squash Academy.
This year's field is perhaps the deepest ever seen at the event,
which has become a late-summer staple on the PSA calendar.
The top four seeds can all be found within eight places of each
other in the world rankings. USA's Chris Hanson is the
favourite, but 2014 finalist Shahjahan Khan (USA) will be
hoping to unseat the top seed in the semis, as he did last year.
Dane Sharp was the man Khan beat in that epic semifinal,
which was the Canadian's first ever loss in this event, having won
in 2011, '12 and '13! The veteran Canadian is drawn to meet #2 seed
Arthur Gaskin in the bottom-half semifinal. Irish Champion
Gaskin is making his NSA debut and faces Torontonian Albert
Shoihet in the first round.
Elsewhere, #6 seed Mike McCue will be looking to cause some
upsets on the NSA's permanent glass court, which has become a
favorite for the adopted Torontonian. 2014 Canadian Junior champion
and rising star David Baillergeon from Montreal hopes to
springboard his PSA career as he makes his NSA Open debut and faces
fellow Canadian and #7 seed Fred Reid.
Local NSA junior talent
Thomas King, Jackson Kay and
Rahul Sehrawat will be hoping to survive the rigors of
qualifying to earn some main draw experience, while wildcard Cameron Seth of Elora, who is an experienced NSA glass court
campaigner rounds out the Canadian contingent.
With thanks to our title sponsor Colony Ford Lincoln, our presenting
sponsor IPS insurance and facility partners PACE credit union and
Smart Centres the event will played in conjunction with the 2015
North American Junior Open (August 14th – 16th) and is free for all
spectators.
In addition the event will be professionally streamed by Josh Ginou
and the Squash Stream crew at www.squashstream.tv.
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